OXFORD NATURE PARK

connecting Oxford and beyond

The paper below has been written to in the light of the energetic plans for Oxford’s future from the City Council and the University. Since we circulated this page in late July, there has been an amazing response and offers of support. Thank you!

In the light of really useful feedback we changed the title slightly to make it clearer that we are considering an Oxford Nature Park as a pilot with Oxfordshire, as part of a connected net of biodiverse green spaces across the County. We could have a similar Nature Park in every town, being used and enjoyed by wildlife and people across Oxfordshire, supported by an Oxfordshire-wide Nature Education Strategy.

Key points arising from this paper are -

Green space is vital for wellbeing, and for engaging and educating young people in their world.
Oxford stands to lose green spaces to housing and development as has happened at Spindleberry Nature Park in East Oxford.
Green skills and aptitudes acquired through learning in nature are vital for all aspects of the economy.
Oxford has a very high level of inequality, including in access to green space.

If you would like to discuss this with us please email kim@oxfordearthacademy.org. We have had wonderful engagement and responses so far. Thank you!

Green Spaces for Skills for the Economy

Enhancing employment skills and resilience in Oxfordshire Youth through Nature-Based education within the city

1st August 2025

Dr Kim Polgreen* and Dr Evelyn Sanderson**

*Director, Oxford Earth Academy; Chair, Low Carbon Oxford North; Honorary Fellow at the Oxford University Department of Education; Community Outreach Officer for the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery.

** Associate, Oxford Earth Academy, Co-founder Oxfordshire Doughnut Economics Collective, Former General Practitioner

introduction

Nature Based Education provides learning and skills vital to the economy. This paper proposes the establishment of an “Oxford Nature Park” – recognition of the City’s network of connected biodiverse green spaces, as an invaluable asset for education and wellbeing, which could be pivotal in unlocking this value.

Vision

A resilient network of a variety of biodiverse green spaces providing local educational opportunities within easy access of schools and colleges, for all Oxford and Oxfordshire’s Children and Young People; with an accompanying Nature Education Strategy for Oxfordshire, meeting the needs of the local economy, and of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

Context

A new vision for innovation-led growth of Oxfordshire’s economy is set out in Oxford University’s Strategy for Innovation, Engagement and Impact[i] and supported by Oxford City Council’s new Local Plan 2042[ii] and vision for Greater Oxford[iii], Oxfordshire County Council’s Innovation Framework for Planning and Development[iv], and the new Oxford Growth Commission[v].

A thriving economy will need employees with a range of technical and soft skills. Nature Based Education (NBE) - education in and about the natural world - is particularly effective in building these skills.

Oxfordshire, with its abundance of green assets and a strong cohort of nature educators, is ideally placed to tap into this opportunity. The expansion of Oxford into the surrounding green belt as “Greater Oxford” and the associated funding for nature provides an opportunity to create a resilient network of a variety of biodiverse green spaces: an Oxford Nature Park, with wildlife corridors into the biodiverse spaces across the County.

Nature Based Education provides our young citizens with -

1. Soft skills for the workplace

Business organisations report that new entrants to the workplace often lack skills in communication, teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking and personal resilience. Whilst technical skills can be acquired, teaching soft skills in the workplace can be difficult and time consuming. NBE during school years is particularly effective in building these skills and strengthening the workforce[vi].

2. Eco-literacy and green sector expertise

A rapidly growing “green sector”, combined with the need for all businesses and organisations to green their operations and supply chains, requires appropriate expertise and eco-literacy. NBE provides relevant knowledge, and a real appreciation and understanding of how human systems are embedded with natural systems.

3. Inclusivity and a widening of the talent pool

The economy needs a wide pool of people with a range of talents and innovative approaches to business challenges. While many students do well in mainstream education, others flourish in non-traditional educational settings with opportunities to learn outside in nature. NBE is a valuable tool for supporting a variety of learners, thereby promoting equality of opportunity.

4. Self-management of mental health and wellbeing

The mental health crisis in children and young people is spilling over into the workplace: one in three young adults aged 18 – 34 report mental ill-health[vii]. Engagement with the natural world appears to support general mental health and wellbeing [viii], and to help reduce eco-anxiety[ix], which is highly prevalent in young people. (Oxford Health are pioneering nature-based intervention at all stages of their mental health provision.) NBE gives young people the opportunities and skills to use their local green spaces for their own mental health and wellbeing, enabling them to take these skills into the workplace.

AN ADDITIONAL IDEA CONTRIBUTED BY AN OXFORD UNIVERSITY RESEARCHER (4/8/25): Many people actually associate green spaces with fear and perhaps trauma, which hinders their ability to benefit from time in nature. Others may have inherited fears about “dirt” or “bugs” from adults who have also missed out on Nature-Based Education. Learning about nature in these spaces may support recovery from the negative associations which they experience, and boost their ability to manage their mental health and wellbeing, and to thrive.

5. Confidence through societal participation

Young people of secondary school age can find it hard to see themselves as part of the wider community[x]. Adults often misunderstand them[xi], and there is a lack of provision for them in the public sphere. Where spaces for teenagers do exist, they are generally not biodiverse green spaces[xii].

Engaging children and young people in learning in and about their local green spaces early in life and teaching them how to study and look to after them alongside members of the community, offers a huge opportunity to give them pride and ownership of their local spaces, a sense of belonging, pride and a role in their community that underpins all aspects of our society.

AN “Oxford Nature Park”: maximising opportunities for education

An Oxford Nature Park, referencing the National Education Nature Park[xiii], but including all the myriad of diverse green spaces within the City (many of which are more biodiverse than the surrounding countryside) as well as the school grounds themselves, is an exciting opportunity to address the economic, environmental and social needs of our growing city.

Why A New Nature Park?

If we are to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by green education for green skills, we need biodiverse green spaces within which to teach. If we simply promote education on the City’s primary biodiverse spaces we risk an increased footfall and associated damage to these sites.

By recognising and promoting the full range of accessible sites, including all the valuable connecting wildlife corridors which are of interest in their own right, we can ensure that there is enough space to educate many young people without risking additional footfall on the prime sites. Education in turn will support protection and enhancement of biodiversity across all our green and connecting spaces.

Key features of the Oxford Nature Park

1. Within walking distance of schools and communities

The National Education Nature Park[xiv] on school grounds is a fantastic initiative, but many schools do not yet have much biodiversity or may have limited space for learning in nature. Trips to distant nature sites are becoming increasingly difficult with the rising costs of transport and pressures on teacher time, so many children have little time in nature.

Nature sites within easy walking distance of schools and communities create opportunities to visit frequently, in different seasons, conduct long term studies, and to develop a meaningful connection and sense of belonging in local natural places.

Oxford is the second most unequal city in the UK, with high rates of child poverty. Inequality is not only pernicious but will dampen growth and prosperity[xv]. Lack of opportunity for enjoying and learning in green spaces is felt as an inequality by those in poorer areas [xvi] [xvii]. Addressing this particular form off inequality will help to mitigate the long-term impacts of inequality in the County.

2. Resilient urban biodiversity

Spaces with a diverse range of natural features result in greater benefits in wellbeing[xviii] and offer greater learning opportunities. Small pockets of green space in isolation may have limited capacity for some species to thrive, but are still valuable for biodiversity, particularly if the wildlife corridors between them are also recognised and protected as part of the whole. Brownfield sites, however small and unpromising can be surprisingly rich in species, and should not be overlooked. Small spaces are particularly vulnerable to footfall, so they must be managed to enable education while protecting biodiversity.

3. Variety of provision for different users

A patchwork of different habitats enhances learning opportunities about different ecosystems and species, and different types of spaces allow NBE for different ages and capacity: primary age children need contained, safe spaces, others may have particular accessibility needs, and teenagers need larger spaces to explore and provide a physical challenge.

4. Skilled educators

Oxford has a number of skilled nature educators. Key to the success for NBE for the economy will be upskilling teachers in schools, community and business volunteers, and parents.

We propose

We propose that Oxfordshire’s Anchor institutions and businesses support the expansion of NBE opportunities for all young people, and to facilitate this, embrace the concept of an Oxford Nature Park, perhaps en route to becoming a National Park City[xix]. The following steps would accelerate this initiative and support the economy.

1. Local authority mapping of a connected green and blue infrastructure network in Oxford

The desirability of mapping the location, connectivity, permeability and multifunctionality of the city’s diverse green and blue spaces is already a preferred option in Oxford’s 2042 Local Plan Consultation (closes 8th Aug 2025) and to Oxfordshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy (due to be released Nov 2025). It would be impactful to incorporate the potential for NBE into the multifunctionality criteria for inclusion, recognising proximity to schools, colleges and communities, and the value of the smallest of spaces if they are close by or connect other patches, including naturalised / rewilded “brownfield” sites.

2. Including an Oxford Nature Park in Oxford University’s Innovation, Engagement and Impact Strategy

The Oxford Nature Park meets many of the priorities and desired outcomes set out in Oxford University’s IEI Strategy including the ambition to ‘create a more connected and agile innovation, engagement and impact environment, enhancing our ability to act strategically and build high value and diverse partnerships, ranging from global corporates to local communities.’[xx]

The Oxford Nature Park is an ideal collaborative initiative to be included in the relevant workstreams being set up (September 2025) prior to the launch of the Oxfordshire Strategic Innovation Taskforce (Nov 2025).

3. Establishing an Greater Oxford Nature Park Task Force representing all stakeholders

Local stakeholders, including the councils and universities, working together can make this happen. Stakeholders include children and young people, parents, communities, schools, colleges nature educators, ecologists, employers and business associations, health and social care, relevant charities and community groups, and landowners.

4. Creation of an Oxfordshire Nature Education Strategy

The Local Nature Recovery Strategy mentions education many times. It would be fantastic to see an education strategy which meets the needs of the LNRP, and the outreach and educational goals of Oxford University, Earth Trust, BBOWT etc, and supports initiatives for green skills and green careers development.

Conclusion

An Oxford Nature Park provides a timely opportunity, very relevant to emerging economic initiatives, with huge potential to be a flagship project with multiple impacts that meet Oxfordshire’s societal, environmental and economic aspirations.