THE OXFORD NATURE PARK
The Oxford Nature Park exists! It is the sum total of every scrap of green and blue space that welcomes wildlife across the city. We may not always recognise it as one big habitat, but our wildlife does - the butterflies, birds, and wildflowers don’t recognise human ownership and boundaries - they will go where they can. Every nature reserve, park, verge, garden, allotment and green rooftop across the city and beyond adds up to one vast interconnected space where wildlife can exist. And at a time when wildlife is under threat world wide, and with it, the ability of humans to thrive or even live, urban wildlife habitats need to be seen and treasured by humans too.
But we don’t have to be romantic about wildlife. For the more economically focused, the Oxford Nature Park is an invaluable asset for our economy:
Health Care Professionals know that green space is vital for wellbeing, and is increasingly being used as a therapeutic option, potentially reducing healthcare costs and improving the health of the workforce.
Teachers know that the availability of local green spaces are invaluable for engaging and educating young people in education.
Business leaders know that the skills and aptitudes acquired through learning in nature, such as teamwork, resilience, problem solving and empathy are vital for all aspects of the economy.
Community leaders know that levelling up human access to nature across the city will also help to address a key component of inequality.
Making it visible to humans too
The current team, Evelyn Sanderson, Kim Polgreen, Marcus Simmons, Joanne Bowlt are all members of the Oxfordshire community who are working on this project to make the ONP more visible to everyone. We are approaching this in 3 ways. Firstly by recording the nature spaces we already know about as a baseline for others to add to. Secondly, by gathering nature stories from across the city. If you’d like to add one, please get in touch! And thirdly, we are working out how best to put all the spaces and stories onto a map that everyone else can look at and add to. If you have any expertise to help, also please contact us!
To show the city’s young people how nature is all around them, and is fascinating and fun, we are engaging with local teens through schools and Duke of Edinburgh volunteers. Again, if you’d like to join us, please do.
For updates on our progress to date please explore these three strands of our work.
1. Oxford’s Nature Now
2. Oxford Nature Stories
3. Oxford Community Nature Mapping
Supporters so far
We have been so delighted to have supporters from various organisations and individuals across the County, including the Oxfordshire Local Nature Partnership, Wild Oxfordshire, and some local counsellors. We welcome everyone who shares our passion for the natural world, and a desire to share this with others.