WILDLIFE People love plants and seeing flowers and green areas. So wherever we live we will grow plants and build parks, gardens, and allotments to enjoy. Having outdoor places to get fresh air, play and see nature is important for peoples’ minds and bodies. Especially for those who live in cities or towns. = Areas of greenery in towns and cities. URBAN GREEN SPACE In the UK alone, gardens take up absorb heat, release oxygen and, help to control temperatures through the seasons. Green spaces help to reduce the impacts of climate change and pollution in cities. They; (1) Planting on roofs can provide 100 people enough oxygen for one year and absorb around 15 cars’ worth of emissions, while planting trees in cities improves the air quality. NATURE RESERVES GARDENS INTO THE OUTDOORS GEOGRAPHY & CLIMATE HEDGEHOG BUTTERFLY BEE SWIFT URBAN FOX FROG Every year, these amazing birds migrate thousands of miles from the UK to Africa for the winter! (2) KNOW? DID YOU PARKS ALLOTMENTS HALF A MILLION FOOTBALL PITCHES! 430,000 HECTARES That’s the same amount of space as more than Urban green space is an important source of food and shelter for many species. Having hedgerows linking up green spaces in cities can increase wildlife by 50%. (3) (4) GOOD FOR THE MIND GOOD FOR WILDLIFE GOOD FOR THE AIR www.LEGO.com/buildthechange FACT SHEET
Transcript
WILDLIFE
People love plants and seeing flowers and green areas. So wherever we live we will grow plants and buildparks, gardens, and allotments to enjoy.
Having outdoor places to getfresh air, play and see nature isimportant for peoples’ minds andbodies. Especially for those wholive in cities or towns.
= Areas of greenery in towns and cities.
URBAN GREEN SPACE
In the UK alone, gardens take up
absorb heat, release oxygen and, help to control temperatures through the seasons.
Green spaces help to reduce the impacts of climate changeand pollution in cities. They;
(1)
Planting on roofs can provide 100people enough oxygen for oneyear and absorb around 15 cars’worth of emissions, while plantingtrees in cities improves the airquality.
NATURE RESERVES GARDENS
INTO THE OUTDOORS
GEOGRAPHY & CLIMATE
HEDGEHOG BUTTERFLY BEE SWIFT URBAN FOX FROG
Every year, these amazing birds migrate thousands of milesfrom the UK to Africa for the winter!
(2)
KNOW?DID YOU
PARKS ALLOTMENTS
HALF A MILLION FOOTBALL PITCHES!
430,000 HECTARESThat’s the same amount of space asmore than
Urban green space is an importantsource of food and shelter formany species. Having hedgerowslinking up green spaces in citiescan increase wildlife by 50%. (3)(4)
GOOD FOR THE MIND GOOD FOR WILDLIFE GOOD FOR THE AIR
www.LEGO.com/buildthechange
FACT SHEET
They love the smell of flowers - flowers offer pollinatorsa sugary reward called nectar and when they drink it,their bodies get covered in sticky grains of pollen. Asthey fly around and crawl over different flowers, theymove these tiny grains of pollen which allow otherplants to grow seeds and fruit. This is called pollination.
Bees, butterflies, wasps, flies and even moths actuallypollinate most of the fruit and vegetables we eat everyday! If we lose pollinating insects then growing sometypes of food will be very difficult.
HOW ARE THINGS CHANGING?
DID YOU KNOW?
As many of us live inurban areas, we canall be part of thechange to protectthese spaces. Someof the ways peopleare helping include:
HOW CAN WE HELP?
Climate change This is increasing the pressure onour green spaces. Areas of countryside are beingbuilt upon, or turned into farmland, and green spacein cities isn’t available in large quantities. We are indesperate need for more forests, ponds, meadowsand other green space.
Changes to gardens Some people prefer to pull uptheir grass and other important plants and havepavement. Some may prefer walls to fences, and usepesticides to keep their gardens tidy. All of thesethings reduce green space and make gardens lesswildlife friendly.
Location Existing in cities is tough. People andvehicles threaten wildlife, while the concretelandscape reduces chances of animals and plantsfinding a good place to live. This reduces thesuitability of these spaces for wildlife, particularly ourpollinators.
Urban green space is facing several challenges, suchas:
By 2050, two thirds of the world’spopulation will live in cities.
If all the gardens in the UK madehomes for wildlife, we would builda wildlife reserve equivalent tothe size of the Lake DistrictNational Park!
Planting alongside rivers can trapsoils, which can improve waterquality and reduce the risk offlooding.
BETTER TOGETHER Lots of cities are banding together to createspace for nature in their communities. Urbangardening and allotments are becomingincreasingly popular.
CHARITIESCharities are funding new ways to give naturespace, whether that be creating ‘wildlifefriendly housing with wildlife corridors, birdboxes, hedgehog tunnels and pondsincluded, or working nature into the layout ofa city, by planting edible walkways filled withherbs and vegetables, or creatingconservation sites in urban areas.
BEE KINDHelping our pollinators - Many people arebuilding ‘insect hotels’ in outdoor spaceswhere insects can live. People are alsoplanting herbs and vegetables to encourageinsects into their gardens, rooftops, balconiesor window boxes. Some people are becominghoney bee experts and building hives forhoney bees!
(5)
(6)
(1)
(4)
Some of the key animals that need thesegreen spaces are pollinators, including bees,butterflies, wasps, and flies.
POLLINATOR POWER
How many? There are 16,000species of bee! Some are tiny (justa few millimeters) but others aremuch bigger (nearly 4cm).
