Princess Kate and the First Lady are right - every child deserves access to nature, writes National Trust director-general

There is something special about the unbridled joy that kids take from being in nature. Even with more technological distractions than ever before, the desire to climb trees, inspect insects, and create new worlds from a few twigs and puddles seems hardwired into us from birth.

This week, The Princess of Wales and The First Lady will meet with young Scouts to talk about their “Go Wild” badge, which encourages children to learn about animals and plants and how to help them thrive.

But what happens when these wild animals or wild spaces simply aren’t available? Children are naturally inquisitive about nature, but nature isn’t always accessible to them. It depends almost entirely on your postcode.

In disadvantaged urban areas, the chances of having a local green space within a 15-minute walk plummet. No green space means nowhere to play, nowhere to learn about nature, nowhere to meet friends, to walk the dog, to escape the hustle and bustle. And, too often, it means poorer health outcomes.

Added to this, the ‘extinction of experience’ that naturalists worry about, means that nature is at further risk if the adults of the future aren’t able to stand up for it. As Sir David Attenborough famously said: “no one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced.”

The fact that these ‘green lungs’ – however big they are – provide a range of mental and physical health benefits isn’t news. The Victorians cottoned on to this quickly and built communal parks and gardens, many of which are still at the heart of communities today.

After the Second World War, the Atlee government brought about National Parks at the same time as creating the NHS. And in more recent years, the Covid-19 pandemic made many of us grateful for our local green space, while highlighting how unequally distributed these places are.

So what can be done today? Let’s start with Government. Keir Starmer and his new Environment Secretary, Emma Reynolds, have an enormous opportunity to make nature and green space more than just a “nice to have” or a privilege for those who can afford it. Through the upcoming Environmental Improvement Plan, the Government should set a more ambitious target to increase access to nature for everyone, backed up by a Green Paper setting out a clear delivery plan to make a difference for the people who need it most.

They should also amend the Planning and Infrastructure Bill so that regional plans and new towns are required to include large, accessible green spaces, as well as nature on people’s doorsteps.

Organisations like the National Trust can help too. We’ve recently launched a new programme called Nature Towns and Cities with the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Natural England, to bring more green into the UK’s urban centres. We’ve already invested £15.5m of Lottery money into the first 40 towns and cities, and we’ve got many more in our sights.

You can do your bit too. Support your local park or green space. Use it and stand up for it. Speak to your MP. Make sure parks, playgrounds, trees, green space, and ultimately our children’s health are on the agenda.

That unbridled joy we saw this summer mustn’t be the sole reserve of the school holidays or Famous Five novels. It must be part of every day, everywhere, for every child.

____________________

Hilary McGrady is Director-general of the National Trust.

LBC Opinion provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.

To contact us email opinion@lbc.co.uk