Nature campaign Stories

Access to nature is important to our physical and mental wellbeing. But the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted just how many people – particularly in urban areas – are robbed of important green space. Paul de Zylva explains how we can make our neighbourhoods cleaner, greener and healthier for all.

To mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Anike Bello spoke to Friends of the Earth Germany to find out how this symbol of tension and division has transformed into a beacon of growth and hope.

Nature – whether it's a sprawling forest or an urban park – can be of great comfort during unsettling times. And it should be accessible to everyone. This article is taken from a speech given by psychotherapist Beth Collier at the Garden Museum, London in Summer 2019. Please follow government guidelines on leaving your home during the COVID-19 pandemic (and keep watch from your window to see if nature comes to you).

Following our 2018-2019 investigation into landowners breaking voluntary agreements to stop burning their moors for grouse shooting, the UK government pledged to ban moorland burning on blanket bog. Guy Shrubsole and Alasdair Cameron share their initial report.

Peat is a natural ally against climate change and an important wildlife haven. So why is so much peat still on sale? Paul de Zylva does some digging.  

High pesticide use in UK farming – a checklist for change. Arable farmer Peter Lundgren canvassed the views of farmers, agronomists and agricultural researchers.

The government is pondering selling developers a licence to destroy nature. Paul de Zylva on why biodiversity offsetting and net gain are thinly veiled eco-vandalism.

A new road to ease congestion on the M4 in south Wales was first proposed in the 1990s. After nearly 30 years of campaigning by Friends of the Earth, the route through the Gwent Levels has been finally ruled out.

Chris Murphy is anxiously awaiting the arrival of migrating whooper swans at Lough Beg, Northern Ireland. Will they be disturbed by the building of a new road?