UEA and Natural England form a new partnership to improve public engagement with nature
By: Communications
The University of East Anglia (UEA) has been invited to form a strategic partnership with Natural England, the government’s agency for the natural environment in England – to improve the way that the agency engages with the public about protecting and restoring our natural world.
The new research partnership will – for the first time – bring together cutting-edge social science approaches to public engagement developed at UEA with the practical insights and experience of Natural England.
Dr Ruth Waters, Director for Evidence at Natural England, said:
“We’re delighted to be able to work with UEA’s world-leading experts in environmental and social sciences. This is helping us to understand the ways that people are already engaging with nature, so we can build on what works, try new approaches to public engagement and build new partnerships to improve society for the better and enhance nature’s recovery.”
The centrepiece of the partnership is the newly established Public Engagement Laboratory for Nature and Society. The laboratory is a collaborative and virtual space where experts from UEA and Natural England work together to better understand and map the many ways that people are already engaging with nature and biodiversity. This includes rapidly multiplying forms of public engagement ranging from communication campaigns, public input through consultations and citizens’ assemblies, through to activism, digital participation, citizen science, volunteering, and engagement with nature in everyday life.
The laboratory and wider partnership use these new forms of evidence to improve approaches to public engagement and ensure that public views are better recognised and included in decisions made across Natural England and other organisations.
Professor Jason Chilvers, the UEA lead for the strategic research partnership and the Public Engagement Laboratory for Nature and Society, said:
“It is often assumed that there is a lack of public engagement with nature, but people connect with nature in so many different ways. These already existing engagements are often ignored by decision makers. We are delighted to form this partnership with Natural England to explore how our new approaches to public engagement can address this problem and make a difference for people and nature in practice.”
The announcement of the new partnership between Natural England and UEA coincides with the launch of the laboratory’s first research findings. In a new report the team present the first study to map the diverse ways that citizens are engaging with nature and biodiversity in the UK. Based on this new evidence they provide recommendations for improving public engagement with nature in the work of Natural England, across the UK, and beyond.
UEA’s partnership with Natural England builds on the work of Professor Chilvers and colleagues in the Science, Society and Sustainability (3S) Research Group in establishing and leading the Observatory for Public Engagement with Energy and Climate Change as part of the UK Energy Research Centre.
Earlier this year UEA affirmed its place in the top 100 universities in the world for sustainability.
If you are looking to start university in September 2024 and still thinking about your options, consider joining a UK Top 25 university this September through Clearing.
Related Articles
Outdoor businesses and venues could benefit from boosting biodiversity
Visitors to vineyards enjoyed their tours more when they heard enhanced sounds of diverse birdsong, new research has found.
Read more
Converting methane emissions from dairy farms to biogas could save more than £400m a year in fuel costs
New research has found methane emissions from slurry stores on dairy farms may be up to five times greater than official statistics suggest - and highlights the huge potential for turning them into a renewable energy source.
Read more
Norwich City helped generate over £11m in revenue for local businesses, report finds
A new report published by Norwich City Football Club in collaboration with the University of East Anglia reveals its socio-economic impact on the region for the 2022/23 season.
Read more