Success for the day of mass declaration of a Nature Emergency in Sheffield!

[lead]More than 1,000 individuals and 30 organisations joined together for a mass statement on Friday 21^st May to declare a Nature Emergency for Sheffield.[/lead]

The declaration was organised by Nature Recovery Sheffield, an alliance of organisations who want us all to take immediate action to reverse the decline of nature and wildlife in Sheffield.

“We had a huge level of support on declaration day,” said Liz Ballard, CEO of Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust. “However, this is just the start of our plan to help nature’s recovery in Sheffield. The doors are wide open for more people to show their support and take action. We want to see a local nature recovery strategy for Sheffield developed collaboratively with residents, groups and organisations.”

Anna Parkin from Sheffield Green Parents who led on coordinating social media for the group said “More than 680 people or groups shared a post on social media using the campaign hashtag #naturesheffield.”

As a result of the campaign, on Friday’s declaration day, both Sheffield City Council’s new Labour and Green Party administration and Labour’s new Shadow Minister for Nature, Water, and Flooding, Sheffield Hallam MP Olivia Blake publicly said that they strongly support declaring a Nature Emergency in Sheffield.

Liz Ballard said “We very much welcomed these announcements on our declaration day and look forward to working with all the stakeholders to start taking more action for nature’s recovery.”

As well as working with authorities, landowners and land stewards, Nature Recovery Sheffield is now working on the next steps to support individuals and local groups who have signed the declaration and provided information through the website survey about the great things they are already doing to help local nature and wildlife.

One of the alliance’s next phases is ‘Take 5 for Nature’, asking people across the city to do just five things to help nature and wildlife.

“There are so