Wild Places Survey response
In early 2023, we asked people across the UK to take part in our Wild Places Survey by nominating their favourite wild place and telling us why its special to them. Here's a small sample of some of the public responses we received that will contribute towards the UK's first wild places register.
The wild places register will list the UK’s most important remaining wild places for the first time - creating a resource for the future monitoring and protection of those places. Once we have a register set up, we can start to build collaborative approaches to protecting them better, by working with local and national governments and local communities and visitors.
David Attenborough nominates Skomer Island
Hot on the heels of the BBC Wild Isles series, our policy team contacted Sir David Attenborough to ask where his favourite wild place was in the UK.
We were delighted to receive a handwritten reply, which mentioned one of the areas he visited in the nature series.
Will Moran (winner of £1k Mountain Equipment voucher) nominates Chorleywood
Will Moran from London took part in our Wild Places Survey and was the fortunate winner of the £1,000 voucher for Mountain Equipment clothing and gear.
Will shared his own special wild place: “Chorleywood provides an opportunity to escape from the city and enjoy fresh air, while taking the dog for a walk. The public footpaths through and around Chorleywood offer me the chance to explore nature and interact with local wildlife.
“Visiting wild places allows you to appreciate the unique biodiversity found in the UK. These areas should be protected so that we can continue to enjoy them, and so that future generations can grow up with the same access.”
Donald Campbell nominates the Undercliffs
Zoologist and author Donald Campbell received an MBE for his contribution to nature and the Undercliffs - part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and one of the wildest places in southern Britain.
Donald says: "My latest book Landslips* suggests, as others have, that some of the National Parks should be extended out to sea. The Undercliffs, like other parts of the so called Jurassic Coast could well be linked to the shallow waters of Lyme Bay, and to more of the Devon Coast, to form a protected area which could feature in your Wild Places Register."
*The following review of Landslips was published in the Colyton Parish Newsletter
The seven-mile stretch of the Undercliff between Lyme Regis and Axmouth is only a fraction of the length of the World Heritage Jurassic Coast, but it is a critical section because of landslides that took place in 1939 and 1840.
A new book, 'Landslips', explores these events and those of subsequent years, but also covers the 60 years since it was established as a National Nature Reserve.
The Undercliff was initially left to look after itself and valued as a geological site, but eventually a few individuals began to appreciate its varied wildlife.
Since that change of attitude it has attracted a range of naturalists, including author of the new book, Donald Campbell, who has been investigating many little known and hard to reach parts of the reserve for the last 25 years as a volunteer warden.
Donald, who received an MBE for services to nature conservation and writes all his books longhand, said that writing his latest book "kept me sane during lockdown".
- Landslips is extensively illustrated throughout 263 pages and available from local bookshops or from the author. Email us if you would like to be put in touch with Donald Campbell.
