Building the UK's first register of wild places

We are calling for people from all four nations of the UK to nominate their most loved wild places, as part of a national survey aimed at shaping future conservation and protection plans for nature.  

From canal paths to country parks, moorlands to mountain ranges – we're asking people across the UK to share the wild places most special to them in a national online survey. As well as its location on a map, we are asking people to share the reasons for their nominations. 

Why? We're building the UK's first register of the most important remaining wild places, creating an important resource for the future monitoring and protection of those places.

“For some people, their favourite wild place is where they take the dog for a morning walk, or where they go for a jog after work. For others, it’s where they head to for a long weekend of solitude or adventure,” says Mike Daniels, Policy Director at the John Muir Trust. “We want to hear from as many people as possible about their favourite wild place, and what it means to them. With enough people’s help we can join together and showcase these places, the value they bring to our daily lives."

The survey is available here. Those that take part will be given the option to enter a prize draw for the chance to win £1,000 of Mountain Equipment clothing and gear.

“Being able to map out the wild places which are most important to people will enable us to protect them in the future,” says Mike. “We can build up a collective register of these wild places that give nature, people and communities the freedom to thrive together. Once we’ve got this, we will then start to build collaborative approaches to protecting them better, by working with local and national governments and local communities and visitors.”

The UK currently ranks as the twelfth worst country in the world for biodiversity. Our hope is that the ‘Favourite Wild Places’ campaign will help to evidence the benefits of a wide variety of wild places – be they local parks or remote hilltops – to both wildlife and society, in order to strengthen conservation efforts.