To encourage young people to spend more time connecting to nature, the RSPB offers free entry to its reserves in the UK
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It’s a news item that probably won’t come as a surprise to the parents of most teens, but young people in the UK are the age group most disconnected from nature. A report into how connected people were to nature, which was commissioned by Natural England in 2020, indicated that the lowest levels of nature connectedness by age group was between the ages of around 13 to 21.
Meanwhile, a 2021 report commissioned by the UK government revealed that the number of children visiting green spaces in the UK had halved in just a generation, while other reports have shown that children in the UK are considerably better at identifying video game characters than common UK wildlife.
In order to reverse these trends and encourage more young people to visit natural areas – and therefore engage with nature – Europe’s biggest conservation group, the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), has announced in a document sent to all members that as of 6 November a two-year pilot programme will grant free entry to 16-24-year-olds to all of the organisations 200 reserves in the UK.
On announcing the initiative, the RSPB said: ‘Young people are less likely to visit our nature reserves than other age groups and we know that cost is one of the main barriers. By removing entry charges, we hope more young people will come to explore these wonderfully wild places and connect with the great outdoors in new ways.’
Of the RSPB’s many reserves, entry fees are only imposed for non-RSPB members at the 21 most visited reserves, which include reserves such as Saltholme, Lakenheath Fen, Ynys-hir, Rainham Marshes and Minsemere.
Prior to the rollout of this scheme, entry charges to the RSPB’s pay for reserves averaged £6 for over 18s, £3 for students and children aged 6-16. Under 6s are free. In order to ensure free entry, visitors must present some form of photo ID such as a passport, driving licence or proof of age card.
A full list of RSPB reserves can be found here.
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