I work for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. We always say that climate change is the greatest long-term threat to the natural world. Well, I would say that nearly (if not as) important is the increasing disconnection between young people and nature. We’re already doing a lot of good work, including the Natural Childhood partnership we’ve joined National Trust in.

There’s a brilliant David Attenborough quote which runs along the lines of: people only protect what they care about, and they only care about what they experience. 

If young people don’t experience nature, they won’t value it and they won’t grow up to protect it, whether that’s as decision makers in business or politics or purely as citizens. 

So, how can the conservation sector ensure that young people today and future generations value nature?

1. Don’t treat all young people as the same; recognize the key role of those in their early twenties. Having worked as a membership recruiter for two years, I know that what you offer to a five year old won’t necessarily satisfy a seven year old, even though they might be lumped into the same category. What’s more, RSPB membership currently treats young twenty-somethings identically to 50 year-olds. The early twenties are the period when young people are either seeking work or becoming engaged in causes. Let’s take advantage of that key period in their lives.

2a. Don’t see nature as a cause on its own. Nature and the environment often connect with other causes – social justice, climate change, politics, youth disempowerment. If we’re well versed in other causes young people care about then we have an opportunity to use those causes as ways in to talk about the importance of conservation.  

2b. Work on the root causes. Many of the reasons why young people can’t access nature are to do with socio-economic status, advertising to children, poor public transport and the loss of local, urban green space. Conservation NGOs need to broaden their remit and work on some of these unfamiliar but root causes, or at least support the work of those who are tackling these issues.

3. Avoid fashion and celebrities for their own sake. Fashion and celebrities are passing and transient. While they can be useful hooks, they will not engender deep connection with nature. We should be cautious of this. And to be honest, if we’re looking for celebrities to endorse our work or to partner with, what we’re saying is we’re desperate to be heard and nothing else we’re trying is working. We should be heard on our own merit and because our cause is important. 

4. Work in partnership – the conservation sector should seek to connect far more with other organisations who already work with young people. That could be Student Hubs, whose raison d’etre is to connect students with causes. It could be with apprenticeship schemes and connecting young people who need (green) jobs with opportunities on our reserves. 

5. Create a Youth Nature Network. Young people who already care about nature and conservation probably feel quite lonely – I certainly did when I was a teenager. Opticron’s A Focus On Nature programme is a good example of the type of thing that lots of organisations need to get behind. The big (and smaller) conservation NGOs should work together to create an offline and online network to connect young people who care about nature with each other, and to run events (perhaps an annual summit) to inspire and empower other young people about nature and conservation. 

If anyone wants to work with me on any of these ideas, please do get in touch.