I wanted to share this great article from the National History Museum website, that goes into detail on just how much nature has enjoyed our periods of lockdown. It was written a few months ago but is certainly still relevant now.
Link: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/nature-liberated-by-lockdown.html
As many of us have been forced to stay indoors during both lockdowns, it may be hard to find positives to take from these strange times. But nature-lovers will certainly be able to appreciate what the last year has done for the nature that surrounds us.
The NHM brought up some interesting statistics about what changed during lockdown, such as an “81% drop in driving and public transport” at the lowest point (in April), which shows just how much our behaviour changed in the space of a few months. Naturally, these changes were very welcomed by our wildlife.
Much fewer vehicles on the road means the level of air pollution was significantly cut and the quality of our air dramatically increased. One measure found that carbon dioxide emissions in London “dropped by 60% during lockdown”. Our air has gotten cleaner, which is not only fantastic news for ourselves but also for the plants and animals that compose our environment!
How did the animal world react?
During the first lockdown, reported sightings of practically every animal species were up! (according to iReport) Some examples include 66% more bee, ant and wasp sightings, 143% more bats, 97% more butterflies and 13% more deer and hoofed animals. These times that may seem restricting for us humans has been liberating for the animal world. We even saw a flock of sheep making the most of an empty playground (video: https://cutt.ly/Oj7lY7G).
Lockdown has given many of us an opportunity to reconnect with nature, whether that be through long walks, starting your own garden, or becoming one of many new birdwatchers. We must not squander this opportunity to become more thoughtful of the nature that surrounds us as our cities slowly head towards a reopening.
Make the most of it!