Urban Wildlife

In modern cities, it's easy for children to feel cut off from the natural world. Forming a connection with nature, especially at a formative age, has been shown to have a wide range of emotional and social benefits. Luckily, London boasts an amazing wealth of wildlife and nature to be discovered and is often ranked as one of the top cities globally for most green space.

The aim of this project was to therefore take advantage of this abundance in nature and get the public, especially children, more enthusiastic about the diversity in their local environment. Our project involved taking classes of primary school children out in their local wildlife spaces and running a series of interactive workshops based on the nature found within. We also ran stalls at a series of science fairs, including the Great Exhibition Road Festival, where we engage the public with some of London's interesting natural curiosities, including moths, soil invertebrates, and various plants. This work was greatly assisted through a team of student volunteers from Imperial, and also involved collaborating with artist Tamara Venn for a mural depicting London's wildlife. Recently, we have expanded our reach to elderly homes aiming to engage inhabitants with nature close by and learn how urban nature has impacted their own lives. Through these activities, we hope to have to increased awareness, enthusiasm, and concern for nature, and instilled a sense of how important urban wildlife and green spaces can be for people's mental health. 

Team Members

Oliver Kippax-Chu (Cohort 10)
Isabelle Thomson (Cohort 10)
Anna Tippett (Cohort 9)
Jérémie Morel cohort (Cohort 9)
Paransa Alimard (Cohort 9)
Sebastian Pipins (Cohort 9)
Tsvetoslav Georgiev (Cohort 9)