A fresh perspective can sometimes make it easier to come up with a solution. So together with the RSPB and the National Trust, we invited people around the UK to share their ideas on how to protect and restore nature.
More than 30,000 submissions were sent in by the public, and these formed the basis for the People’s Plan for Nature that was devised by the People’s Assembly for Nature.
The Assembly is a randomly selected, demographically representative group of more than 100 UK citizens. They came together over four weekends from November 2022 to February 2023 to discuss the threats facing UK nature.
They heard from independent experts, as well as academics and witnesses to the UK nature crisis, and found common ground in order to create the Plan.
From forestry to food production, the Assembly members discussed a range of issues. Here are their thoughts on how they found the experience.
Pauline, Assembly member from Queensferry, Scotland
It’s been phenomenal what I’ve learned. It’s my generation that’s done the damage, so I kind of thought of this as something only younger people were interested in. What I’ve taken away from it is that I can make a change, too. We all can. It’s a very diverse group but this is our collective view and our voice and our opinion. And I hope that the diversity of views can be used to focus the people in power, whoever they are, at whatever level they are.
Fawad, student and Assembly member, living in Manchester
Being a part of the People’s Assembly was a really cool and unique experience. We had the rare opportunity to engage in discussions with people from across the UK who we might otherwise have never even come across, let alone speak to, which was really interesting and special. By the end, we all came together with shared conclusions to the Plan, and the resulting camaraderie created a really hopeful space.
Michelle, Assembly member from the West Midlands
I really had no idea what to expect from the Assembly, nor who I’d be rubbing shoulders with. The first thing I realised was how far and wide the net had been cast. I met men and women from many backgrounds and age ranges. However, we all had the consensus that things do have to change. Our shared discussions highlighted the variety of challenges that this presents. I found the process of this open forum to be so constructive. We had to acknowledge that in order to address the harm that has been inflicted on our natural environment, we have no choice but to make difficult changes and be prepared to pay for them. This can only be achieved by a complete, national, top-down, bottom-up approach.
Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England
Alongside good science, sound policy and effective laws, action for nature’s recovery will need to be underpinned by public support. I was delighted to participate in this process, which seeks to understand what people think and to translate increasing popular support for nature protection and recovery into some clear ideas that everyone can take forward. I do hope that the People’s Plan For Nature will add even more momentum to the wide range of initiatives now underway to recover the health of our depleted natural world.
Professor Nathalie Seddon, University of Oxford, Assembly academic lead
I was impressed by the rigour of the process, the spirit of collaboration and openness among a very diverse group of Assembly members, and the quality of their discussions and questions. I think that the Assembly has come up with a really compelling set of critical actions to restore the vitality of our environment. The experience left me feeling hopeful for the future of UK nature as well as for nature in general; there’s a good chance that if we get things right here, other places will be inspired to do the same.
The Assembly in numbers
4 WEEKENDS
The Assembly met over four weekends, two in person in Birmingham and two online, between November 2022 and February 2023.
18 SPECIALISTS ON AN ADVISORY GROUP
These independent experts ensured the independence, accessibility and freedom from bias of the information presented, based on their knowledge and experience of a range of relevant topics.
36 HOURS OF DELIBERATION
Assembly members heard from expert witnesses, reviewed the ideas and examples shared by the public, shared their own experiences, and engaged in facilitated discussions, from which they developed their recommendations.
40 EXPERT PERSPECTIVES
Resources included academic and expert witness presentations, case studies and testimonials, and Q&A sessions.
103 MEMBERS
Assembly members were chosen to represent a cross-section of the UK population, with weighted representation from all age groups above 16, different education levels, people living in different areas across the UK, people from diverse ethnic backgrounds and people with varying levels of engagement with nature.
ALL IMAGES © INVOLVE / JEMIMA STUBBS
Play your part
Add your voice to the People’s Plan for Nature and discover what you – and our leaders – can do to protect and restore nature
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