1,000 signatures reached
To: Adur & Worthing Councils and West Sussex County Council
Wilding Worthing
Following the declaration by Worthing Borough Council of a climate emergency some areas on edges of parks are being left alone to grow naturally, which is a very welcome move. https://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/news/archive/pr19-106.html
We are now calling on Worthing Borough Council to designate a number of green areas around Worthing for rewilding. To mark ‘No Mow May’ we are asking that these areas are left unmown, allowing the wildflowers to grow and that the use of herbicides and pesticides is eliminated.
Why is this important?
In the last 25 years the UK has lost 75% of flying insects and the vast majority of wildflower meadows. Rewilding areas provides habitat and food for insects, pollinators and local wildlife, and offers areas for families and children to learn more about wildflowers and wildlife. Just 8 Dandelion flowers provide enough nectar for 15,000 bee visits a day. https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/about-us/news/no-mow-may-how-to-get-ten-times-more-bees-on-your-lockdown-lawn Even small wild areas support declining insect populations. Rewilding also contributes to reaching our zero carbon goals, by taking harmful carbon dioxide from the air and storing it underground. This is a financially prudent environmental move as well, as rewilding saves money on expensive council-funded maintenance costs.
Campaign backed by Worthing Climate Action Network and Extinction Rebellion Worthing
There is now an update and good news on the area known as Robert's Marine: 'Plan for this space is to let areas of the grass grow long and create a grass maze within it. Have the patch of wild flowers and then some areas of cut grass still because we get quite a few people exercising on that space, dogs running around on it and people picnicking as well. We felt the mix enables all of that to still happen whilst adding a little more wild spaces for nature.'
