Many assume that all people can equally access nature, but it is not true. In recent years the Black community have been reclaiming their right to nature, which in many places around the world has, for centuries, been unequal. 

When thinking about nature in Britain, many think of the rolling countryside, the land on country estates and Royal city parks; encompassing the “green and pleasant land” of Britain and for many these are spaces of escapism, curiosity alongside a familiar feeling of safety and community. These spaces in reality can also be exclusionary, when visualising those who manage or care for British green spaces do you imagine people of colour? With more than 40 per cent of Black or Minority Ethnic residents in London having access to 11 times less green space than in areas where residents are largely White and only 3.1% of environment professionals identifying as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic, it continues to be a challenge for communities of colour to access green spaces and gain the opportunities to take stewardship of the land.

However, the Black community has many hidden figures that have influenced Britain’s natural history, the way we steward the land and natural scientific knowledge. From the contributions of the Black Tudors  in the 16th century, to the 10,000 black Londoners arriving through the 18th century both unwillingly and willingly. Some key figures in history include John Edmonstone, with whom Charles Darwin studied bird taxidermy from in 1825 and Mary Seacole, who used her traditional African and Caribbean remedies to heal illnesses and injuries during the war – her remedies going on to be used by many. The contribution of communities of colour has been extensive, but their names are often missing from the history books.

In London, levels of access to land by the public has varied over the years, with the eight Royal parks initially kept as private hunting grounds but later made accessible to the public. The first of these was Hyde Park which was opened to the public in 1637. In 1660, over 50 pleasure gardens were created in and around London for the enjoyment of the general public; many years later in 1842, London’s first public park was established at Hackney (History of London’s parks)

After the impact of Second World War, Caribbean citizens – some of who had served the British through the War – were promised a better life and prosperity in return for employment in Britain. What followed was the HMS Empire Windrush, docking the Thames at Tilbury on 22 June 1948. When the citizens, who we now refer to as the Windrush Generation, arrived, many first lived in temporary accommodation. From there they settled into nearby areas like Brixton, quickly securing jobs in organisations like Transport of London and filling the much-needed gap in employment in the recovering post-war economy.

The Windrush generation was met with racism, prejudice, and abuse by both the public and politicians in parliament. Afro-Caribbean Londoners were sometimes denied employment, housing, and were turned away from churches, pubs, and dancehalls due to what was referred to as the ‘colour bar’. Predatory landlords charged Commonwealth citizens as much as double the rent of white residents in Notting Hill, and crammed them into slum-like conditions. Citizens who did not live in majority black areas received abuse, leading to segregated communities in London in areas that were deemed less desirable, and with less access to green spaces. Despite the 1925 the Law of Property Act giving the public the right of access "for air and exercise" to all commons in urban areas in England and Wales, the access was not equal to all. Communities of colour still had to battle discrimination and over policing when communal spaces.

Access to nature in 2022

Turning to the 21^st century and the present day, we still see inequality in access to green spaces across the United Kingdom. The areas most deprived of access in London directly correlated with distribution of communities of Black people and people of colour. This is an issue which was clearly highlighted during Covid-19 – Friends of the Earth produced a map which clearly show the disparity.  Black people are nearly four times as likely as White people to have no access to outdoor space at home. In the survery, 37% of Black people had no outdoor space, compared to 10% of White people. (Office of National Statistics.)

Go Parks London highlighted a study by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) which found that the majority of the UK’s black and minority ethnic communities live in the most deprived wards in English inner-cities. Those living in deprived urban areas recognise and appreciate the value of local green spaces, but they underuse the spaces that are most convenient because these spaces are often poor quality and feel unsafe.

What are the barriers?

Groundwork UK’s 2021 publication, Equity in Access to Urban Nature, found particular demographic groups and individuals can experience multiple intersecting barriers to accessing nature. Some of the main barriers can include caution to enter the space due to safety especially for women and girls; awareness of how to use the space; potential conflict with others who feel it should be used in a certain way; experiences of harassment and abuse, and the maintenance of urban natural spaces being low thus making the spaces unsafe or impractical to use. The publication spotlighted the importance of positive experiences with nature when young, with a study carried out in Sheffield finding the presence or absence of positive childhood memories associated with green spaces had a significant influence on their use throughout adulthood (Improving Wellbeing through Urban Nature, 2019).

The health benefits of urban green space are well recognised for children, whose physical and cognitive development is enhanced by living, playing, and learning in green environments. Older people also benefit significantly from visiting green and blue spaces, through improved physical health and social well-being; everyone should benefit from green spaces equally. Targeted action to reduce inequalities in access to high-quality green space can maximise the health and well-being benefits of nature in cities and Involving the local communities in the design and management of green space has been found to foster a sense of ownership and promote use (European Environment Agency).

The Change

Communities of colour have led the way with environmental justice movements, grassroots organisations and community leadership all calling for a change in the unequal impact of environmental issues on communities of colour. As well as calling for better access to green spaces, they have fought for employment opportunities within the green sector and for their voices to be heard when it comes to environmental decision making and policy. We are now seeing here in London black owned community gardens made for and by the black community, a positive sign of what is to come and the power of community action. London Wildlife Trust has been inspired by the resilience of these communities and as we move forward, we are learning as an organisation what it means to actively support communities of colour. As we push to progress towards an environmental sector that is representative of our diverse society, we strive to do more going forward to create opportunity for underrepresented communities within the sector.

Our Keeping It Wild Traineeship, focuses on young people who are typically under-represented in the environmental sector, with 93% of young people coming from at least one of the target groups: Black, Asian or minoritized ethnic heritage (76%), disabled young people (30%) or young people from lower socio-economic communities (41% of Keeping It Wild participants live in the top 20% most deprived communities in England). The project has really set out to help change the face of the environmental movement. Read the Final Impact Report here

 Our new Nature Nurtures project provides free creative nature workshops to young people in London, and we are lucky to partner Black Girls Hike who have done invaluable work in shifting how women of colour connect with nature in the UK. We have now launched  Nextdoor Nature, offering young people the skills, tools, and opportunity to take action for nature in their local areas. This project focuses on underrepresented communities in which we hope to empower young people to take ownership over green spaces in their area.

Thank you to all the members of the Black community who are staff, volunteers, members or have influenced the way we work to protect natural spaces and wildlife. If you would like to get involved with any of our programmes, have a community project you think would be of interest to us or you have an idea about how we could be more accessible as an organisation, we are always happy to learn and improve.

Lois Donegal is our Communities and Youth Officer, leading all things Nextdoor Nature at London Wildlife Trust.