" 'It's so green...You can walk right across the centre of town through the three royal parks ­ St James's Park, Green Park, Hyde Park ­ and your shoes never touch anything but green, green grass. Do you know how far that is?' 'A mile or so', I guessed. 'It's four miles', she said. 'Four miles of flowers, trees and green! In the heart of one of the biggest cities on the planet!' " (Parsons, 1999)

1.    Aims

To raise awareness of the importance of parks, squares and amenity grassland in the conservation of LondonÃs biodiversity.

	To encourage good conservation practice in parks, squares and amenity grassland across London, working alongside and through existing cultures and traditions.
	To encourage the enjoyment of wildlife and landscape in parks squares and amenity grassland by all Londoners.

2.    Introduction

Parks, squares and other public green spaces are immensely important to city dwellers, in providing an opportunity to spend time out of doors, but near their homes or place of work, in contact with the natural world. This includes both the broader aspects such as landscape, skyline, fresh air and open water, and nature itself as represented by birds, trees, butterflies and wild flowers.

Parks are, by definition, open spaces that are managed primarily for human enjoyment rather than specifically for nature conservation. Nonetheless, in an increasingly urbanised society, where the expansion of the city means that true countryside becomes ever more distant, and what little countryside remains around the urban fringe has often lost much of its wildlife interest, parks increasingly symbolise pockets of countryside in town. Thus they can help to meet the need for the psychological and even spiritual fulfillment which can be gained by contact with nature. For most park users this will fit alongside other benefits such as meeting friends, taking children to a playground, playing sports, exercising the dog, attending social or cultural activities, or simply enjoying a health-giving walk in pleasant surroundings.

However, parks also serve as an ecological resource in their own right. For example, they help to sustain populations of birds such as robin, chaffinch, and great spotted woodpecker in London. Two Priority Species for Action in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan ­ song thrush and spotted flycatcher ­ breed in some parks and squares and similar historic gardens. Bats such as pipistrelle and noctule occur in some parks, especially those with a wide expanse of open water. Hedgehogs survive in some parks even close to the city centre.

The range of wildlife in any park depends partly on how it is managed. How far this resource is enjoyed by Londoners depends partly on the efforts of the parks staff and others in promoting the natural interest, and also on issues such as accessibility, i.e. whether people feel safe enough or welcome to explore what is on offer.

This Habitat Action Plan is being developed at a time when increasing concern is being expressed at the state of BritainÃs public parks, following financial cut backs over many years. In the Urban White Paper ŒOur towns and citiesà the Government has expressed a commitment to the value of parks in urban communities and the need for improved management, increased funding and new ideas to meet life styles in the 21st century society. It has set up an Urban Green Spaces Task Force to investigate the important issues. The Greater London AuthorityÃs Green Spaces Investigative Committee has produced a ŒScrutiny of Green Spaces in London.à The MayorÃs Biodiversity Strategy seeks to protect and improve green spaces and wildlife habitat in London and to promote access to nature, especially in parts of London which have least on offer. It is appropriate for this Habitat Action Plan to play its part in ensuring that ecology, nature conservation and opportunities for people to enjoy the natural world are on the agenda for LondonÃs parks.

Contact

The Lead for this habitat is the Greater London Authority.

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