site’s increasing popularity has meant increasing damage, particularly since the pandemic. High footfall is compressing the soil and damaging the bryophytes – the liverworts and mosses – which help give the site its special qualities. These tiny and often overlooked plants play a crucial role in underpinning the environment, helping to keep it damp and creating the conditions for other plants and microorganisms to grow. Soil compression combined with climate change means the site is drying out, making it difficult for more mosses to establish and grow. Soil compression leads to flooded paths, which push people to walk over other spots as the problem worsens. In August, alongside the Natural
England team, we ran ‘Engage with Nature Days’ which encouraged people to take a closer look at these vital plants. Use a hand lens or other magnifier to look at moss and you’ll discover feathery or leaf-like structures, beads of water, or toothed capsules – a tiny green forest. We knew instantly when people had mastered the magnifiers; their awe was audible when this tiny world came into focus. Hardly anyone we met at our stand had ever marvelled at moss,
and there were plenty of myths about it harming trees. We were able to talk about its underrated role in underpinning ecosystems. Samples from the river and moth traps set by the Natural England team showed how these tiny species are also indicators of the quality of the environment and opened people’s eyes to the variety of species that share the space. So often, information boards only highlight the apex species and the big stories, but an environment is an interplay of so many things. How do we convey this complexity with a few words on a board? Locals and regular walkers at Golitha remarked that they had noticed that the green was receding and had seen the newly installed dead hedges and fences but didn’t necessarily know their access was being restricted to make room for nature to grow. For over two decades, the Eden
Project has provided a great day out while fulfilling its mission as an educational charity. Our experience of welcoming and communicating stories of plants’ resilience and adaption can be shared with special sites facing complex challenges. Our health is so intertwined with that of the planet
that simply restricting people’s access is problematic; it stops us from realising the benefits of being in and connecting with nature and developing the capabilities to care for it. In fact, separating health into ‘planetary’ and ‘people’ creates the false notion that the two things are distinct. Whilst acknowledging that ‘recreational disturbance’ is causing issues, the Protected Site Strategies currently make no mention of managing people’s access as part of the solution, yet we know that these places will thrive if people care for them. The damage to the Sycamore Gap
is irreversible, but along with the CARE project, it will leave a positive legacy. Forty-nine seedlings of hope, one for each foot of the tree that was felled, are ready to take root in communities and projects across the UK. Our CEO, Andy Jasper, was deeply committed to this project while at the National Trust, so stay tuned as we watch these symbols of growth and community resilience take root.
Overleaf: The Sycamore Gap Tree by Joe Rey/ Shutterstock. Left: Blenheim Palace’s ‘Harry Potter Tree’ © Blenheim Palace. Below: Golitha Falls by Helen Hotson/Shutterstock.
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