UK's Hidden Wildlife
The UK, much like most western developed countries, is covered in brownfield land. These lands are the remains of industrialism and are now a common eye-sore. For most people in the UK, this is all they see; old, grey, ugly looking land which has been ignored by city planners. Because of this, the UK government has begun to push brownfield land as its source for housing. On paper, this sounds great, as over one million homes can be constructed without ever having to damage our greenbelt countryside. The problem, however, is that these brownfields have become homes for many of the UK's rarest species; people aren’t aware of this.
THE PROBLEM
The UK is currently in a crisis with its biodiversity, with the populations of the UK’s most important wildlife plummeting by an average of 60% since 1970. One unexpected area to help protect the UK's wildlife is in our brownfield land. The public currently holds a negative opinion on this land; it's crucial to educate them on how their current thoughts may be misinformed. Some of these sites are of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI), because of their biological value. The reason for the brownfields becoming rich in biodiversity is because their land is an Open Mosaic Habitat; land which features a variety of habitats that are condensed and stitched together within proximity of one another. Having a greater public understanding of brownfield sites can lead to the public rallying to protect these areas which harvest rare wildlife.
THE SOLOUTION
I decided to make a publication, as an editorial piece for the charity The Wildlife Trusts. The Trust looks after around 2,300 nature reserves covering more than 98,000 hectares. They look after wildlife, woods, meadows, lakes, hills and beaches. The Trust aims to educate the public about the UK’s wildlife, while simultaneously protecting it; I found the charity to be a suitable fit for the issue which I was exploring. I decided to make the book as part of their membership pack that they operate. When you join, they send you various editorials pieces, ranging from nature, conservation and to how you can make a difference. Giving the book exclusively to Wildlife Trust members ensures that the people who receive the book would be those who would be interested.
Illustrated Infographics
To help make the publication more enjoyable to read while keeping in brand with The Wildlife Trust, I decided to illustrate various statistics surrounding the topic of Brownfields and UK's wildlife.
Brownfield Photography
During my research, I visited Nottingham town centre to see how nature reclaimed the land in the middle of the city. I also visited Morley Quarry, an abandoned quarry site which has since become a nature reserve due to the wildlife that inhabited it. These photos were used throughout the magazine, as well as creating striking chapter pages.
Thanks for reading,
View the whole magazine at
https://peterjago.co.uk/project-brownfield-sites