Green Minds

The Coast Path gets around a bit, doesn’t it? It meanders through woodlands, hurries past rivers, and of course, saunters along shorelines. It must be a bit of a shock to the system when it gets to Plymouth, though.

Typically, Plymouth is often seen as an industrial city, known for its past steeped in voyaging vessels and its stash of military bases, but times are changing and Plymouth is embracing the wonder of its blue and green spaces.

South West Coast Path sign in Plymouth

In fact, it now bears the title of ‘Britain’s Ocean City’, and has hit the headlines recently when it became the first city in the UK to reintroduce beavers!

At the heart of the city’s buzz around nature is the Green Minds Project, a partnership project led by Plymouth City Council, and funded through the European Regional Development Fund’s Urban Innovative Actions. So what is Green Minds? And what are we doing? Good question!

We know that green and blue spaces are crucial for people and wildlife. Green Minds is a partnership project, looking to rewild Plymouth and its people, putting nature at the heart of its communities, businesses, and decision making. Two of the ways the project is looking to do this are: -

1. Through introducing nature ‘corridors’ for wildlife. These corridors can be trees, reefs, wildflower meadows, seagrass meadows, hedges- anywhere where wildlife can travel safely, from one habitat to another.

2. Sparking a behaviour change in the Plymouth community. By nurturing a love for, and respect of, wildlife and nature, people are more likely to protect it and find ways of helping it.

So how does this link to the SWCP? Well, the South West Coast Path is beautiful and diverse, and Plymouth is a proud host of its stretch. The coast path in Plymouth runs alongside 3 brilliant sites for wildlife: Teats Hill, Plymouth Hoe, and Devil’s Point. As a project, and across the Council, we’re looking at ways of linking these nature sites with other nature sites in the city - creating corridors which will let bees buzz safely from site to site, and bats flit freely from tree to tree across Plymouth. By looking at the city as a whole and joining up the green dots, we’re protecting our wildlife, and nurturing it to thrive, giving it more space and better diversity.

We also know that people protect what they love. Green Minds is looking at innovative ways of engaging people with the natural environment, nurturing connections which are good for nature and good for people’s physical and mental health. With these connections come a drive towards action: that could be helping to sow wildflower meadows, or picking up a piece of litter that would otherwise end up in the sea. When people feel this sense of pride and connection, magic happens. Nature comes to its rightful centre for people, communities, businesses, and decision makers.

So next time you’re passing through Plymouth on your way along the coast path, take a moment to pause and look beyond the buildings at the trees, the bees, and the butterflies. They’re part of a bigger change and it’s happening right now.

For more information about the Green Minds Project, visit www.greenmindsplymouth.com

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@NaturePlymouth