A year and a half in, BMW UK and UK National Parks are celebrating the progress their Recharge in Nature partnership is driving for people and planet.
- A year and a half in, BMW UK and UK National Parks are celebrating the progress their Recharge in Nature partnership is driving for people and planet
- 78 new electric vehicle (EV) charge points have now been installed across seven of the UK’s 15 National Parks
- Projects supported by the Recharge in Nature project have boosted wellbeing and nature restoration in Dartmoor, Eryri (Snowdonia), South Downs and North York Moors National Parks, with further projects planned for this year at other National Parks Already 18 months into the partnership, 78 new electric vehicle charge points have been installed in the Lake District, Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors, Dartmoor, and Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park. BMW is working closely with UK National Parks to ensure that these charging points bring as much benefit as possible to locals and visitors by being placed in high traffic areas or areas where infrastructure is lacking. So far, the newly installed charging points have saved over 42 tonnes[1] of CO2, according to Pod Point data, comparing the electric driving they have enabled to equivalent petrol or diesel miles1.
The nature restoration and community impact projects are suggested and delivered by the National Parks, ensuring BMW’s support is going exactly where it’s needed most. For example, in the South Downs National Park, visitors could be more likely to spot frogs, toads, dragonflies and hedgehogs this year, thanks to the project’s work to restore 10 vital dew ponds. Due to hotter, drier summers, 70 per cent of South Downs National Park’s ponds were in a poor condition or had disappeared completely.
In Eryri National Park (Snowdonia), beautiful Llyn Tegid – the largest natural freshwater lake in Wales – is now better protected against pollution. Through engagement with local farmers, Recharge in Nature has supported a range of natural flood management initiatives including creating three new dew ponds and eight leaky dams, and planting over 20,000 new trees. These measures help reduce the speed of rainwater run-off and so lower the amount of phosphates leaching into the lake, which would damage its delicate ecosystem and encourage the growth of algae. This will help Llyn Tegid stay healthy for recreation and tourism, and for precious wildlife like the glutinous snail – a tiny creature that’s only found here.
Young people have been at the heart of a project funded in the North York Moors National Park, where they have improved their wellbeing, employability and potential to become tomorrow’s conservationists through 3,000 hours of volunteering. In addition, funding for a new Youth Engagement Ranger in Dartmoor National Park has helped give 1,329 young people, many of whom might otherwise not have opportunities to visit the Park, a chance to experience and explore the great outdoors.
More creative initiatives lie ahead this year. The seeds of a temperate rainforest will be sprouting in Exmoor National Park to support nature recovery, carbon capture, water systems, soil and wildlife. Building on successful work piloted by local NHS Trusts, more people will have a chance to experience the wellbeing benefits of nature in the Peak District National Park through the ‘Peaks of Health’ project. It will work alongside community-based health and wellbeing organisations to help combat barriers to accessing the countryside including lack of transport, social isolation, older age or physical and mental health challenges. Meanwhile a project in the New Forest National Park is engaging local young people in nature, encouraging them to be future custodians of the Park.
Access and more sustainable travel are the focus of two further Recharge in Nature projects. In Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, volunteers and visitors will have a new wheelchair accessible electric bus service. In Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, visitors and residents will find it easier to access some of the area’s most scenic locations this summer thanks to a new shuttle bus service stopping through busy visitor locations seven days a week, up to eight times a day. The service will support more people to travel by public transport and mean less congestion at the Park.
Finally, in Northumberland National Park, local communities and visitors will be able to take part in activities that highlight the Park’s aims of conserving and enhancing nature and taking climate action, as two new Nature Rangers are appointed thanks to Recharge in Nature funding.
Guy Griffiths, one of the recently onboarded Nature Rangers at Northumberland National Park, said: “The BMW Recharge in Nature funding has opened up a fantastic opportunity for the other new ranger and I, as we embark on a career in the environment sector with National Parks. The Nature Ranger roles provide excellent experience in connecting people with nature and a wealth of training and development opportunities which give us real hands-on experience. Our aim is to protect Northumberland National Park and create a welcoming Park for everyone visiting this summer.”
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park volunteers and visitors will have a new wheelchair accessible electric bus service, with another bus service being planned for Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. Finally for this year, a project in the New Forest National Park will support local young people to discover, understand and act in ways that will make a positive difference to the future of the landscape.
Graham Biggs, Corporate Communications Director, BMW UK, said: “It’s a pleasure to reflect on Recharge in Nature’s successes so far and to celebrate the tangible impacts of this partnership. In the months ahead we are looking forward to our continued investment in driving more locally delivered biodiversity and community projects, across more of the Parks. At the same time, it’s great to see the continued growth of the recharging network in the Parks, which are vital to help both local residents and visitors to travel by EV and so cut driving emissions, noise and air pollution in these precious places.”
Naomi Conway, Director, National Parks Partnerships, said: “We’re so pleased our National Parks are becoming increasingly accessible by EV and vital projects to restore nature and biodiversity are able to go further, faster with the investment from BMW UK. It’s also incredibly inspiring how Recharge in Nature is giving more people the chance to actively connect with nature through the National Parks, including young people who will be our planet’s future custodians.”
For more information about the Recharge in Nature partnership visit bmw.co.uk/nationalparks .
Additional spokesperson quotes:
Margaret Anderson, Senior Ranger at Northumberland National Park, said: “The BMW Nature Ranger roles in Northumberland have opened up entry-level green pathways to employment with Northumberland National Park, kick-starting what we hope will be life-long careers in the environment sector for Guy and Lucy. Working closely with the National Park Ranger team and our specialist officers, the Nature Rangers will help people to learn more about wildlife and conservation and will provide a first-class visitor welcome during the busy summer season. They will also carry out practical conservation tasks such as tree planting, peatland restoration, access improvements and species surveys, contributing to important nature recovery projects on a landscape scale.”
Heather McNiff, Head of Outdoor Learning and Engagement at the North York Moors National Park, said: “Historically we have lots of very young volunteers, as well as people aged over 40, but we’ve struggled to engage individuals that fall between those age brackets. Thanks to BMW UK’s funding, we’re able to support ‘Youth+’, which provides more opportunities for those aged 16 and over to engage with volunteering in the National Park. We’re passionate that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and so BMW’s funding also supports young people who have experienced deprivation or live with disabilities to access the National Park and its volunteering programmes.”
About Recharge in Nature
The Recharge in Nature partnership aligns with BMW Group’s decarbonisation objectives. BMW is part of the Business Ambition for 1.5 degrees, working towards climate neutrality over its entire supply chain by 2050, and part of UN Race to Zero.
By 2030, BMW will cut CO2 emissions by 40% for the lifecycle of each vehicle it produces. Through Recharge in Nature the company is supporting more sustainable transport solutions, and reduced driving emissions, noise and air pollution for the Parks.
The partnership also aligns with National Park’s Net Zero With Nature, which is the collective approach of the Parks to fight climate change and the biodiversity crisis.
About National Parks UK
- There are 15 National Parks in the UK, spanning the length and breadth of the country: 10 in England, three in Wales and two in Scotland.
- National Parks cover almost 10 percent of England, 20 percent of Wales and 8 percent of Scotland.
- Each National Park is administered by its own authority, but that authority does not own all of the land within the Park. They are independent bodies funded by the UK’s central and devolved governments to:
- Conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage.
- Promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of National Parks by the public.
- In carrying out these aims, National Park Authorities are also required to seek to foster the economic and social well-being of local communities within the National Park.
- National Parks are free to enter and explore and have over 100 million visits each year.
- For more information visit www.nationalparks.uk
National Parks Partnerships (NPP)
Working across all 15 National Parks in the UK (Peak District, Lake District, Eryri, Dartmoor, Pembrokeshire Coast, North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, Exmoor, Northumberland, Bannau Brycheiniog, The Broads, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, Cairngorms, New Forest, South Downs), National Parks Partnerships (NPP) creates purpose-driven partnerships with the private sector and funders to help protect and improve National Parks for people, nature and climate. Since its inception in 2016, NPP has developed partnerships with some of the world’s biggest brands to support the UK’s National Parks including BMW UK, Santander UK and Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland. Working with global impact firm Palladium, NPP launched Revere: Investing in Nature to deploy green finance at an unprecedented scale in National Parks and has an in-house Nature-Based Solutions team that supports National Parks to do more for nature. Find out more at: nationalparks.uk/national-parks-partnerships or follow “National Parks Partnerships” on LinkedIn.
NOTE: THIS ARTICLE WAS TAKEN FROM PRESS BMW GROUP https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/united-kingdom/article/detail/T0444524EN_GB/bmw-and-uk-national-parks-celebrate-achievements-to-date-of-recharge-in-nature-partnership?language=en_GB#:~:text=The%20Recharge%20in%20Nature%20Project%20will%20see%20BMW%20UK%20invest,of%20around%20%C2%A31%20million.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PRESS BMW GROUP
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