The Royal Parks has launched a series of self-led conservation
walks across five of the central Royal Parks.
The six More Than Bugs trails are available as
smartphone-based led walks on the app Go Jauntly and as
downloadable PDF maps, devised by the Mission: Invertebrate team
of ecologists and educators. The trails range from short walks
developed for preschool children, to more in-depth ecology walks
that take in many of the Royal Parks’ diverse habitats, from
meadows to reedbeds. The app uses photos to guide visitors along
the trails and includes facts and pictures to tell walkers more
about some of the invertebrates, birds and mammals that they
might be able to spot along the way.
The initiative is made possible through the support of players of
People’s Postcode Lottery, and aims to create new opportunities
for people to connect with nature, and enjoy some of London’s
largest urban green spaces.
The More Than Bugs Trails are being launched as part of
The Royal Parks’s Easter Virtual Discovery Weeks, which begins on
Tuesday the 6th of April. The new virtual festival is
the third in a series of online events for adults and children
during the covid crisis. Our half-term discovery week ‘Emerging
from Winter’ attracted more than 4,000 participants to a range of
workshops, storytelling sessions, live craft-alongs and expert
talks. Our Easter discovery week promises a range of exciting
activities for all the family, from bird and butterfly-spotting
to invertebrate egg hunts, gardening activities and storytelling
sessions.
Far from being wastelands for wildlife, towns and cities support
a huge diversity of invertebrate life and many of our urban green
spaces – including the Royal Parks - are sanctuaries for rare and
notable species. 4,720 different species of invertebrates (and
counting!) have been found in the Royal Parks. Launched in 2017,
Mission: Invertebrate supports a diversity of wildlife
across the Royal Parks by helping these ‘bugs’ including bees,
butterflies, beetles, worms, slugs and snails to thrive. The
project is made possible through support from players of People’s
Postcode Lottery. The More Than Bugs Trails introduce
visitors to the key roles that these tiny creatures play in our
green spaces – pollinating plants, recycling organic waste,
enriching soils and providing food for the park’s birds,
amphibians and mammals.
To find out more about the Mission: Invertebrate More Than
Bugs Trails visit: https://www.royalparks.org.uk/trails.
