The Urban Wildlife Award for Excellence
Our awards system is currently under review. In the meantime interested parties should contact Nigel Lawson (Honorary Secretary).
What is the Award for Excellence?
Aim
The aim of the Award is to inspire people and help them learn from projects, publications, project sites, websites, interventions and people who have made significantly innovative and inspiring contribution to:
- conserving and enhancing nature in the urban environment in the UK;
- promoting beneficial contact between people and wildlife;
- furthering understanding of the links between wildlife and people;
- reconciling people and nature in towns, cities and settlements; and/or
- maintaining and enhancing the quality of people's lives through environmentally sustainable interventions.
Activities
The Award may recognise one or more of the following:
- the first example of a new technique;
- a product or publication that is likely to lead to step changes in practice at a national, regional, or international level
- a project or site where innovative approaches have successfully overcome a problem;
- a person who has brought about change for the better through the application of new ideas; and/or
- another intervention, procedure or action which has benefited urban nature conservation;
- any of the above which can inspire people to follow suit and take urban nature conservation forward.
The Award is not about giving recognition to projects, places, publications or people that currently meet best practice or current standards; worthy though these may be, there are other means to promote and reward these (for example, Green Flag). The Award is about recognising important innovative examples, with all their flaws and failures, that can help us all - through their inspiring nature - learn how to do things better in future. In short, if something or someone has an important ‘story’ to tell, they may be considered for an Award.
Importantly, in order for the Award to remain a ‘live’ entity, it should aim to be a source of inspiration for others to further nature conservation activity in our towns, cities and settlements across the country.
Impacts
It is expected that awarding the UK MAB logo will:
- recognise truly innovative and inspirational projects;
- help to inspire activity to support, and raise our understanding of, the needs of nature in the urban environment;
- help to raise standards in policy and practice;
- provide a source of on-site or remote information and learning;
- provide opportunities for networking between individuals and those involved in activities awarded the logo.