Sustainable Bristol

Linking the City to the natural world

Posted on 27 May 2010

Festival of Nature - 12th & 13th June, Bristol Harbourside

The Bristol Natural History Consortium deliver entertaining events that inspire public interest and participation in nature conservation.  Their three flagship events help link the city and the natural world, developing communication techniques that engage the widest possible audience – both national and international.

With the annual Festival of Nature set to return to Bristol Harbourside on the weekend of 12 and 13 June, this celebration of biodiversity, the only event of its kind in the UK, gives wildlife enthusiasts of all ages the opportunity to explore, enjoy and get close to the natural world – all free of charge – in the heart of the city.

This year, Forum for the Future will also be in attendance with our Refit West project, along with Footprint Building, one of the project partners, demonstrating a range of environmentally-friendly building products for insulating your home. You’ll find us in the University of Bristol tent.

BioBlitz, pioneered by the Consortium last year in Bristol, is another large scale event that engages the cities’ population with nature, getting them directly involved in surveying and monitoring over 24 hours in a single city-region green space. In 2010, BioBlitz has gone national with 20 events all over the UK.

Bristol Natural History Consortium’s third flagship event is the Communicate conference, held annually in the City for environmental communicators each November, aiming to improve the way we communicate about the natural world.  The conference attracts a wide cross-section of representatives from environmental and conservation organisations, business and CSR, policy makers, media, and national and local government bodies, and natural history filmmakers.

With Bristol being the long term home of the world renown BBC Natural History Unit, the Bristol Natural History Consortium, is a unique city collaboration between the BBC, Avon Wildlife Trust, Bristol City Council, Bristol Zoo Gardens, Defra, Environment Agency, Natural England, the University of Bristol, the University of the West of England, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and Wildscreen Trust.