Latest news with #NationalParkCity
BBC News
16-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Southampton City Council to sell river leisure area to water firm
A council has agreed to sell a river activities site to a water firm, despite environmental area of Woodmill Outdoor Activities Centre in Southampton is being bought by Southern Water, which will transfer the leisure part of the site to a scout said the sale raised concerns for the future health of the River Itchen, while union leaders voiced fears over Southampton City Council's ruling Labour group said the deal would secure environmental improvements as well as leisure access for young people. The terms of the sale were approved privately on Tuesday, after the press and public were excluded from a council cabinet meeting. Environmental campaigner Christelle Blunden, who joined a small protest outside, said activists only found out about the plan last said: "We'd like to see the proposals in the public domain so that they can be scrutinised."Ms Blunden, who leads the council-backed campaign for Southampton to be declared a National Park City, called for "deeply binding clauses" to protect the site, which is vital for Atlantic the Wessex Rivers Trust warned that salmon were at risk of extinction locally because of barriers in the Democrat councillor Thomas Gravatt said people were concerned about selling to "a company with a track record of dumping sewage into our precious chalk streams". However, councillor Toqeer Kataria, in charge of leisure, said he had no misgivings: "The proposed purchase is being driven by Southern Water officers on the clean water side of the business who have been tasked with delivering river restoration projects to support drinking water abstraction." Councillor Simon Letts, in charge of finance, said the council had been subsidising Woodmill by approximately £155,000 a year, while work to maintain the water courses was likely to cost close to £ sale terms will be finalised by 1 September, according to a council said the site could later be re-sold by the new owners, but only with a covenant "restricting the use of the property to be used as a youth camping, water sports, fishing establishment".The mill building will be retained by the city council, along with current tenant Above Board, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Water and Southampton City Scouts have been approached for comment. Additional reporting by Jason Lewis, Local Democracy Reporter
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Panellists on hit BBC One show left bemused at Southampton council meeting
Panellists on the hit BBC One show Have I Got News For You were left bemused after watching clips from Southampton City Council's "interspecies democracy meeting". The creative council meeting saw actors and councillors play species that cannot speak or vote in an election speak on the challenge they face in Southampton, as part of the campaign for the city to become a National Park City. Councillor Dave Shields played an owl in the interspecies democracy meeting. (Image: BBC One / Have I Got News For You) After watching a clip that showed outgoing Lord Mayor Councillor Dave Shields dressed as an owl, Paul Merton said: "Is there much to do in Southampton?" READ MORE: Urban Wild Festival to take place in Southampton in June Ian Hislop asked if it was an official council meeting, and host Richard Ayoade joked back asking Ian where he was. Have I Got News For You host Richard Ayoade explained the interspecies democracy meeting. (Image: BBC One / Have I Got News For You) The interspecies meeting explored new perspectives on nature, community and environmental action. Southampton's National Park City campaign continues as it looks to become the first national park city outside of London. Southampton Test MP Satvir Kaur backed the movement in Parliament, later posting on social media: "I often say that the quality of natural spaces we are blessed with in Southampton is the jewel in our crown, and I am doing everything I can in Westminster to support the efforts for National Park City status."
The Independent
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Nature campaigners in animal costumes take over council session for ‘inter-species democracy meeting'
A group of "animals" took over a council meeting in the hopes of giving non-human voices more prominence. Southampton National Park City campaigners donned costumes at an "interspecies democracy meeting" in the city last week as part of the Urban Wild festival. The campaign says it has a vision for the city to be "an urban setting where vibrant biodiversities are woven into the fabric of our daily lives, where people, culture and nature can coexist harmoniously." Outgoing lord mayor, Councillor Dave Shields, dressed up as an owl. Other costumes included a foxglove, a salmon, and a butterfly.
BBC News
31-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- BBC News
Nature campaigners take over Southampton City Council meeting
Amateur actors wore nature inspired costumes to a council meeting in a bid to give a voice to Southampton's non-human wanting to make Southampton a National Park City aired their concerns at an "interspecies democracy meeting" on was part of the week-long Urban Wild festival that culminates with an event at Southampton Common on group said its vision was for an urban setting where where people, culture and nature coexist harmoniously. It proposed policies to protect the city's flora, fauna and the River Blunden, the group's chair who dressed as a river for the event, said: "Southampton is particularly unique - we have a chalk stream here which is a birthplace for Atlantic salmon. "We have some unique habitats and it's looking at how we can gather momentum around the idea of looking at our natural heritage in the same way you would a national park."She added that the event was about looking at "how other species contribute to our lives and how we can manage those relationships better". Speaking from the Civic Centre, Councillor John Savage, cabinet member for Green City and Net Zero, said: "We're doing an awful lot to make sure that we maintain and keep the green infrastructure across Southampton and develop it more."He suggested interconnecting the greenways around the city, making it easier for creatures to travel. Councillor Dave Shields, the outgoing lord mayor, got involved with the performance and dressed as an owl for the occasion."We need to protect our environment, we need to be addressing net zero, we need to be taking more action to protect our wonderful biodiversity," he said. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Euronews
22-05-2025
- Science
- Euronews
Clownfish shrink to survive heat waves as climate change warms oceans
To survive warming oceans, clownfish cope by shrinking in size. Scientists observed that some of the orange-striped fish shrank their bodies during a heat wave off the coast of Papa New Guinea. Fish that slimmed were more likely to survive. Heat waves are becoming more common and intense underwater due to climate change. Warmer water temperatures can bleach sea anemones that clownfish call home, forcing them to adapt to stay alive. Scientists monitored and measured 134 colorful clownfish in Kimbe Bay during an intense heat wave in 2023 that's still bleaching corals worldwide. They found that 101 clownfish decreased in length on one or more occasions from heat stress. 'We were really shocked at first when we saw that they were shrinking at all,' said study author Morgan Bennett-Smith with Boston University. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. Though scientists don't yet know how clownfish shrink, one idea is that they could be reabsorbing their own bone matter. It's possible the smaller stature may help the clownfish save energy during a stressful scorch since smaller fish need less food. Certain clownfish breeding pairs also synced their shrink to boost their survival odds. The females adjusted their size to stay bigger than their partners, keeping the female-dominated social hierarchy intact, researchers said. Other animals also decrease in size to beat the heat. Marine iguanas get smaller during El Niño events that usher warm waters into the Galapagos. But this coping strategy hadn't yet been spotted in coral reef fish until now. 'This is another tool in the toolbox that fish are going to use to deal with a changing world,' said Simon Thorrold, an ocean ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution who was not involved with the new study. The tactic helps clownfish weather heat waves in the short-term, but it's not yet clear how the fish will fare if they have to keep it up in the years to come, Thorrold said. Researchers found the shrinking was temporary. Clownfish possessed the ability to 'catch up' and grow back when their environment got less stressful, showing how living things are staying flexible to keep up with a warming world, said study author Melissa Versteeg with Newcastle University. 'These natural systems really are under stress, but there's a capacity for incredible resilience,' Versteeg said. The creative, cobblestoned Dutch city of Breda has officially become the first National Park City in the European Union. Officially designated by the National Park City Foundation in May, Breda joins London, Adelaide and Chattanooga as the fourth member of a growing global movement to make urban areas greener, healthier and more connected to nature. This new status recognises more than a decade of work to restore wetlands, green its streets and bring residents into the process. It also signals a shift in how cities across Europe redefine their relationship with nature. The National Park City initiative was launched in the UK in 2019 to promote nature-connected, environmentally just urban living. Cities don't need to meet traditional national park criteria. Instead, they must show a city-wide commitment to sustainability, biodiversity and public access to green space. Breda's application caught the attention of assessors with its strong environmental leadership, citizen engagement and urban planning that places nature at its core. 'I absolutely loved exploring Breda and learning about all the things they are doing to make their city greener, healthier and wilder – from restoring a river through the middle of the city to innovative community food growing programmes, tiny forests set up by schools, wildlife-friendly gardens and public art,' says Daniel Raven-Ellison, founder of the National Park City Foundation. 'I am sure that people of all ages and backgrounds in Breda will be inspired by becoming a National Park City and want to explore how they can be part of its growth and story.' Breda is now the fourth city to earn National Park City status, joining London, Adelaide and most recently Chattanooga. Nine other cities are currently working towards it, too. Breda has long prioritised nature-based solutions, from transforming quaysides into biodiverse urban gardens to replacing concrete tiles with grass, flower beds and trees. Today, 60 per cent of Breda is made up of green space, from historic forests like the Mastbos – one of the oldest in the Netherlands – to nature reserves, parks and waterways. By 2030, local leaders aim to make it one of the most nature-rich cities in Europe. But the status also reflects a buy-in from residents. The city has become a leader in green design, using nature-based solutions to improve liveability and manage climate risks. And residents have been active participants in that process, often greening their own streets, installing rooftop gardens and developing green schoolyards, according to Breda Stad in een Park, a grassroots movement that helped to lead the city's efforts to become a National Park City. 'This title is a recognition for the many residents, entrepreneurs and organisations who are committed to greening Breda and an inspiration to continue doing so,' says Joost Barendrecht, chairman of Breda Stad in een Park. 'It's an incentive to make more [people] enthusiastic about getting started with greenery. It doesn't always have to be big. A [simple] garden is a nice contribution.' Across the EU, cities are increasingly stepping in the same direction as Breda. From car-free zones in Paris to flood-proofing efforts in Copenhagen, local leaders are responding to climate change and declining biodiversity with initiatives that aim to make urban settlements greener, more livable and future-ready. For example, access to green space significantly reduces heat-related health risks – a benefit Breda now exemplifies and other European cities might seek to emulate. 'London and Breda are the first National Park Cities in Europe, but there's no shortage of others that want and need to be greener, healthier, wilder, cooler and fairer,' says Raven-Ellison. 'National Park Cities are helping to show the way, forming strong relationships and exchanging optimism, ideas, knowledge and energy.'
