1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Cardiff
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Giving Nature a Home in Cardiff project
Short description of the intervention
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Cymru’s Giving Nature a Home in Cardiff aims to engage thousands of children, their families, and local communities with Cardiff’s wildlife, enabling them to take action for nature (ref 9). To do this, the project provides free outreach sessions in nurseries, early-years settings/schools, and primary schools across Cardiff to help children discover the wildlife in their school grounds. To reach families, nature-based activities are held. Finally, the project supports communities to help improve and manage pollinator-friendly Urban Buzz sites across the city (ref 9).
Address

Bute Park, North Rd,
Cardiff
CF10 3DX
United Kingdom

Location
The NBS is a city-wide initiative, the GIS point marks the centre of the city
Total area
140300000.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Public Greenspace Area
Other
Please specify “other type of area” before implementation of the NBS
nurseries, early-years settings/schools, and primary schools (ref 9)
Website of the intervention
https://www.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/at-home-and-abroad/wales/giving-nature-a…
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
unknown
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2017
End date of the intervention
ongoing
Present stage of the intervention
Ongoing
Goals of the intervention
1. Protect nature and wildlife in Cardiff (ref 4)
2. Inspire young people to visit parks and open spaces. (ref 4)
3. 'Green-up’ schools in Cardiff and build homes for wildlife (ref 2)
4. Engage families in nature-based activities around Cardiff (ref 9)
4. Support bee population and increase pollination throughout Cardiff (ref 9)
Quantitative targets
1. Engage 57,000 children and families with nature by 2022 (ref 9).
2. Deliver free outreach sessions in all Cardiff primary schools to help pupils discover the wildlife in their schools grounds. (ref 5)
3. A partnership with Buglife Cymru’s Cardiff Urban Buzz project to increase pollinator friendly habitats (ref 5)
Monitoring indicators defined
1. Number of people involved in the conservation activities by 2022 (ref 9);
2. Percentage of Cardiff’s primary schools visited by volunteers (ref 5),
3. Number of pupils helped to map and score their school grounds for nature by identifying habitats and finding ways to create more. (ref 4)
4. Number of pollinator-friendly habitats increased through the partnership with Buglife Cymru’s Cardiff Urban Buzz project (ref 5)
5. Number of people attracted to the project (to Bute Park) since 2014 (ref 4)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Environmental education
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Enabling opportunities for physical activity
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Ecosystem-focused
Implementation activities
1. the project attracted 77,000 people (to Bute Park) since 2014. (ref 4)
2. Volunteers visited 60% of Cardiff’s primary schools – helping 13,900 pupils map and score their school grounds for nature by identifying habitats and finding ways to create more. (ref 4)
3. provision of free outreach sessions in nurseries, early years settings and primary schools across Cardiff to help children discover the wildlife in their school grounds.
4. To reach families, nature-based activities are held.
5. Project supports communities to help improve and manage pollinator-friendly Urban Buzz sites across the city (ref 9)
Type of NBS project
Protection of natural ecosystems
Knowledge creation and awareness raising
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Grey infrastructure featuring greens
House gardens
Parks and urban forests
Large urban parks or forests
Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Please specify the number of plots or allotment gardens
n/a
Vegetation Type
Garden beds
Other
Please specify other amenities offered by the NBS
outdoor art installations (ref 6) food; children received free school meals to enjoy over 2000 hours of active time with nature during school holidays (ref.6)
Amenities offered by the NBS
Other
Unknown
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Pollination
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Recreation
Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)
Physical and experiential interactions with plants and animals
Scale
Spatial scale
Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Local government/Municipality
Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
Non-government organisation/Civil Society
Citizens or community groups
Young people and children
Other
Please specify "other primary beneficiary"
pollinators (Ref 9)
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Non-government actors
Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The project "Giving Nature a Home Cardiff " is run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; was set up in partnership with Cardiff Council (ref 4); Cardiff’s primary schools are sites for identifying habitats (ref 4); and all of it is delivered in partnership with Cardiff Council and Buglife Cymru’s Cardiff Urban Buzz project, which is a collaboration between the City of Cardiff and Buglife, a non-profit organization (ref 5). Additionally, TESCO has supported the project as a corporate sponsor for the city-wide initiative (ref 5)
Key actors - initiating organization
Non-government organisation/civil society
Land owners
Other
Please specify other Key actors - Other stakeholders involved
primary school pupils and their families (ref 9)
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Public sector institution
Non-government organisation/civil society
Private foundation/trust
Citizens or community group
Other
Land owners
Other
Please specify other land owner
There is no single land owner responsible for the project; rather it is a combination of individuals and groups implementing activities across a range of locations, from schools to public venues to private homes (Ref 1)
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Please specify other landowner
There is no single land owner responsible for the project; rather it is a combination of individuals and groups implementing activities across a range of locations, from schools to public venues to private homes (Ref 1)
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Unknown
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The project is not explicitly linked, the City of Cardiff Council Green Infrastructure Plan updated in 2019's fifth objective is to use Cardiff’s green infrastructure to provide opportunities for people to access the outdoor environment and to participate in learning, training and volunteering to foster social inclusion and equality and improve life chances. Further, educational uses of green space are outlined in detail (ref 8).
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
City specific green space strategy or plan
Please specify other vegetation type
5. Project supports communities to help improve and manage pollinator-friendly Urban Buzz sites across the city (ref 9)
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
Buglife Cymru’s Cardiff Urban Buzz project, which is a collaboration between the City of Cardiff and Buglife, a non-profit organization (ref 5)
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
National Lottery funding through the Big Lottery Fund (Ref 5)
Co-finance for NBS
Yes
Co-financing governance arrangements
Yes
Co-governance arrangement
A fund / grant
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Set up specifically for this NBS
Financing
Total cost
€500,000 - €2,000,000
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
560,000 EUR approximately (£500,000 from the Big Lottery Fund’s People and Places Programme) (ref 9)
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
unknown
Please specify cost savings
unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
560,000 EUR approximately (£500,000 from the Big Lottery Fund’s People and Places Programme) (ref 9)
Source(s) of funding
Other
Please specify other source of funding
The Big Lottery Fund gives grants to organisations in the UK to help improve their communities. The money awarded comes from the UK National Lottery. It is funded by Tesco customers through the Welsh carrier bag levy scheme (ref 5)
Type of fund(s) used
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Donations
Non-financial contribution
Yes
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of labour
Other
Please specify other type of non-financial contribution
"over 80,000 people were engaged with nature through outdoor art installations and working with the NHS enabled children receiving free school meals to enjoy over 2000 hours of active time with nature during school holidays" (ref.6)
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Other
Business models
Green education model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Citizens / local communities
Type of innovation
Social
Governance innovation
System innovation
Please specify social innovation
involving children and families to protect nature and wildlife in the city. (ref 2) free outreach sessions for all primary schools in Cardiff and free events and activities for families in parks and greenspaces. (ref 3) Volunteers have visited 60% of Cardiff’s primary schools – helping 13,900 pupils map and score their school grounds for nature(ref 5)
Please specify system innovation
'Green-up’ schools throughout Cardiff and build homes for wildlife (ref 2) support bee population and increase pollination throughout Cardiff (ref 9)
Novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Green space and habitat
Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Increased number of species present
Enhanced support of pollination
Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
Description of environmental benefits
The direct activity taken through this project is the support of Urban Buzz sites. These sites establish beehives and train engaged citizens on how to keep bees. Urban bees provide important regulating services through pollination, supporting the growth of green spaces in general., which the project outlined as a goal to improve the quality and maintenance of these pollinator-friendly sites throughout Cardiff (ref 9). Indirect, but not quantified for this particular project, direct benefits come through family and student engagement in nature conservation and appreciation. While this intervention is one of education, the many thounsands of students and families reached can use this knowledge, is quantified and this knowledge will likely have a substantial collective impact to reduce issues related to a lack of knowledge of the importance of pollination later on. The use of Urban Buzz sites to increase the conservation of pollinators is able to accomplish goals set out by the project to protect nature and wildlife and enhance support of pollination in and across Cardiff (ref 4).
Economic impacts
Unknown
Please specify other socio-cultural impact
specific education about pollinators to primary-school pupils and their families (ref 9) ; "Through outreach sessions for primary schools and nurseries and free family events and activities, we’ve already engaged over 30,000 children with nature in every single ward in Cardiff ward. Working across sectors, we’ve co-created truly memorable experiences; engaging over 80,000 people with nature through outdoor art installations and working with the NHS enabled children receiving free school meals to enjoy over 2000 hours of active time with nature during school holidays" (ref.6)
Description of economic benefits
There are few economic impacts that can be detailed as the project is educational in nature. The model itself is a paid-model, where schools pay a small fee for different educational sessions (ref 9) with a 50% subsidy. Total revenue generated from this process has not been made public.
Social and cultural impacts
Health and wellbeing
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Cultural heritage and sense of place
Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
Increased awareness of flora and fauna as culturally and historically meaningful
Increased appreciation for natural spaces
Education
Increased support for education and scientific research
Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Other
Description of social and cultural benefits
To date, the project throughout the UK has conducted 50,411 activities (ref 5). Volunteers have visited over 60% of Cardiff's primary schools, helping 13,900 pupils map and score their school grounds for nature (ref 4). By 2017, 77,000 people were attracted to Bute park through the nature-based engagement activities conducted for families (ref 4). By 2022, the project aims to engage 57,000 children and families (ref 9). Environmental education: offering outreach sessions about the wildlife outside their classroom and identify what they can do to make the school more nature-friendly. (Ref 3)

"Through outreach sessions for primary schools and nurseries and free family events and activities, we’ve already engaged over 30,000 children with nature in every single ward in Cardiff ward. Working across sectors, we’ve co-created truly memorable experiences; engaging over 80,000 people with nature through outdoor art installations and working with the NHS enabled children receiving free school meals to enjoy over 2000 hours of active time with nature during school holidays" (ref.6)
"Over 75% of Cardiff primary schools are now engaged with our outreach sessions enabling their pupils to spend more time discovering and learning about nature in their school grounds." (ref.6)
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
Volunteers visited 60% of Cardiff’s primary schools (ref 5);
Helping 13,900 pupils map and score their school grounds for nature by identifying habitats and finding ways to create more. (ref 5)

"Through outreach sessions for primary schools and nurseries and free family events and activities, we’ve already engaged over 30,000 children with nature in every single ward in Cardiff ward. Working across sectors, we’ve co-created truly memorable experiences; engaging over 80,000 people with nature through outdoor art installations and working with the NHS enabled children receiving free school meals to enjoy over 2000 hours of active time with nature during school holidays" (ref.6)
"Over 75% of Cardiff primary schools are now engaged with our outreach sessions enabling their pupils to spend more time discovering and learning about nature in their school grounds." (ref.6)

Indicator:
1. Number of children and families involved to protect nature and wildlife in the city (ref 5)
2. Percentage of Cardiff’s primary schools visited by volunteers (ref 5)
3. amount of active time with nature during school holidays (ref.6)
4. % of Cardiff primary schools are now engaged with our outreach sessions (ref 6)
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Habitat and biodiversity restoration
Green space creation and/or management
Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
Inclusive governance
Effective management
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Enabling opportunities for physical activity
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
Voluntary work opportunities
Environmental justice: The implementation of the NBS project resulted in ...
Positive distribution of NBS benefits
Improved access to green and/or blue spaces
Increased access to healthy food for humans and/or animals
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
With school closures and social distancing measures, the planned activities have been postponed during the Covid-19 pandemic (as of July 10, 2020).
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Not applicable
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Documents relevant to the intervention
Attachment Size
Giving Nature a Home in Cardiff. Background for support. Shared on: 26/08/2018 (127.05 KB) 127.05 KB
List of references
1. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. (2015). Re-wild your wellies and give nature a home in Cardiff. [Available at: http://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/397282-rewild-your-wellies-and-give-nature-a-home-in-cardiff]. [Accessed on: Jul 6 2020].
2. Robertson C. (2016). Guest Blog. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. [Accessed: http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/getinvolved/wales/b/wales-blog/archive/2016/02/05/guest-blog-by-carolyn-robertson-project-manager-for-giving-nature-a-home-in-cardiff.aspx]. [Accessed on: Jul 6 2020].
3. Mitchell S. (2017). Give nature a home in school - Free outreach sessions for Cardiff primary schools. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. [Avialable at: http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/getinvolved/wales/b/wales-blog/archive/2017/03/07/give-nature-a-home-in-school-free-outreach-sessions-for-cardiff-primary-schools.]. [Accessed on Jul 6 2020].
4. Howard B. (2017). Half a million pound grant helps Cardiff get back to nature. The Cardiffian. [Available at:
http://jomec.co.uk/thecardiffian/2017/02/24/half-million-pound-grant-helps-cardiff-get-back-nature/]. [Accessed on: Jul 6 2020].
5. Buglife. (2017) Half a million pounds for nature in Cardiff. [Webpage not available in 2020].
6. Giving Nature a Home in Cardiff. Background for support. Shared on: 26/08/2018. (PDF attached).
7. RSPB (2017). Living Levels Learning Resource. [Available at: https://hwb.gov.wales/repository/discovery]. [Accessed on: Jul 5 2020]
8. Cardiff Caerdydd. (2019). Cardiff Biodiversity and Resilience of Ecosystems Duty Forward Plan: City of Cardiff Council Green Infrastructure Plan. Cardiff: City of Cardiff. [Available at: https://cardiff.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s34305/Cabinet%2026%20Sept%202019%20Biodiversity%20BRED%20App.pdf]. [Accessed on: Jul 8 2020]
Comments and notes
Comments
section 4/financing: Explanation for 'Big Lottery Fund" - The Big Lottery Fund gives grants to organisations in the UK to help improve their communities. The money awarded comes from the UK National Lottery.
section 4/ Intervention is voluntary: CSR explanation The project was funded by Tesco customers through the 5p carrier bag levy (ref5)
Pictures of the NBS
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/cardiff-nature.jpg
Please specify other source of non-financial contribution
primary-school-aged pupils (Ref 9)