New Year resolutions that help nature - BBC Discover Wildlife

16 wild resolutions to help you connect with the natural world, become a better naturalist and help wildlife survive and thrive.

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By BBC Wildlife Magazine

Published: December 31, 2021 at 8:12 am

While others are giving up things, why not take a totally different approach? Here are 16 positive New Years resolutions to inspire you to discover, learn, experience, explore and uncover the wonders of the natural world. Pick any one of these and you're guaranteed to enhance your understanding of wildlife, your skills as a naturalist and your enjoyment of nature.

1. Dig a wildlife pond

A lovely garden pond surrounded by lush vegetation. © Steven Wooster/Getty

"Learning about wildlife begins in your back yard. If you want to bring more species to your garden then the recipe is simple: just add water," says Mike Dilger, wildlife expert for BBC One's The One Show and BBC Wildlife contributor.

"I dug a hole, put in a liner, added water – and within 24 hours I had my first pond skaters. By the end of the summer I had seen six species of dragon- and damselfly, and recorded a huge number of birds and mammals coming to the pond – it's a source of food as well as water.

"A pond punches above its weight in terms of conservation, too. More UK frogs are now breeding in garden ponds, because the water is unpolluted, unlike many village and farm ponds. Digging one is the most effective step each of us can take to help local wildlife."

2. Pass on your skills

Lianne de Mello teaching young children about nature © Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

Inspiring others to learn about nature – volunteering for a reserve or giving a talk to a local school or youth group, for example – can be rewarding in many ways. "Through my work with Buglife, I often take groups out on bug walks and pond-dipping days," says the charity's vice-president Alan Stubbs. "Obviously, it's a way to raise the profile of invertebrates and the importance of habitats. But it's personally very rewarding, too."

"I am passionate about the need to develop people's ability to identify species," Alan continues. "The education system does very little fieldwork these days; you can study up to degree level without having seen a whole animal. Being able to identify wildlife is a vital practical underpinning of conservation work – a skill I think is being lost, and one that I dearly want to promote."

3. Close your eyes…and listen

A male blackbird in song, in Norfolk, UK. © David Tipling/Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty

"Get in the habit of closing your eyes and writing down the bird calls and songs you hear phonetically," says writer Ben Hoare. "Most field guides include a description of each bird's sounds, but good birders have their own ways to remember each species' distinctive vocalisations. Develop this skill and you'll be able to identify birds before you see them."

4. Keep a notebook and get drawing

Learning to draw the flora and fauna you see can have a major impact on your skills as a naturalist, according to botanical artist Julia Trickey.

"Most of us can identify well-known flowers and trees – but how much detail can we really recall?" asks Julia. "Observational drawing encourages you to look carefully at the world around you, getting into the detail – of flowers, for example: the number of petals, how they are arranged and the shape of the stem."

"The act of drawing in a nature notebook demands close observation – and you don't need technical skills, like those taught in the kind of courses I run," Julia adds. "Give it a try. I promise that you will never look at a flower, leaf or fruit in the same way again."

5. Get out a night

- January 12, 2019

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