Touchstones to be part of the Natural History Museum’s pilot Museums for Nature programme
Touchstones has been announced as one of the partner museums in the Natural History Museum’s pilot Museums for Nature programme.
The programme partners with museums across the UK to transform their sites, boost biodiversity, widen access to nature and engage local communities in nature recovery. The initiative aims to support biodiversity and help address nature loss in communities nationwide.
The Natural History Museum (NHM) has launched Museums for Nature, a programme partnering with museums across the UK to transform their sites, boost biodiversity, widen access to nature and engage local communities in nature recovery. The initiative aims to support biodiversity and help address nature loss in communities nationwide.
Tom Bevan, Head of National Programmes at the Natural History Museum said, “Building on the success of transforming our own gardens in London, Museums for Nature will connect millions of people with nature at scale, creating a network of nature-rich spaces across museum sites throughout the UK.
As one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, the UK must act. By working with museums to transform their spaces for nature, we can empower people to take action, deepen their connection with the natural world, and become Advocates for the Planet.”
Following the opening of its new gardens in 2024, the NHM is partnering with eight museums from the Real World Science network in the programme’s first year, with plans to then expand to museums nationwide. Museums for Nature will support museums to map existing habitats and identify interventions to enhance biodiversity across their gardens , while engaging communities to play an active role through community science and hands-on action. From creating pollinator-friendly habitats to digging ponds and developing climate-resilient planting schemes, participating museums will help strengthen biodiversity in towns and cities across the UK.
As part of the programme, Touchstones’ Creative Learning team will be developing workshops on the Broadfield Park Slopes behind Rochdale Town Hall, cataloguing the diversity of plants and animals on site and exploring the perception of outdoor spaces as heritage sites.
The programme is being supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Museums involved in the first year of the programme alongside Touchstones are Birmingham Museums Trust; The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry; Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle upon Tyne; Amgueddfa Cymru, National Museums Wales; Wollaton Hall, Nottingham; National Museum Northern Ireland and the Natural History Museum, Tring.