Re-wilding as an opportunity to change people's attitudes and behaviours towards nature more widely, beyond the park itself

I can see that this is very much what many of us want and is a wider ambition for this project for the experts involved. This is a fantastic opportunity to evaluate how a wider change in attitudes and behaviours can be achieved. Which specific parts of the re-wilding exercise work best to change what people do in their daily lives to support nature? We want to implement what we know works best in changing behaviour. What is the best available evidence of this now and, if the evidence base is embryonic, how can we work with others to evaluate exactly which parts of the re-wilding we will implement, work best to change what people do in their daily lives towards nature? Does being part of a meadow seed scatter, encourage people to have a wilder part of their own garden and make them less likely to use pesticides for example? Will our local farmers respect what we are trying to do and explore less environmentally damaging farming practices? Will people plant rather than dig up native hedges?

To capture any shift, we need to be baselining attitudes and behaviours sooner rather than later. My views have already been changed, just by being part of the consultation, and so if we are going to look at behaviour change, we need to be baselining really soon. I can hear that we are looking at evaluating the project by looking at the impact of people's mental health and on species recovery but have we got in mind a study exploring Derby resident's wider behaviour change towards nature that will resonate beyond the park's boundaries into their own personal spaces and lives?