World Environment Day is celebrated annually on the 5 June and is one of the biggest days in the environmental calendar. It aims to raise awareness of the common goal of protecting the planet. This year’s theme of ‘Only One Earth’, shines a spotlight on climate action, nature action and pollution action while encouraging everyone, everywhere to live sustainably.
To mark the occasion, Stephanie Hancock, Team Leader at Beckingham, tells us why she loves working on the UK Defence Training Estate and feels privileged to play a part in preserving the beautiful sites that we manage.
“As a company we are very fortunate to be able to help look after and maintain a diverse mosaic of habitats across the UK. From traditional hay meadows, ancient woodlands, heath land and grasslands to coastal habitats such as sea cliffs and sand dunes, these sites are time capsules that have been preserved to show a unique insight into the history of our local landscapes. As they have not been improved for agriculture or developed in other ways, they have also created pockets of refuge for a vast array of flora and fauna. The remnants of historic land management that have been preserved from ridge and furrow, pingo ponds, underlying geology and ancient coppiced woodland, further aids the diversity of these sites.
“I feel extremely privileged to have access to and to be able to play a part in preserving these breathtakingly beautiful sites. For me every day is a school day and I learn something new – just by paying more attention to where I walk – and seeing the spiders run, or listening to the bird call and picking out the skylarks in song, to those bees on that flower, or the way that tree has adapted to survive, or even the aroma of the bluebells. Each season brings something new. Just to stop and pay that little bit more attention will open up a different way of seeing things and how awe-inspiring our countryside actually is.
“We all take nature for granted and become wrapped up in our lives, but sometimes we just need to step back and take a closer look at what mother nature is providing us: our countryside – forests, rivers, oceans and soil underpin our economy, our society – even our very existence. There is ‘only one earth.”