Oxfordshire Treescape Project have been delivering Treescape Opportunity Reports to parish groups since October 2021.
Since then the range of resources offered and our ways of working have developed. In April 2023 a survey, designed in collaboration with University of Oxford social science researchers Dr Constance Mcdermott, Dr Mark Hirons and Dr Caitlin Hafferty, was sent to the 76 parish groups that had viewed our Opportunity Maps. The aim was to understand what resources for nature recovery are already at parish groups’ disposal; how useful different resources provided by OTP have been; what would most help parish groups move forward with nature recovery planning and activities. . Key themes included the importance of human connection, such as the value of volunteers and connections with other parish or community groups, and the challenge of engaging with landmanagers and farmers; the potential for Neighbourhood Plans to support parish-scale nature recovery; the importance of maps as a way to communicate and plan for nature recovery. The full report is available now, including an executive summary.