NICOLA DAVIES
The zoologist, TV presenter & award-winning writer talks to AM
Sarah Skelton
This is the time of year when we start to get out and about again and appreciate anew the wonder of the natural beauty that we are blessed with in Ayrshire. Walks on the beach, fun on the sand with the children, a few cold dips in the sea, hill walks – so many free activities that we can enjoy. Personally, I never tire of gazing at the view across to Arran, watching the sunset.
But as we enjoy these natural riches, we are also concerned about the effect of climate change and wondering what changes in our environment our children and grandchildren will experience. We can sometimes feel uncertain about how to talk to younger generations about climate change, their worries about it, and how to enjoy nature together with them.
So, I was excited to have the opportunity to chat about these issues with renowned naturalist and writer, Nicola Davies, and to hear her voice her passion for inspiring children and young people to love nature and get involved in the task of saving our environment.
Nicola is a zoologist and writer of around 90 published books and has been the recipient of multiple awards, including the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing. Nicola has worked with the BBC Natural History Unit, and you may know her from her time as a presenter on the BBC children’s programme, The Really Wild Show.
I begin by asking Nicola if she knows our part of Scotland.
“I absolutely adore Scotland and enjoyed visiting Ayrshire when I was doing some work with the Scottish Book Trust. I am sad I haven’t managed to get back to Scotland… but I am planning a visit within the next 18 months and I can’t wait to be back.”
I had previously been struck by reading a statement from Nicola about how we burned up 200 million years of photosynthesis in 200 years, and this has stayed with me. I ask about her views on the resilience of the natural world and also what we can do to ensure the next generations do better for our planet.
“There is still hope for our world, although climate change will continue to get worse unless the world mobilises and works together. Although climate change is a huge threat and can seem overwhelming to children, it also presents a huge opportunity. We should encourage children to channel their fear and anger, and voice it creatively. Children can be encouraged to get involved in the process of planet mending.”
As a mum and grandmother, I would like Nicola’s advice on where we should start with our children, and she outlines some aims we should have for our young people.
“We want children to be curious about the natural world, to develop a taste for adventure and to believe that living life unconventionally is possible.”
What practical steps can we take to develop budding naturalists?
“Encourage children to be outdoors. Doing things outdoors together with people they love will build a true association with nature, it will create a sense of safety and joy. If children establish a delight in the natural world, then even when they enter the more challenging adolescent years, that will always be there in them.”
I suspect, however, that many adults may not feel very knowledgeable or confident about nature and that may be a deterrent to sharing outdoor exploration with them.
“Don’t worry at all,” Nicola reassures me. “As adults, we don’t have to be the ones that know everything – all the names of plants, trees, flowers. Use ‘I don’t know’ as an empowering tool to go on a voyage of discovery with your children. Notice details and then research them, using apps or books to name and learn about those details. That discovery approach will grow exponentially as they find out more details about our natural world and start putting the bits together like a big jigsaw puzzle.”
Nicola also suggests another thought-provoking approach: “When you are out with your children, try and discover what the natural environment was like 50 years ago. Investigate what has gone, what has come back, what is being brought back under rewilding schemes.”
This is a great idea. You can find out about rewilding initiatives being undertaken in Ayrshire to create more biodiverse and resilient landscapes at www.rewild.scot.
But I’m still concerned that we hear about too many teenagers being indoors and on devices.
“I am thrilled that there are a growing number of adolescents very involved indeed in natural history.
There are a growing number of young people joining nature clubs and walking clubs.”
That’s another idea – if your child’s school doesn’t have a Nature Club, then start one!
I can’t list all of Nicola’s 90 amazing books for children, but I do highly recommend them as inspiring books to get your children intrigued by the natural world. Here are a couple to get you started:
Green: The Story of Plant Life on Our Planet – This tree doesn’t look like it’s doing very much: it just stands there in the sunlight, big and green. But this tree is busy…
Starting with the secret workings of a tree, this book transports readers billions of years into the past; back to the moment when plant life first appeared on our planet.
The Song That Sings Us and Skrimslie – Meet Skrimslie in the fantasy adventure stories full of excitement and danger, that explore themes of friendship, loyalty, identity and love, in the context of some of humanity’s toughest problems. Set in a world where animals and humans can sometimes share their thoughts… so when animals talk, it’s time humans listened!
I tell Nicola that I feel inspired and empowered after our chat and that I am amazed by her work and passion. Before we finish, I ask if she would kindly come and do an event with us at The Book Nook for our schools.
“I would absolutely love to!” she assures me.
We can’t wait! And let’s hope we have lots of exciting stories to share with Nicola about what our wonderful young people are doing to save the environment in Ayrshire.
You can purchase Nicola’s books from The Book Nook Stewarton, or buy online at www.booknookstewarton.co.uk
