IN A RECENT survey, conducted by Natural England, it was found that less than ten per cent of children today play in natural places, compared with 40 per cent of adults who did so when they were young.

Most parents – 85 per cent – said they would like their children to be able to play in natural spaces unsupervised, but fears of strangers and road safety prevented them from giving their kids freedom outdoors.

A problem that conservationists are facing today, even in rural areas such as The Lizard or the Roseland, is that children are becoming more disconnected from the natural world.

In this age of technology and increased concerns of personal safety, children are spending less time outdoors and more time in front of computers.

Unless they are reconnected with nature it is unlikely they will come to cherish, value and take action to protect the natural environment as adults.

Engage children

So the implications are clear that we need to engage children with the great outdoors or face real difficulties protecting the environment in the future.

To address this problem Natural England has embarked on its One Million Children Outdoors campaign, which aims to introduce one million children to the natural world over the next three years.

To help encourage children into the outdoors, Natural England has appointed community outreach advisers at some of its destination national nature reserves – including The Lizard in the south coast eastern section of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

It covers 2,000 hectares of The Lizard peninsula and is managed by Natural England in partnership with local farmers and landowners for the benefit and protection of the local wildlife.

The role of the outreach adviser is to create more opportunities for children and their families in Cornwall to learn more about and enjoy the natural world using the nature reserve.

Two successful events have already taken place this spring, a family day of activities on Kennack Sands and pond dipping at Higher Bochym Workshops, with many more planned for the summer.

With an emphasis on discovering more about the unique wildlife and plant life we have on The Lizard and spending wild time outdoors there will be plenty of chances for schools and local groups to get into the outdoor classroom.

Together with The Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the National Trust, Natural England aims to inspire both adults and children into wanting to find out more about the amazing wildlife we have and want to safeguard it for future generations. Will this be enough to ensure the protection of our natural world and the life-giving services it provides us?

Only time will tell, but we now have an amazing opportunity to ensure the enthusiasm and passion to protect our natural environment is passed onto the children that live and visit here. Hopefully this will turn the tide on the current culture of 'cotton wool kids' and the lost connections with the natural environment. Only when there is an understanding of what there is to protect will we be able to ensure the future of the wildlife on this special peninsula and in the rest of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Visit www.naturalengland.org.uk/nnr or www.cornwall-aonb.gov.uk