How the Natural History Museum is making nature accessible

The UK’s biodiversity is among the most thoroughly documented in the world. However, key biodiversity metrics indicate that UK nature is in crisis. To reverse this, the Natural History Museum’s UK Centre for Nature is developing nature-led solutions.

Shathuki Perera shares a glimpse at what she gets up to in her role as the Urban Biodiversity Officer.

Growing up in the urban sprawl of Birmingham, I often felt disconnected from nature. However, since experiencing and learning about the benefits of greenspaces to both wildlife and people, I’m passionate about making nature accessible to everyone.

Humans depend on a healthy planet and its diverse ecosystems, and our actions have a direct impact on the natural world. It is only by understanding and valuing nature that we can appreciate the interconnectedness of biodiversity and develop sustainable solutions. This includes monitoring current biodiversity, adopting practices that reduce our impact on ecosystems and protecting endangered species and their habitats.

As the Urban Biodiversity Officer, my role is tightly linked with the Natural History Museum’s bigger goal of creating more advocates for the planet. How I do this exactly can look a little different every day.

Sharing the Wonder of Urban Nature

A recent survey by Kent Wildlife Trust and the Buglife conservation recorded an 89% decline in insects across the county over the last 20 years.

Insects are critical to the wider ecosystem. They pollinate crops, provide natural pest control, decompose waste and recycle nutrients, and underpin food chains that support other wildlife. To reverse these declines, the UK Centre for Nature works to encourage people from all backgrounds to learn more about the importance of biodiversity and the role they can play to help nature recover.

Our new gardens opened in 2024 as an urban environment that makes space for wildlife. You can explore our grassland, wetland and woodland habitats to experience how nature can thrive in urban spaces. I am passionate about sharing my fascination about the natural world because it connects me with others who share similar interests to me. It’s a space where members can exchange ideas, share best practice and learn from one another.

During my time at the Natural History Museum, I’ve been fortunate to contribute to several projects. I manage the Urban Nature Network – an online community of 1,000 people across the UK who are passionate about protecting and celebrating urban nature.

I have also really enjoyed being part of a recent video series called Seasonal Changes, which explores how our green spaces transform throughout the year. I have enjoyed creating videos about seasonal changes in the gardens as these are an engaging and accessible tool for reaching both adults and children. In our first episode, focused on spring, I spoke about some of the changes we see in trees, bird activity, pond life and more.

Through science communication, I hope to inspire people to step outside and notice the nature around them because it is when people connect with nature that they’re more likely to care about it and become advocates for the planet.

Sharing skills to protect our wildlife

To understand how nature is changing, we need as many people as possible to be involved in monitoring and recording UK wildlife. This generates vital data that tells us about the true state of biodiversity. It is only by understanding this that we can make meaningful change that directly targets areas that need improvement.

Through my role, I help organise and deliver training courses that focus on a wide range of species, from urban plants that often get unnoticed, to freshwater animals such as newts and frogs. We run training events in collaboration with partners across the UK, to grow knowledge and skills nationwide.

It’s one of my favourite parts of the job as I get to help others build their skills and confidence in identifying the nature around them. We have a free Introduction to Urban Ecology course, which is a great starting point for anyone curious about wildlife in our towns and cities.

Our gardens, originally created in 1995, have undergone a lot of change. Today, they act as a living laboratory. We use both traditional and innovative methods of data collection covering a range of urban species to build a picture of our garden ecosystem. These techniques include transects (walking a set route around the garden and recording what we observe), setting traps, and more novel techniques such as eDNA (environmental DNA) and acoustic monitoring.

Training and biodiversity recording go hand in hand. Our sessions are hands-on, encouraging participants to get involved in monitoring the wildlife we find right here in the our gardens. We hope that by empowering more people to take part in biodiversity monitoring, we can gather the vital information needed to answer some of science’s biggest questions and build a community of informed, passionate nature advocates along the way.

An easy way that people can get involved in monitoring and protecting biodiversity in their area is to use simple tools like iNaturalist. This is a free app you can use to identify and record any animal or plant you spot in your local greenspace. Alternatively, you can get involved with a national monitoring scheme, like the Big Butterfly Count or the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. Check out Natural History Museum’s beginners Survey Calendar to find UK monitoring schemes that welcome your observations. If you want more information on monitoring and boosting biodiversity, check out our Nature Recording Hub: Nature Recording Hub | Natural History Museum.

As the seasons change, I look forward to continuing the discovery of new species emerging. My curiosity about nature is always growing, and every visit to the garden teaches me something new. Keep your eyes peeled on what changes we will observe next season through our YouTube channel.