In the centre of London, there lies a pandemonium of biodiversity. A hotspot of wildlife in which visitors can escape from the city jungle to experience an actual jungle.
Camley Street Natural Park is one of the 40 Natural Parks owned by the London Wildlife Trust and is located only 3 min away from King’s Cross Station. It hosts mainly 3 different habitats: pond, meadow and woodland and a wide variety of animals ranging from insects to amphibians and small birds and mammals.
The park is an appropriate example of how urban centres can incorporate nature into them and help preserve a country’s wildlife. Before it was built in 1984, it used to be a coal yard but now it is bursting with life and is full of plants some of which are not commonly found in the rest of London. Urban ecological planning and design can ensure that nature and cities live in harmony if it gets embraced by politics and implemented on a wider scale. It is a symbiotic relationship humans have with nature. We take care of nature and nature benefits us in many other ways. This is the reason why I started volunteering in Camley Street Natural park every Saturday from morning to early evening.
How will you benefit from working in a natural park you ask?
Quoting Hartig et al. “Urbanization, resource exploitation, and lifestyle changes have diminished possibilities for human contact with nature in many societies“. However it has been proven by studies that increased contact with nature can help with mental health problems such as depression. Activities such as walking, cycling and group work in nature have been shown to significantly decrease depression in the long term, if carried out regularly (Khan and Sumar, 2014). In addition, it is a great way to get to know people with similar interests but also actively engage in learning how to conserve nature. I would therefore unquestionably recommend to everyone to find and volunteer at a natural park near them.
Here are some photos from Haarkon an amazing photographer who has managed to capture the magnificence of the park. If you are ever near King’s Cross and have a few minutes to spare, pay the park a visit and you will certainly not regret it.