Over the last 40 years the UK has lost 50% of the mass of its wildlife. Half as many birds, insects, mammals, wildflowers and amphibians live alongside us. Bird song has thinned, the buzz around the flowers is quieter and there is less colour in the fields. But we can’t protect or value what we cannot see or don’t understand.
The UK has historically been deeply tied to nature. We have the best studied flora, fauna, geology and geography of any country on earth.This wealth of beauty and variety has inspired scientists, writers, poets and artists throughout history. Yet today we are in danger of losing that precious tradition. It would be a tragedy.
Education is key to understanding and protecting the natural world. Curlew Action wants every child, wherever they live or go to school, to have the chance to see, experience, and learn about the natural world and earn recognised qualifications. At the centre of this is our campaign for a GCSE in Natural History.
Natural History GCSE
Today, children spend far less time out of doors and are less connected to nature than ever before. It is time we put nature back into the very heart of education.
The syllabus for the proposed Natural History GCSE will give students a practical and holistic understanding of the natural world that compliments existing science education. The GCSE will cover the core skills of identifying, monitoring and recording wildlife, as well as theoretical knowledge about evolution, animal behaviour, and ecology. The history of the study of nature itself from Linnaeus, to Darwin, to Attenborough, will be included as well as works by great natural history writers, poets and artists.
There is a lot of momentum building for this right now, but we won’t stop there! We will keep pushing for natural history education to become an integral part of education at every level.
Curlew media have been leading the way in the campaign to introduce a GCSE in Natural History and you can find much more information by following this link at Curlew Media.