{"id":9324,"date":"2022-09-22T09:38:14","date_gmt":"2022-09-22T09:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=9324"},"modified":"2022-09-22T09:38:16","modified_gmt":"2022-09-22T09:38:16","slug":"living-with-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"Living With Nature"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CONNECTED speaks to Liz Hancocks, an ecologist at Natural Resources Wales<\/a>, about her passion for nature and the importance of engaging people with it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Working in conservation has, for Liz, seemed inevitable since she was a child. \u201cMy background before university really paved the way for my interest in ecology. My grandparents are retired dairy farmers, my dad is a retired ecologist, and I spent a lot of time on nature reserves and doing bug hunts as a child. I\u2019ve always been exposed to the outdoors and nature,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m really driven to do as much as possible in this area.<\/p>\n

\u201cBiodiversity underpins all the services we get from nature. If we don\u2019t have biodiversity, and if our species and wildlife aren\u2019t healthy, then we won\u2019t get the ecosystem that humans depend on for clean water, air and food.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMore fundamentally, we don\u2019t have the right to make species extinct and destroy their homes. We all need to learn to live with nature and to share the resources available to us on the planet with the natural world, which we depend upon for so much.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A nature recovery plan<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Liz\u2019s environmental biology<\/a> degree at Reading taught her a variety of valuable skills for her future career \u2013 from identifying insects, to agri-environment schemes and soil science. Her next step was a master\u2019s at the University of Oxford in biological conservation, which after several roles in this field, led her to Natural Resources Wales where she is Senior Officer for People & Places.<\/p>\n

Liz\u2019s current role focuses on Section 11 of the Welsh Environment Act of 2016<\/a>, which assesses the opportunities and risks of natural resources in an area. For Liz\u2019s team, that area is the South Central region of Wales, which encompasses Cardiff.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cFor the first 18 months of my role, I produced technical reports to inform and shape nature recovery plans. These reports expanded our evidence base and now I\u2019m working to create resilient, ecological networks.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIn Wales, we have a really active network of local nature partnerships. They are a key audience for us, so it\u2019s really important that we work together to ensure our vision translates into action.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Liz reflects on what she believes is the biggest challenge for nature recovery in Wales. She said: \u201cWe\u2019ve got 900,000 people living in this region \u2013 it is a very densely populated area. That\u2019s not to say that people are the problem, but rather that we have a challenge in balancing the number of people with nature\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cOur key message is that we need to share this space with nature and live alongside it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Liz is proud that Wales is committed to tackling climate change, giving her hope for the future. \u201cThe Welsh government declared a climate emergency in 2019 and a nature emergency in June 2021,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely high on the policy agenda in Wales, and there is also a big focus on a green recovery from the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Green living<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Liz\u2019s commitment to living more sustainably also extends to her personal life.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband and I explored co-housing and building sustainable, low or zero carbon houses with friends during the pandemic,\u201d she said. \u201cWe learnt a lot from that process, and about the materials that could be used, for example using timber frames and a straw bale infill. Instead of building a new house, we\u2019ve decided to retrofit our family home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liz has also made smaller, more immediate changes, including having an organic vegetable box delivered, using a sustainable energy provider, and cycling or using public transport wherever possible. She said:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cOur biggest personal impacts are our energy, transport and food choices, so for me that is where we can make the biggest changes on an individual level.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Liz also gives up her free time to support the next generation of environmentalists through mentoring and informal career advice \u2013 including as a THRIVE Mentor<\/a> for the University.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI mentor because I like helping people break down their goals and dreams into small steps, whether that\u2019s smartening up their CV or becoming a professional body member.<\/p>\n

\n

“At Reading, I really enjoyed seeing the students\u2019 confidence build from their second to third years of study. It was a really satisfying role and I\u2019d definitely recommend mentoring to other people if they have the opportunity to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Crossing ecological thresholds<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Liz shares her thoughts on what the future might hold for our planet: \u201cSo much has happened in the last 12 years since I left Reading. With people like David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg making a profound impact on the public\u2019s consciousness, we are more aware of climate change,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cBut there is still a long way to go. We can\u2019t just place the burden on the individual because that doesn\u2019t work \u2013 we can only buy what is on the shelves and drive the cars that are available to us. We need wider structural, systematic change to help us make the best choices for the planet.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe need to work on a larger scale and with more people to turn the ship around. There are some ecological thresholds that we do not want to cross, which will have a major impact on people.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy creating nature recovery plans and figuring out how to restore nature gives me hope. We know it can work, we just need to do it faster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find out more about Natural Resources Wales<\/a>, or studying biological sciences<\/a> at Reading.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CONNECTED speaks to Liz Hancocks, an ecologist at Natural Resources Wales, about her passion for nature and the importance of engaging people with it. Working in conservation has, for Liz, seemed inevitable since she was a child. \u201cMy background before university really paved the way for my interest in ecology. My grandparents are retired dairy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":9335,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[54,151,102,19,138,155,133,23,44,61],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLiving With Nature - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Liz Hancocks, an ecologist at Natural Resources Wales, speaks about her passion for nature and the importance of engaging people with it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Living With Nature - Connected\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Liz Hancocks, an ecologist at Natural Resources Wales, speaks about her passion for nature and the importance of engaging people with it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Connected\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-09-22T09:38:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-09-22T09:38:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/09\/shutterstock_image-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"550\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sophia McIvor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sophia McIvor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/\",\"name\":\"Living With Nature - Connected\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-09-22T09:38:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-09-22T09:38:16+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/30d41c09b68d9ce40d5202466c718403\"},\"description\":\"Liz Hancocks, an ecologist at Natural Resources Wales, speaks about her passion for nature and the importance of engaging people with it.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Living With Nature\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/\",\"name\":\"Connected\",\"description\":\"Alumni magazine\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/30d41c09b68d9ce40d5202466c718403\",\"name\":\"Sophia McIvor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e24a78aef8c4d9e633eda65e14e7917f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e24a78aef8c4d9e633eda65e14e7917f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Sophia McIvor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/author\/sophia-mcivor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Living With Nature - Connected","description":"Liz Hancocks, an ecologist at Natural Resources Wales, speaks about her passion for nature and the importance of engaging people with it.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Living With Nature - Connected","og_description":"Liz Hancocks, an ecologist at Natural Resources Wales, speaks about her passion for nature and the importance of engaging people with it.","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/","og_site_name":"Connected","article_published_time":"2022-09-22T09:38:14+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-09-22T09:38:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":550,"url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2022\/09\/shutterstock_image-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sophia McIvor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sophia McIvor","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/","name":"Living With Nature - Connected","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-09-22T09:38:14+00:00","dateModified":"2022-09-22T09:38:16+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/30d41c09b68d9ce40d5202466c718403"},"description":"Liz Hancocks, an ecologist at Natural Resources Wales, speaks about her passion for nature and the importance of engaging people with it.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/09\/22\/living-with-nature\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Living With Nature"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/","name":"Connected","description":"Alumni magazine","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/30d41c09b68d9ce40d5202466c718403","name":"Sophia McIvor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e24a78aef8c4d9e633eda65e14e7917f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e24a78aef8c4d9e633eda65e14e7917f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Sophia McIvor"},"url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/author\/sophia-mcivor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9324"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9324"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9339,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9324\/revisions\/9339"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}