We also know that access to nature has a big impact on mental health, physical health and life expectancy. According to an article in the journal ‘Nature’, a growing body of evidence indicates that greater exposure to natural environments is associated with better health and wellbeing. Living in greener urban areas is associated with lower risks of health problems including cardiovascular disease and mental distress in adults, and lower risks of obesity and improved cognitive development in children. The difference in levels of access to nature is one of the reasons for the gap in life expectancy between rich and poor people in cities, whereas in the countryside, where access to nature is universal, this gap is much less. How is it that only people in some areas should have access to something that improves mental and physical health? In rural areas nature is free and available to all. It needs to be this way in cities too.

Wild spaces in urban areas are also valuable in their own right for conservation and biodiversity. There are thought to be fewer than 3,000 pairs of willow tits in Britain, but their remaining strongholds are mostly post-industrial urban wild areas (especially in the north), like Wigan Flashes. These areas are key to their survival in the UK. When connected, high quality urban natural spaces can become a corridor for migratory species, and species with larger territories. Every pocket of nature we have helps to preserve wildlife for future generations. When UK cities are so deprived of truly wild spaces, the spaces we do have become invaluable both to us and the common and rare creatures that live there.

Wildlife is incredibly resourceful. It can live in the smallest cracks in our cities, but now our cities are becoming increasingly economical, with the most efficient use of space. Slowly, the cracks are closing. There are no gaps in the roofs for swifts, no weeds in the curbs for caterpillars, nothing. We are squeezing the life out of our cities. But the wildlife was here first. The urban foxes aren't the intruders, we are. Our streets were built over their territories. So we need to make space for them. Insect numbers are plummeting, birds are disappearing. Life should be valued and encouraged. Nest boxes, bee bricks, tree-lined streets. These are not expensive. But they could make a huge difference for declining species and for us. We can’t only value the economic benefits of cities, we have to value the mental wellbeing of the people who live there and the life they share it with too.

Nature is so important for the development of children. But in schools this isn’t a priority. This is because it is not on the curriculum. Young children in urban areas often don’t have access to wild spaces outside of school. This is why it is so important for children to be able to experience and learn about nature within the school day. Children need to form a positive connection with the natural world. Learning about the biology and ecology of the life around them would have an incredible benefit, especially if they could have a practical experience of it: being in natural spaces at school; learning the names of UK wildlife; becoming curious and having fun in nature would be invaluable. Young people need to learn about and, even better, participate in the conservation of their local species. The new natural history GCSE that the government is currently considering would be a great first step. Knowledge and love of the life around you should be valued in the education system. Education is the difference between seeing a butterfly and seeing a gatekeeper; it is learning to stop and look.

Nature is the way the world works. We live in a biosphere. Biodiversity is not just pretty to look at - it regulates the climate, filters our water, pollinates our food. It is totally key to our survival. We need to learn to value it and live alongside it.