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Celebrating 1 Year of Nature Blocks 🪴

Through a visionary partnership with the Bupa Foundation, we launched the Nature BlocksTM initiative on the 24 of August, 2023. While the concept around Nature Blocks is still relatively new, Conservation Volunteers Australia is delighted to share what this initiative has been able to achieve in just one year.

We are delighted to report that over 83,743 people have engaged with our Nature Blocks initiative over the past year – far surpassing our expectations.

This shows that there’s a huge amount of interest from people across Australia in building back nature. It’s also a testament to the multiple benefits of Nature Blocks for people, planet and communities (which we explain in more detail below).

Nature Blocks, which are spaces as small as 1 square metre at home or at work, built with native plants and small habitat elements, aim to build back biodiversity,, create habitat corridors for animals in urban environments, foster a conservation mindset, build climate resilience and place conservation in the hands of everyday Australians.

Nature Blocks is delivered through the CVA app, which enables users to join a community of nature stewards across Australia.

If you haven’t already started your own Nature Block, this short video should provide some inspiration. It shows how Melbourne resident, Tran, has created her own Nature Block in her garden and how much joy it brings her:

Nature Blocks in Australia: the environmental, health, and wellness benefits of nature

Within a year of launching Nature Blocks, we have recorded some very exciting results and impacts:

  • Over 983 Nature Blocks have been started
  • 83,743 people have been engaged with Nature Blocks – creating more active stewardship for nature
  • 82% of people engaged in the Nature Blocks initiative feel their environmental knowledge and skills have improved
  • 94% of surveyed participants have showed an improvement on health and wellbeing
  • 92% of people Nature Blocks participants say they feel an increased motivation to take action for nature

We’ve also hosted workshops and events about Nature Blocks, and have written a series of blog articles explaining how conservation volunteering supports mental wellbeing and physical health and how Nature Blocks can transform cities into havens of biodiversity.

In addition, community conservation activities like conservation volunteering and creating Nature Blocks can help to cultivate a sense of community and belonging.

Our vision for Nature Blocks in the future

At Conservation Volunteers Australia we want to empower everyone in Australia to take action for nature and get involved in building back biodiversity.

That’s why, in addition to our hands-on volunteering events and activities, we created the CVA App: to provide resources to get started with creating Nature Blocks at home no matter where you live.

Using the CVA App you can join a community of Nature Stewards who are taking positive action for nature. This app-led experience creates a personalised conservation journey tailored to your location, living conditions and experience.

“We all have a role in protecting and restoring Australian nature and it can be as simple as planting something seasonal in a shoebox-sized Nature Block which can sit anywhere. As an added bonus, you’ll feel better too!” — Phil Harrison, CEO of Conservation Volunteers Australia.

 

As momentum builds for people and organisations everywhere to step up action and commitment towards the Global Goal for Nature and creating a nature-positive future, we’re championing Nature Blocks as a holistic solution that provides a multitude of benefits for people, the planet and communities.

Our long-term vision is to have people across Australia planting Nature Blocks on balconies, in parks and in backyard gardens to help create vital habitat and corridors for threatened species and to help create a healthier, greener, and more sustainable world.

How to start your own Nature Block

Nature Blocks can be created in small spaces or larger areas, depending on the space you have available.

Whether you live in an apartment with a balcony that can house a few pot plants, or you have a backyard where you can plant a pollinator garden – there are many ways to create Nature Blocks.

The first step is to download the CVA App where you’ll be guided by various resources to help you create and grow your Nature Block, and where you’ll be connected to a community of nature stewards to provide you with inspiration and a sense of belonging.

Help us build back nature from wherever you live!