00:00Our power, our planet. This year's Earth Day theme highlights the impact of environmental damage while promoting community-scale climate
00:08solutions and the importance of protecting biodiversity.
00:12Said to be the leading council in Kent tackling climate change and biodiversity, Maitstone Borough Council has launched a new
00:19initiative in a small park in Allington, Midley Close.
00:22A nursery of trees has been planted to support nature recovery and strengthen climate resilience as a part of the
00:30tiny forest programme.
00:31This park in Maitstone is working hard to increase biodiversity levels which are currently in the red zone according to
00:38a report earlier this year.
00:40The government remains off track to meet its environmental commitments and its actions in the coming years will be crucial
00:46in determining whether key biodiversity targets and protections for land and sea by 2030 are achieved, according to the latest
00:55progress report from the Office of Environmental Protection.
00:58Currently, the overarching goal of restoring thriving plant and wildlife populations is rated in the red zone, indicating it is
01:06significantly off track.
01:08So, Maidstone, at the moment, we're really struggling with so much overdevelopment on our doorsteps and we are very aware
01:15that we're losing important habitat in our locality.
01:19So, we're thinking, what do we have as a town within our urban spaces that is green, that we can
01:26actually maximise for biodiversity within the community?
01:30We are at a really critical point at the moment. I mean, insect populations in Kent have declined rapidly since
01:362004 and in the past five years, things are crashing really, really quickly and it's really alarming.
01:43So, you know, the way we are working is to restore as much biodiversity within the Maidstone borough as we
01:51can.
01:51And also, you know, with the hotter summers that we're experiencing, especially the very dry springs and the very wet
01:58winters, we need to make sure that, you know, we are resilient for the climate change that's happening around us.
02:06So, everything that we have planted here is really great for climate resilience.
02:10In these conditions, the healthy competition for sunlight and nutrients will encourage the trees to grow 10 times faster than
02:18conventional planting methods.
02:20With £500,000 being invested in community groups to kickstart nature projects, the borough is hopeful this will drive meaningful
02:28progress ahead of 2030.
02:31Maisie Walker for KMTV, Maidstone.
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