London Looking To Combat Rising Temperatures With Unique Conservation Process

London is making some major changes to some of its most famous public parks.

Oct 19, 2024; London, United Kingdom; The Tower Bridge and the River Thames. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Throughout London, there were well kept lawns surrounding some of their most famous attractions and public parks. But, that is something that will be changing.

Rewilding, a conservation process of restoring ecosystems back to their natural states, is underway. The lawns that were manicured beautifully are going to become wild once again.

The goal of such a move is to hopefully increase the biodiversity of the area while helping do their part in battling the rising temperatures around the globe.

One of the areas the rewilding has already had an impact is The Tower of London. For a long time, the popular tourist attraction was surrounded by a massive amount of grass that was mowed and not offering much.

Because of the conservation efforts now in place, it has turned into colorful wildflowers in the summer, making it all that much more attractive to visitors.

There are a lot of other parks throughout the city that are beginning to do the same thing. The Rewild London Fund was started in 2021 and there have already been 41 projects where wetlands, meadows and ancient woodlands were brought back to their natural states.

Wildflowers and local organisms have already begun returning to the areas the projects were done. One of the biggest restorations came at Regent’s Park, where most of the 410 acres is wildlife in addition to the immaculate rose garden.

"There is definitely a feeling of a sea change," Mathew Frith, director of policy and research at the London Wildlife Trust, told The New York Times. "When I started working for London Wildlife Trust at the age of 29, I would have found it very difficult to predict where we are now."

Big green spaces do have its benefits for residents who want to have the feel of being out of an urban setting. But, there are some downsides as the environment is threatened by the upkeep of those lawns.

The continued mowing and keeping the grass manicured also destroys essential needs for wildlife in the area and microorganisms you cannot see with the naked eye.

"I want to show people you can make an effort yourself, and it doesn't have to be on a big scale, and just plant some seeds and see what happens," longtime London resident and florist Jens Jakobsen told The New York Times.

It doesn’t take much to do some rewilding of your own. It doesn’t have to be on a grand scale as London is doing in its parks. Just a small patch of grass being changed in your backyard could have a lasting impact.