London Wildlife Trust Youth Board and Youth Work

Promoting legislation to protect nature/wildlife: for example, our Youth Board took part in our recent online campaign to encourage Londoners to reach out to their MPs to support Amendment 40 to the Planning & Infrastructure Bill.

Other Contributions: UK Youth 4 Nature, North York Moors National Park Authority (youth focused programmes)

Youngwilders CIC

We work with landowners and councils to rewild and restore degraded land, from meadow creation in central London to woodland restoration in Northumberland. Our projects involve young people in surveying species, removing invasive species such as Sitka spruce and Giant Hogweed, and improving habitats for pollinators and native plants. In 2024–25, Youngwilders ran 12 youth-led nature recovery projects across nine counties, restoring 210+ acres through meadows, wetlands, hedgerows, and grazing schemes. Over 400 young people took part, 35% from underrepresented backgrounds, gaining hands-on skills through programmes like Wild Stewards and Wayfinders.

UK Youth For Nature

UKY4N works with partners who are actively restoring and protecting nature, to raise awareness of core biodiversity issues as well as driving attention to those who are restoring it. Our work across farming and chemicals works to restore nature at all levels to ensure a more nature-rich future for all.

Action for Conservation

Our Intergenerational Nature Restoration Projects restore and protect nature, and contribute to climate mitigation across 665 acres in South Wales, Derbyshire and Bristol, in partnership with the Penpont Estate, Avon Wildlife Trust and Heartwood Social Farm. Young people, alongside their communities, have delivered hundreds of restoration actions to improve, restore and protect nature in line with community-developed visions for the land. At our flagship Penpont Project, we have planted 20,000+ trees, created a new community tree nursery, restored wildflower meadows and wetlands, carried out extensive freshwater and riparian restoration and are shifting to regenerative grazing, agro-forestry and continuous-cover forestry regimes.

London Wildlife Trust Youth Board and Youth Work

Trainees and Youth Board members support the management of 36 nature reserves across London, ranging from woodland to meadow, wetlands. Support in the planning and practical delivery of the reintroduction of species in London: for example, glow worms in Croydon and beavers & white storks in Barking and Dagenham.

Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) (youth focused programmes)

Dartmoor Youth Rangers (DYR): This programme allows young people (12-17 years) to develop their knowledge and understanding of Dartmoor’s special qualities and how different projects and organisations work together to manage nature, history, farming, and recreational access in harmony to protect and preserve the national park. Activities that feed into restoration degraded habitats include; woodland management and restoration, visitor access, farm management, species surveys, INNS removal, peatland restoration and more. 2025 saw 53 young people participate in DYR.

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) Next Generation

PCNPA’s youth rangers (16-25 years), Youth Committee, and young carers through the Routes to Discovery project assess in the restoration of ecosystems across the Park including through invasive species management, litter picks, wildlife monitoring, woodland management and restoration and more.

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (youth focused programmes)

Up Skill, Down Dale (USDD) (Volunteer programme for 8-29 year olds from across the NP) & Roots to Jobs (RTJ) (Programme for English for Speakers of Other Languages Students) task days and delivery are focused on learning about, restoring and protecting nature through conservation tasks and working with local organisations who are actively doing this and sharing knowledge & skills through practice.

North York Moors National Park Authority (youth focused programmes)

Young people actively contribute to nature restoration through hands-on habitat management, including heathland, woodland and wetland restoration, improving ecosystem condition across the National Park.

Mammal Society

Youth-led habitat restoration: Young volunteers participate in local activities led by local mammal groups, directly contributing to the restoration of local ecosystems.

CPRE

This is the primary aim of Hedgerow Heroes. We are actively hedge planting, laying, coppicing and gapping up hedgerows and teaching people these skills. In Hampshire we have funded hedgelaying apprenticeships for several young people and in Shropshire, planting hedgerows with local scouts has been valuable. Our Hedgerow Heroes project has been going for four years with the aim of planting and restoring hedgerows across England. We are currently collaborating with Young Wilders planting/restoring hedgerows with schools, colleges and youth organisations. Last year (2024-5) Hedgerow Heroes engaged 2489 children and 298 young people (18-30yrs) and 22 schools and colleges. 

Other contributions from: UK Man and the Biosphere Youth Network, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority (Youth Committee and programmes), New Forest Youth Board

Ancient Woodlands UK

Ancient Woodlands UK is a youth-led campaign to protect Ancient Woodlands both legally and culturally. This includes lobbying government and relevant sectors on what is required for meaningful protections as well as raising awareness of the various aspects of the habitat amongst stakeholders and the public.

North York Moors National Park Authority (youth focused programmes)

Youth Voice contributes indirectly by informing planning and management decisions, while programmes such as Explorers and Young Rangers support practical actions aligned with National Park management plans to reduce biodiversity loss. Young people support the management of protected habitats and species through conservation work, moving on to contribute indirectly by influencing policies and plans that safeguard landscapes and biodiversity in the long term.

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority (Youth Committee and programmes)

The National Park Nature Schools project that supports 11 local Primary schools is in its second year with a focus on Water habitats in the National Park. The National Park Junior Ranger Project is an outdoor learning programme for young people aged 11-18 years and includes taking part in Junior Ranger exchanges and camps, surveying for wildlife, planting trees, and helping the Rangers at our Visitor Centre. Young volunteers also support the management of the Park including maintaining paths and trails, planting trees and removing litter.

New Forest Youth Board

The Youth Board contributes to the effective management of the Park through influencing governance and supporting on the ground management. Members participate in volunteering sessions hosted by the New Forest National Park and its partners, to complete practical and citizen science tasks, including the removal of invasive Rhododendron, and test water quality in rivers/ponds within the National Park.

Other contributions from: Youngwilders CIC, Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) (youth focused programmes), Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Action for Conservation, London Wildlife Trust Youth Board and Youth Work, UK Man and the Biosphere Youth Network, UK Youth For Nature, Nature Positive Universities (Student Ambassadors), Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) Next Generation, Chester Zoo (Youth Board), Young Sea Changers Scotland

Mammal Society

University Mammal Challenge (UMAC): Students conduct real mammal surveys on campus, collect valuable data, lead awareness campaigns, and produce outreach materials, connecting their discoveries to wider ecosystem benefits. Monitoring programs such as the Searching for Shrews project, and National Harvest Mouse survey allow young people to collect and contribute biodiversity data, informing conservation action and policy. 

Other contributions from: Youngwilders CIC, London Wildlife Trust Youth Board and Youth Work, North York Moors National Park Authority (youth focused programmes), Chester Zoo (Youth Board)

Through volunteering, junior/youth rangers, school visits and similar, young people contribution to the removal and reduction of invasive species through the following groups/ organisations;

North York Moors National Park Authority (youth focused programmes),Youngwilders CIC, New Forest Youth Board, Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) (youth focused programmes), Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority (Youth Committee and programmes), Ancient Woodlands UK, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) Next Generation, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

UK Youth For Nature

UKY4N’s campaigning on chemicals also looks at the impact of PFAS as pollution in freshwater and marine environments. 

Other contributions from: Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) (youth focused programmes), UK Man and the Biosphere Youth Network, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority (Youth Committee and programmes), Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) Next Generation, New Forest Youth Board, North York Moors National Park Authority (youth focused programmes)

North York Moors National Park Authority (youth focused programmes)

Young peoples’ habitat management activities, such as woodland and peatland work, support carbon storage and climate resilience. We build awareness of the links between healthy ecosystems and climate change.

Other contributions from: Youngwilders CIC, Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) (youth focused programmes), Action for Conservation, Ancient Woodlands UK, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) Next Generation, 2050 Climate Group, New Forest Youth Board, Reserva: The Youth Land Trust, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, CPRE, London Wildlife Trust Youth Board and Youth Work, Nature Positive Universities (Student Ambassadors)

UK Youth For Nature

UKY4N’s Not So Freshwater campaign looks at the impact of farming on our freshwater ecosystems, both contributing to excessive use of chemicals and soil degradation. This campaign also seeks to showcase nature friendly farming techniques as solutions to biodiversity loss.

Other contributions from: Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) (youth focused programmes), Action for Conservation, Youngwilders CIC, CPRE, North York Moors National Park Authority (youth focused programmes), Young Sea Changers Scotland

ZSL Youth Advisory Board

In 2025, ZSL launched its Access to Nature Campaign, campaigning for a statutory right to have access to nature for every school child. The Youth Advisory Board have been involved in the process for the campaign since the outset, consulting on the initial plans and being a part of a working group to ensure that youth voice is authentically represented throughout. 

Action for Conservation

Our Intergenerational Nature Restoration Projects involve the wider community through seasonal community action days, exhibits and outreach days where individuals, aged 2 - 92, come together to plant trees, share locally grown food, collect and process seed, share skills, craft and ideas, and benefit from new connections to the land and the communities who live there. 

Urban Wilding Hub

All our work makes a clear link to the benefits of wilder nature in cities, to enhance the health and wellbeing of residents, and help urban communities adapt to climate change. 

Other contributions from: Youngwilders CIC, Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) (youth focused programmes), Youngwilders CIC, Mammal Society, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, North York Moors National Park Authority (youth focused programmes), Nature Positive Universities Student Ambassadors, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) Next Generation, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority (Youth Committee and programmes), CPRE

UK Youth For Nature

UKY4N’s Your Wild Street’s campaign looks at green and blue spaces in urban areas, with a particular focus on the use of chemicals in urban spaces. Our equality, diversity and inclusion work seeks to ensure equity in access to green and blue spaces in urban areas.

Nature Positive Universities (Student Ambassadors)

Nature Positive Student Ambassadors reported to us their participation in a variety of actions on and off campus, including Bioblitzes using the iNaturalist app with local schools and external partners to measure species biodiversity, rewilding, conducting litter picks, installing pollinator hotels and tree planting. 

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (youth focused programmes)

The Roots to Jobs (RTJ) allotment is a key component of the project, as their allotment is currently disused. By restoring the allotment within Bradford College, they will have their own space to keep revisiting every day that is local and sustainable within the city. 

Action for Conservation

We deliver our WildED and Ambassador Programmes in London, Bristol, Manchester, Brighton and Liverpool, where we support 500+ young people each year to enhance local green and blue spaces. Last year, young people carried out 29 urban nature projects, including creating new orchards and micro-forests in London, food growing spaces in Manchester and wildlife ponds in Bristol. 

London Wildlife Trust Youth Board and Youth Work

We are the only charity dedicated to nature recovery in London. Our vision is to have a London alive with wildlife, with nature in everyone’s neighbourhood. Our Youth Board advises on how to improve our visitor hubs to make our green spaces more accessible. Young people support our Connecting Sydenham Hill Wood and Dulwich Wood project through our Keeping it Wild Collective events. The project aims to create more connected green space for wildlife, showcasing London’s green spaces and encouraging young people to connect with nature for mental health benefits, e.g. through our film London’s Hidden Track and the eco-anxiety zine, which was entirely produced by young people.

Chester Zoo (Youth Board)

Chester Zoo hosts the annual event ‘Nature Fest’ – involving young people organising and hosting a youth tent (with support from Chester Zoo staff and youth board) to engage and inspire other young people and families to visit, protect and enhance urban areas.

Urban Wilding Hub

Led by young people but open to all, Urban wilding is inherently about restoring nature in degraded areas in urban areas such as parks, gardens and abandoned sites. Through our knowledge sharing and communications work, we help people to gain the knowledge and skills to restore nature in their local area.

Other contributions from: Youngwilders CIC, Nature Positive Universities (Student Ambassadors)

Youngwilders CIC

We work with estates, councils, and funders to design projects that embed biodiversity goals into land management and investment decisions. We also communicate our work publicly through creative storytelling, zines, exhibitions, and online media, to inspire others to act for biodiversity.

Mammal Society

Youth Ambassadors participate in public campaigns, lobbying, and events such as the Restore Nature Now marches, ensuring that biodiversity considerations are integrated into local and national decision-making processes. Ambassadors document their conservation experiences through blogs, social media, and school outreach, raising awareness of species conservation and engaging the wider public.

Young Sea Changers Scotland

YSCS serves as a bridge between young people and the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate, as well as other marine management bodies, fostering open dialogue and encouraging youth-friendly and inclusive mechanisms for engaging in marine policymaking. YSCS members contribute directly to national decision-making, including Scotland’s National Marine Plan 2 and management measures for Marine Protected Areas, helping to embed youth perspectives in formal policy processes.

Action for Conservation

Eco-cultural mapping at our Intergenerational Nature Restoration Projects creates a collective, community-driven mandate for action to restore nature, enabling young people and their communities to embed biodiversity into long-term land planning and decision-making for decades to come. 

London Wildlife Trust Youth Board and Youth Work

Our Youth Board supports the planning and external affairs team that works within the political system to keep nature recovery and biodiversity on the agenda. They attend events, speak to MPs, and encourage them to support legislation that will protect biodiversity, and oppose legislation that threatens nature recovery.

North York Moors National Park Authority (youth focused programmes)

Youth Voice enables young people to contribute to management plans, consultations and strategic discussions, ensuring biodiversity and future generations’ perspectives are reflected in National Park decision-making.

UK Youth For Nature

UKY4N works with NGOs, government bodies at all levels, from local government to national government, seeking to include youth voices at all levels of decision making on biodiversity.

Other contributions from: Ancient Woodlands UK, Field Studies Council Youth Panel, New Forest Youth Board

2050 Climate Group

The Climate Action Leadership Programme equips young people with the leadership skills and climate change knowledge needed to take effective action, with over 500 young people completing the programme over the last 5 years. Much of the programme focus is on improving education and access to relevant and accurate information on sustainable consumption, helping people reduce the global footprint of consumption in an equitable manner.

New Forest Youth Board

Working with local green community groups to encourage sustainable practices such as attending repair cafes, volunteering at a community allotment, and clearing up after themselves and their pets when out in nature (social media workshop).Contributed to the organisation of and spoke at local and regional Transport Summits on public transport usage.

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (youth focused programmes)

Education/school groups include elements of climate change by learning about what it is, what sustainability is, how it impacts our world, and what we can do to help the environment. E.g., exploring peat, changing habitats. This fosters early inspiration and understanding of the issues to young people with practical tools. Learning skills for sustainable consumption choices, such as  repairing and mending, also included in the USDD programme.

North York Moors National Park Authority (youth focused programmes)

Explorers and Young Rangers promote sustainable behaviours by encouraging responsible access to nature and increasing understanding of human impacts on ecosystems.

Nature Positive Universities (Student Ambassadors)

Nature Positive Student Ambassadors promote initiatives at their institutions focused on sustainable food as well as waste and resource use. This has included for example, reusable cup schemes, water refill stations, recycling and awareness campaigns, clothing swap shops, growing vegetables on campus and repair cafes.

Chester Zoo (Youth Board)

The Youth Board working groups support the sustainable consumption policies of the wider Zoo including the Sustainable Palm oil and deforestation-free commodities work.

ZSL Youth Advisory Board

Workshops for the National Saturday Club focused on developing participants' understanding of what actions they can take to benefit nature including environmentally sustainable behaviours. 

Other contributions from: Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) (youth focused programmes), Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) Next Generation, Field Studies Council

Reserva: The Youth Land Trust

We have conducted two in-person workshops and two virtual workshops to train UK youth in fundraising techniques to help them mobilize private sector funding for conservation actions. The funds we raise go directly to conservation projects in the tropics.

GYBN UK

One of our objectives is to build capacity by improving biodiversity policy literacy amongst youth, and facilitating and supporting their participation in decision-making processes for national, European and international  biodiversity policies. This includes delivering social media campaigns and workshops demystifying complex international and national biodiversity policy spaces such as the CBD and IPBES, and national policy decisions and papers. Training and peer-to-peer learning is provided to those who attend events and conferences to ensure they can meaningfully participate in and influence the decisions made there.

UK Youth For Nature

UKY4N works with partners across the environmental sector, reaching into the health and social space too. We work to bring youth voices together in the nature space, doing so enables young people to learn from experts as well as share common ground on issues they are concerned about within the biodiversity arena. We also collaborate with government and decision making bodies to advise on youth participation.

Youngwilders CIC

Every project is co-led by young people aged 18–30, supported through paid training, mentoring, and ecological skill-building. Our Wayfinders field skills sessions and national Overgrowth gatherings build a community of early-career environmentalists, promoting confidence, collaboration, and long-term engagement in the sector.

2050 Climate Group

Since 2014, we have been working to empower Scotland’s Young Leaders to lead action on tackling our climate crisis including through capacity building. We are a youth-led and volunteer-driven organisation with over 40 volunteers based across Scotland. Our Climate Action Leadership Programme equips young people with the leadership skills and climate change knowledge needed to take effective action. The Leaders Network looks to provide information in an engaging and accessible manner including film screenings, events and panels, and hosting Scotland’s Youth Climate Summit. Our policy work looks to support Young Leaders in taking action on the policy issues they want to address on all levels of governance including running workshops and events to facilitate understanding of policy issues and processes.

Mammal Society

Students participating in mammal related research can present their findings at the Society’s Annual Conference, giving young researchers a platform to share insights, engage with professionals, and influence conservation action.Youth Ambassadors and UMAC volunteers create social media content, school resources, and outreach materials to share knowledge about mammals and biodiversity with peers and local communities.

ZSL Youth Advisory Board

Members run workshops including upskilling participants on their Citizen Science Skills at the 2025 Chester Youth Symposium, alongside collecting perspectives on how to get more young people involved in citizen science monitoring programmes.

BTO Youth

Free training for youth volunteers – this includes a wide range of subjects, such as bird identification, statistics and acoustic monitoring. This helps them to improve their knowledge base on various biological areas, from monitoring to behaviour. Many Youth Rep events focus on teaching identification or survey techniques to young people. Equipment Donation scheme – we redistribute birdwatching equipment to young people under 21 (groups and individuals) who cannot afford their own, again removing the barrier of cost to youth participation in biodiversity.

Reserva: The Youth Land Trust

We lead capacity building workshops for UK youth on other topics, including Rights of Nature, climate change communication strategy, science communication, animation, and research project design. 

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (youth focused programmes)

Each Up Skill, Down Dale (USDD) session is focused on capacity-building through skill-building, raising awareness, and creating an environment where young people can ask questions and get involved with staff, volunteers, and each other. Roots to Jobs (RTJ) is focused around introducing new skills and knowledge in the outdoors through the most accessible ways with people knowing little English.

Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) (youth focused programmes)

Girls Do Dartmoor (GDD): Participants in the GDD programmes are girls who are likely to struggle with anxiety, low confidence or self-esteem, and/or do not engage with physical activity. They take part in a wide range of activities that help them discover and learn about their local protected landscape, enjoy and build a connection with it, and receive the contribution that nature has on personal wellbeing. 41 girls took part in 2025.

London Wildlife Trust Youth Board and Youth Work

Our paid traineeship programme teaches young people the skills and knowledge needed for a green career. The Keeping it Wild Collective engages young people aged 16-30 with nature through masterclasses, small-scale volunteering and creative activities, helping them to develop green skills and leadership capabilities. Sessions are hosted by young people who are paid for their time and skills. Our primary school engagement brings over 10,000 students per year to our sites to encourage them to engage with and learn about nature and biodiversity.

North York Moors National Park Authority (youth focused programmes)

Building young people’s capacity to engage with biodiversity by developing confidence, ecological understanding, practical conservation skills, leadership, and the ability to participate in decision-making and advocacy.

Field Studies Council

The Field Studies Council is a UK-based environmental education charity which prioritises equal access to nature education and improved nature engagement. In 2025 we educated over 110,00 school students on geography and biology, and over 6,300 adults on biodiversity with courses ranging from biodiversity literacy and awareness to species identification and surveying. The Young Darwin Scholarship hosts dozens of young budding naturalists every year, enabling them to meet like-minded people and expand on their interests in the natural environment. 

Nature Positive Universities (Student Ambassadors)

Nature Positive Student Ambassadors conduct and report on on-campus activities aimed at discussing and raising awareness on topics such as biodiversity, sustainable choices and climate change. This included creating social media accounts, using photography and digital communications, organising sessions and competitions, launching campaigns, and creating new student societies.

Chester Zoo (Youth Board)

The Youth Board contributes to capacity-building projects including hosting the Chester Zoo Youth Summit which develops knowledge, skills, network connections and attitudes of attendees. Youth Board members have also presented at events such as the BIAZA Research Conference 2025, which supported biodiversity governance, cross-sectoral coordination and collaboration, and strengthening the youth voice in governance.

Ancient Woodlands UK

Capacity building events and communications on several topics including why woodlands are important for young people and platforming young voices, raising awareness of ancient woodlands and increasing their support, discussing climate change mitigation by ancient woodlands, raising awareness of invasive species and advocating for their removal, working towards legal protection for ancient woodlands and pushing for their restoration, and increasing participation from women in conservation.

Urban Wilding Hub

Through the Wilding Partners programme we run monthly knowledge sharing events about urban wilding. We currently have 33 members from 8 European countries with most members in the UK. We run public webinars to share urban wilding principles and case studies with a wider audience.

Other contributions from: UK Man and the Biosphere Youth Network, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority (Youth Committee and programmes), Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) Next Generation, Young Sea Changers Scotland, New Forest Youth Board, 

UK Youth For Nature

UKY4N trains and creates opportunities for young people to share their own research as well as be a voice for sharing knowledge on biodiversity across the UK, attending events, delivering facilitated workshops and panels on nature and climate issues here in the UK.

UK Man and the Biosphere Youth Network

The network connects young people from the UK’s 7 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves to encourage collaboration and information sharing, as well as allowing for meaningful representation of young people in these designated sites at a higher level. Since then the network has worked together to run a coordinated bioblitz for youth in the UK, Ireland and Crown Dependencies Biosphere Reserves. This included teaching on the value of biosphere reserves and the other locations around the British Isles.

Young Sea Changers Scotland

YSCS equips young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to understand and engage with marine policy, empowering them to participate meaningfully in decision-making. Through workshops, webinars, toolkits, and social media, YSCS translates complex policy issues, processes, and jargon into accessible, youth-friendly formats, facilitating access to information.

ZSL Youth Advisory Board

Members have developed talks, zoo-based workshops and online content aimed at uniting diverse groups of young people as advocates for nature. Through activities for our science department’s summer school, workshops for the National Saturday Club, videos for Global Actions Plan’s Earth Day celebrations and participation in the Children’s Rights Enquiry in Parliament, the board has engaged over 1,025 young people with their work. 

New Forest Youth Board

We have shared biodiversity knowledge and engaged with the topic at events such as the New Forest show, Thrive Festival, Urban Wild on the Common, and at a Forestry England Bioblitz, where our audience is locals and visitors, families and young people. We are working to promote key messages to desired audiences through social media, posters/signage and event engagement.

BTO Youth

BTO Youth looks to improve accessibility of biodiversity information through; the Youth in Nature Summits – specific events focussed on helping attendees to learn more about birds, nature and conservation; free education resources - our Birding 101 series was aimed at sharing knowledge about birds, ranging from topics such as migration to waterbird ID, with young people; and Free Bird Camps - each year we run about 5 bird camps for teenagers, which are events where youth volunteers and staff can share knowledge with participants, and participants are also actively encouraged to share their knowledge with each other.

Reserva: The Youth Land Trust

Our members publish work in scientific journals, including UK-based team members who have participated or led the description of new species to science. We also share knowledge about biodiversity conservation on our social media and through other forms of media, including long form documentary, educational workshop, and public lecture.  

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (youth focused programmes)

Our education groups link to the national curriculum through hands-on work – e.g. exploring habitats, understanding peat, wildlife monitoring, river surveys. This can include working with other teams in the National Park Authority, like the Wildlife team or the Heritage team to share current and important information on local areas.

Field Studies Council

Field Studies Council is a leading provider of biodiversity training delivered in-person in the UK and online to an increasingly global audience. The Youth Panel reviews Field Studies Council biodiversity training products, provides in-depth feedback and devises innovative promotional approaches to engage new audiences with biodiversity knowledge and training.

 North York Moors National Park Authority

Supporting biodiversity knowledge-sharing by engaging young people at different stages. From introduction, hands-on learning, ecological understanding, practical conservation/monitoring, how biodiversity knowledge is used in policy, planning and management decisions.

Chester Zoo (Youth Board)

The Chester Zoo Youth Board Conservation Education and Engagement working group advises on the Zoos work to share knowledge on biodiversity through education clubs, courses, events, webinars, digital lessons, and social media content.Sharing of biodiversity knowledge is also conducted through the annual Chester Zoo Youth Summit.

Other contributions from: 2050 Climate Group, Youngwilders CIC, Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) (youth focused programmes), Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority (Youth Committee and programmes), Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) Next Generation, London Wildlife Trust Youth Board and Youth Work, Nature Positive Universities (Student Ambassadors), Urban Wilding Hub, Mammal Society

GYBN UK

We are an entirely youth-led (18-35 years) group with a mission to empower, enable and unite youth across the UK, through building a coalition of young people and organisations across the four countries, inspiring all young people to be leaders for nature, particularly in policy and decision making processes. We work with UK and devolved governments to provide a route for young people to feed into and influence policy and decision-making. Example mechanisms include; annual representation at JNCC Committee meetings, representation on Scotland's National Biodiversity Forum for the NBSAP, attendance of UK Government stakeholder forums for UNEA, IPBES, CBD and Environment Improvement Plan, responding to consultations on behalf of young people using the UK Youth Priorities for Nature.

UK Youth For Nature

UKY4N brings young people to the table with decision makers and politicians to ensure that youth voices - including under represented groups - are represented in decision making regarding the environment and nature. We train young people in areas such as networking and public speaking.

Ancient Woodlands UK

A youth-led campaign, looks to engage people in the protection (legal) and conservation of ancient woodland habitats in the UK providing information and pathways for people, including youth, to participate. This includes working with partners to draft a legal bill for the full protection of ancient woodlands and exploring a rights-of-nature approach.

2050 Climate Group

2050 Climate Group represents and engages in the policy development process on behalf of young people, responding to environmental policy consultations and representing the youth voice in a number of decision-making/policy-making spaces including consultation panels such as that for single-use plastic in Scotland.

Reserva: The Youth Land Trust

Reserva focuses on building creative pathways for youth from all backgrounds to participate in the conservation of earth’s most biodiverse and threatened areas. The non-profit has a majority membership of UK youth, including 45 UK youth members on our Youth Council and 40% UK members on our Board of Directors. Our mission is to empower young people around the world to make a measurable difference for threatened species and habitats through conservation, education, and storytelling. Primarily, this centres around youth-led efforts to create, support, explore, and defend protected areas in biodiversity hotspots in close collaboration with local partners. 

Young Sea Changers Scotland

YSCS represents young people’s perspectives in various policy spaces and ensures that diverse youth voices actively shape marine policy priorities. By advocating for meaningful youth participation in policymaking, YSCS works to institutionalise youth participation as a key mechanism for fair, forward-looking marine governance.

Action for Conservation

We deliver education, leadership and nature restoration programmes for young people from diverse backgrounds in the UK. Since 2014, we have supported 7,000+ young people to design and deliver environmental projects and campaigns that benefit biodiversity and people in their communities. We use unique eco-cultural mapping methods to effectively involve young people from diverse backgrounds in land-based decision-making at our Intergenerational Nature Restoration Projects, addressing a longstanding need in the nature sector. This work has been cited as the “gold standard of co-design” by others in the sector. 

Mammal Society

The Youth Network empowers 18–30-year-olds to lead working groups, co-design projects, and host webinars and community events, fostering leadership and collaboration among young conservationists. In 2025 we convened a working group of young people to guide how youth engagement occurs within the State of Nature Partnership, ensuring that young voices shape national biodiversity reporting and policy discussions. Youth ambassadors actively participate in policy working groups to help shape education policy to include more time in nature. Most recently we wrote an open letter on the decline of fieldwork in life science degree programs. 

Chester Zoo (Youth Board)

Chester Zoo Youth Board is comprised of a diverse group of young people, from a variety of backgrounds, representing the voice of underrepresented groups to ensure the conservation and biodiversity work sector is accessible and inclusive. The youth board has contributed to Chester Zoo’s Inclusive Growth Strategy.

ZSL Youth Advisory Board

The youth board itself is a mechanism for youth participation in conservation, working alongside ZSL’s board of directors to ensure the youth voice is incorporated into decision making at all levels. Members have run multiple workshops and participated in panels on the importance of youth participation to over 115 attendees at youth summits in Cambridge and Chester, and more recently to 140 young people, politicians & civil servants at the Kew COP30 Youth Event in London. The Youth Board work on and promote the importance of EDI including, advocating for a ZSL internal EDI Network for young staff and volunteers and sitting on a working group focused on strengthening pathways into ZSL for those from underrepresented backgrounds.

London Wildlife Trust Youth Board and Youth Work

Our Youth Board is a group of 15 young people, aged 16-25, who advise the Trust on how to make their plans, projects and the internal running of the Trust accessible for young people. They are as representative as possible of young people in London. Their role is embedded in our governance structure and they advise on topics ranging from project work to sustainability policies.

Field Studies Council

Field Studies Council’s Youth Panel is an advisory panel of 12 young people aged 16-25, including members from underrepresented groups - women and non-binary individuals, and individuals who identify as disabled and global majority. Members are provided with a thorough induction to organisational processes and charity context to enable their meaningful and informed participation in decision-making and consultations. The Youth Panel will begin to contribute to the Field Studies Council’s organisational Working Groups including the Environment and Sustainability Working Group.

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority (Youth Committee and programmes)

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Youth Committee is a group of dedicated young people aged between 14-26 years old who are passionate about the National Park and making a difference. The committee was formed in 2018 to ensure that young people have a voice in the decision making of the National Park Authority, now and for the future. Youth Committee members help make decisions on key issues including climate change, how land is used, improving public transport for rural communities and green career opportunities. Members gain work experience, participate in National Park Board meetings, help shape National Park policies and develop youth-led projects.

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) Next Generation

PCNPA’s Youth Committee and Next Generation Youth Manifesto provide the youth voice in PCNPA member meetings and the PCNPA partnership forum influencing decision-making within the Park Authority and ensuring youth views are embedded.

New Forest Youth Board

The New Forest Youth Board is a group of 18 to 30 year olds with a shared passion for nature and connection to the New Forest. Our mission is to represent the voices of young people; to shape the future of the New Forest. The Board has contributed to the governance and management of the National Park through contributing to the New Forest Local Plan, the New Forest Partnership Plan, and the governance and delivery group for the Youth for Climate and Nature (YouCAN) scheme.

BTO Youth 

BTO Youth engages a young audience with birds and nature; the Youth Advisory Panel gives youth input to the Trust on its work, and runs various programmes including an equipment donation scheme & Youth in Nature Summits; the Youth Representatives organise bird, nature and mental health related events in their local community. One of our core principles is for all our work to be youth-led, ensuring young people are always involved in decision-making and are always listened to. Our 2023-28 strategy outlines ways in which this is monitored and demonstrates that volunteers feel we are successful in ensuring this.

Other contributions from: UK Man and the Biosphere Youth Network, Youngwilders CIC, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (youth focused programmes), CPRE, North York Moors National Park Authority (youth focused programmes), 

BTO Youth

Guaranteed interviews for youth volunteers from under-represented groups and backgrounds – this includes recognising that women are often under-represented in this sector.

Reserva: The Youth Land Trust

Reserva has gender parity on our Board of Directors, Youth Council, and all of our research expeditions. Our staff is 100% women. We require any project we conduct to evaluate gender bias and make a plan for the inclusion of women and/or girls.

Chester Zoo (Youth Board)

The Chester Zoo Youth Board’s People and Culture working group contribute to discussions, reviews and strategies to promote and ensure gender-equality, as well as other under-represented communities, are included and valued in biodiversity action.

Other contributions from: Ancient Woodlands UK, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) Next Generation, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (youth focused programmes), Field Studies Council, North York Moors National Park Authority (youth focused programmes), London Wildlife Trust Youth Board and Youth Work