Making Space for Nature in our Burial Grounds and Churchyards

 Delivered online via Microsoft Teams

To learn more about our in-house option, please contact us for details: [email protected]

The UK is currently in the lowest 12% of global countries and territories for levels of biodiversity.

Many local authorities are now declaring ecological emergencies to try to address these losses.

So, it may be asked where does cemeteries and burial grounds come into all of this?

Cemeteries and burial places make up over 4% of the UK’s greenspaces and provide vital refuges for many species of flora and fauna, which in some instances are found nowhere else.

This recognition has led many local authorities to consider how best they can use such spaces to protect and enhance the opportunities for biodiversity, whilst importantly, still acknowledging that cemeteries and burial grounds are primarily places of remembrance for bereaved families.

This course will look at the historical context of burial grounds and their long-standing association with nature, and the cycle of life, and highlighting how the importance that this link needs to be strengthened in a world where opportunities for nature are increasingly under threat.

The course will look in depth at the challenges of gaining acceptance to naturalise areas of burial grounds and the approaches some local authorities have taken to successfully overcome such challenges to improve opportunities for biodiversity in these spaces. In addition, the course will provide practical guidance on how to develop action plans to help deliver more biodiversity friendly burial grounds and the benefits this has brought.

Who should attend?

This online training course is a critical learning opportunity and must attend event, for all those who are involved in cemetery, crematoria and closed churchyard management. It will also appeal to any officers and elected members who have a role to play in increasing biodiversity, addressing climate change and developing community engagement.

Because of the growing need to use greenspace assets in developing a wide range of ecosystem services, the value of burial grounds should not be underestimated and neither should their cultural and historical value to the communities they support. Therefore, this course will offer a great deal of knowledge and practical experiences both for officers and elected members alike.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the training, you will: 

•  Identify the different environmental benefits burial grounds can bring.
• Develop an understanding of the role of burial grounds in wider ecosystem.
• Recognise the needs and worries of the bereaved when considering naturalising burial grounds.
• Appreciate the work carried out by local authorities to improve biodiversity levels in their burial grounds and the successes achieved.
• Understand the importance of gaining community support.
• Develop an action plan to successfully and sustainably improve biodiversity levels in burial grounds. 

This course will be delivered online via Microsoft Teams. To access it, you will need a WiFi connection or mobile data hotspot. Downloading Microsoft Teams to your laptop, desktop or smart device will give a better performance and greater functionality throughout the day. 

This highly interactive training includes a mixture of presentations, group work, quizzes and videos.

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