Is modern living resulting in more people becoming disconnected from green spaces and the natural world, at the expense of our health and well-being?
Most concern is centred around children, who - say campaigners - are missing out on opportunities afforded to previous generations, ones as simple as climbing trees or getting their knees dirty. UK children are losing contact with nature at a "dramatic" rate, and their health and education are suffering, a National Trust report says.  A 2009 report by Natural England found that only 10% of children played in woodland, compared with 40% of their parents' generation. In an increasingly urbanised, electronic-based, risk-adverse world, the adults of the future are displaying the symptoms of "nature-deficit disorder".
 

Additional articles:

Does outdoor play keep the doctor away?

 Natural Childhood - The National Trust

In a Radio 4 programme aired in April as part of the Nature series, Brett Westwood explored the growing use of coarse woody debris (CWD) in managing rivers.  

 ''According to Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, fish live in trees too'', says the BBC Radio 4. ''The Trust's biologists are using wood as a remarkably effective tool to change the depth and flow of streams and improve them for wildlife. They don't just stop at streams either: at the confluence of the Tame and Trent rivers, they've submerged entire willow trees in gravel islands in a project to widen the river channel.

A two day conference was hosted by the River Restoration Centre and held at Nottingham University in April. The event presented some of the most cutting edge and innovative ways of achieving river restoration to a 200 strong audience of international environmental experts.

see articles within:

A international workshop in Iasi "Exchange of experience in restoration of waterways in Europe"; Workshop la Iasi: "Schimb de experienta in domeniul restaurarii cursurilor de apa"

Practices to restore rivers in Europe, discussed in Iasi; Practici de restaurare a cursurilor de apă în Europa, dezbătute la Iaşi

see presentations within our slide share site

Between 9 and 11 May 2012, the International Workshop 'Sharing River Restoration Knowledge and Experience in Europe' will be held in Iasi, Romania, organized by the Romanian Institute of Hydrology and Water Management with the support of DLG Goverment Service for Land and Water Management, The Netherlands.