The Tower Hamlets Area is buzzing with life, from tiny invertebrates, to birds with a wingspan bigger than you! Discover the creatures that lurk in our green spaces with…

What are they? Invasive species are more common than you would think. Non-native species are those that are outside of their normal ranges and not indigenous to a particular area. They become an invasive species when they cause harm to that new particular environment – whether that is changing the habitat of an existing ecosystem or starving native species of food and resources.

They can also therefore act as a threat to biodiversity – as they can take over an ecosystem, killing off the native species as stronger competition.

Importantly, it is often human-interaction that causing the movement of species and invasive species in particular.

In our increasingly urbanised world, humans are experiencing a growing disconnect from nature. This negatively affects conservation efforts, as research has proven that a loss of emotional connection from nature is closely associated with a decline in people’s willingness to protect it.

As access to ‘real nature’ – anything that is ‘untouched nature’, or is perceived as so – becomes increasingly difficult in the modern world, researchers have been studying whether other forms of experiencing nature can act in its place to increase people’s connectedness to the environment. Watch Emma’s City Fox three-part wildlife documentary below to learn more about the lives of urban foxes: