English Nature recognises that people benefit from contact with the natural world. Even if people do not get actively involved in nature conservation, they usually appreciate the beauty of a forest, the tranquillity of a country lane or the power and energy of the ocean. Where possible, we promote our National Nature Reserves as places for people; places to enjoy nature, to take some exercise or to escape from the pressures of bustling towns and cities.

English Nature needs the support of people who live and work near NNRs in order to successfully protect and enhance them. We encourage volunteers to get involved and, through them, we are able to form close links with communities. We encourage people from all walks of life to take an interest and to be active in supporting nature conservation where they live and work.

Volunteers are ambassadors for English Nature, gaining trust and respect from members of the public on our behalf. They help to spread the word about English Nature and the special sites and species we protect. That message is all the more powerful because they carry out their role simply because they want to. By involving volunteers English Nature benefits from a huge range of new skills. We are also able to increase the amount of time spent on protecting nature - we have estimated that, in total, our volunteers give around 7,500 days of support per year!