Understanding the perspectives of students is paramount; they are the future stewards of our planet. Their views on nature and conservation efforts provide valuable insights into the current state of conservation and offer a glimpse into future efforts.  Read our guest blog from Frankie at UK Youth For Nature.

‍New research carried out by SOS-UK in April 2024 revealed that 80% of students are concerned about the impact of pesticides and herbicides used in farming and food production on wildlife, while 72% of students think the use of these chemicals carry more risks than benefits. In fact, nearly a half of students (47%) said they would even be more likely to support a candidate in the general election if they included the reduction of pesticide and herbicide use in their manifesto.

Pesticides are an outdated form of land management with grave consequences on biodiversity, environmental health and human health. The consequences of pesticide use need to be addressed imminently, in the context of the biodiversity crisis as well as declining environmental and public health - Aila T, 23, North Yorkshire, UK Youth 4 Nature Volunteer.

Contrastingly, while 69% of respondents think that having more wild plants and wildlife on campus would lead to an improved sense of mental wellbeing, more than 40% of respondents did not know whether their universities or colleges should stop using pesticides. This highlights a knowledge gap on whether the use of pesticides in urban settings carries the same risks as those posed by agricultural use. 

Contamination of pesticides poses a serious threat to the environment, living organisms and food safety. Since pesticides are mainly used in the growing of crops, the fate and ecological effects of pesticides and their residues have been thoroughly researched in agricultural soils. However, despite pesticides also being widely used in our towns, cities, homes, schools, playgrounds and gardens, the information available on the fate and behaviour of pesticide residues in the urban environment is more limited and fragmentary. This may explain why a larger proportion of students felt able to voice their concerns about pesticide use in agriculture, but felt less able to comment on use in their urban environments.

This knowledge gap is particularly concerning when considering more than half the world’s population now lives in cities, with around 84% of the UK population living in an urban area. As the proportion of the UK’s population living in urban areas rose by 8% between 1970 and 2018, this was mirrored by a 10% drop in the abundance of key urban species between 2002 and 2013.

Why are pesticides a concern?

Pesticides are designed to kill living organisms that could be destructive to crops, food, livestock, etc. Species considered pests can range from plants (herbicides a.k.a. weedkillers), insects (insecticides), rodents (rodenticide), fungi (fungicides), nematodes (nematicides) and more. Pesticides contain a mix of active and inert ingredients, ‘active’ referring to the chemical designed to kill the targeted pest, while ‘inert’ encompasses the added emulsifiers, solvents, carriers, aerosol propellants, fragrances and dyes. Despite these inert compounds usually forming the bulk of a pesticide product, there is currently no requirement for pesticide manufacturers to disclose a list of the inert ingredients in their products.

While pesticides are designed to be toxic to a variety of different pests and weeds, these same toxic properties also make them potentially hazardous to non-target organisms, including bees, people and pets. We are being exposed to pesticides in a variety of ways, via the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat, as well as coming into contact with them in areas they are being used. 

The UK Pesticide Action Network (PAN UK) provides evidence that people living near farms where pesticides are heavily used have higher incidences of these health problems, however the most common way for the majority of people in the UK to be exposed to pesticides is by spending time in urban, public areas. 

Acute exposure to pesticides can cause immediate health effects, such as skin and eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are approximately 200,000 deaths each year due to pesticide poisoning, with the majority occurring in developing countries where regulations and safety measures may not be as stringent as in the UK. 

Long-term exposure to pesticides has been linked to various chronic health conditions, including cancer, respiratory issues, and endocrine disruption. The groups most vulnerable to the harmful effects of pesticides include children, pregnant women, the elderly and the sick.

What can you do about it?

Tackling biodiversity loss or the nature crisis can be very daunting and many of us feel powerless in the face of such global issues or that our contribution will not make a difference. To change that narrative and show how each of us can make a big difference for nature and people, below are some ideas to turn hope that things can be better into action!

1. You can ask your local council or university to go spray free. 

You will need to find out if your council is using pesticides. The vast majority of councils use pesticides, and a quick google search should allow you to see if your council has gone pesticide-free. 

Pesticide Action Network provides great resources to help you make your town pesticide free, and UK Youth 4 Nature (UKY4N) has been developing our ‘Your Wild Streets’ campaign to specifically support young people to action this.

The Your Wild Streets campaigning pack will enable you to make change on your street level, followed up by a menu of options for your council to become more nature friendly. The pack starts by encouraging the individual to take a baseline survey of the wildlife/flora/fauna on their street, followed up by writing to their local council to ask them to stop spraying their street. The pack will help with how to write to your councillor, including an easy template, what questions to ask about spray usage and a ‘menu’ for the council to enable them to be more nature-friendly. 

The campaign also seeks to sign up 100 young people via social media, schools (as a group), colleges and universities, with the aim of having as many streets and places that young people engage with spray free.

If you would like to access the Your Wild Street resources and learn more about UKY4N, you can sign up to the UKY4N mailing list here.

2. Join groups / marches / events asking for nature restoration.
   

UKY4N attended the ‘Restore Nature Now’ march in London on Saturday, the 22nd of June. 

Following on from the successful ‘Urban Nature Day Festival’ in Liverpool in 2023, UKY4N will be hosting another festival this year in Bristol, emphasising their ask for Bristol to go spray free. Join the UKY4N mailing list to be kept up to date on the event information.

Or you can even consider joining the UKY4N team! You can find out what being involved looks like from a member POV in this blog post. You don’t need any experience to join our community. We have team members who work at the NHS, in cyber security, within policy-making, with refugees, as theatre set designers, full-time artists, students, flower farmers and communications professionals. No matter who you are and what your experiences are, you have something to bring to volunteering at UKY4N. 

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Note: 1100 students participated in the survey with results weighted to be nationally representative of the UK higher education student population.

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