To co-develop hopeful, equitable, and resilient treescapes by integrating children and young people’s voices into environmental policy and decision-making.
£1.59m (80% FEC)
Funded under UK Treescapes Call 1
Aug 21 – Jan 25
Despite increasing youth engagement with climate action, children and young people’s (CYP) voices are often overlooked in environmental policy. Voices of the Future addresses this gap by co-developing treescapes that reflect CYP’s rights, perspectives, and aspirations for the environment.
“We cannot have sustainable treescapes without equipping young people with the tools to plan better environments.”
– Professor Kate Pahl, Project Lead
Working with schools and communities, the project used hands-on methods—such as planting and maintaining treescapes—to explore local history and biogeography. This approach fostered a deeper connection to nature and co-produced a ‘lexicon of experience,’ respecting CYP’s agency and their unique relationship with treescapes.
The team pioneered the world’s first non-destructive urban tree assessment to measure biomass and carbon storage. Advanced tools like Terrestrial Laser Scanning, Ground-Penetrating Radar, and 3D X-Ray CT were integrated with CYP’s data. These efforts revealed that CYP value urban trees in ways not captured by traditional frameworks.
Key activities include:
 |
Professor Kate Pahl, Professor of Arts and Literacy, Manchester Metropolitan University Email: k.pahl@mmu.ac.uk |
Manchester Metropolitan University, Middlesex University, Natural England, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Aberdeen, University of Birmingham, University of Cambridge,
University of Cumbria, University of Plymouth, University of Sheffield
Chartered College of Teaching, Early Childhood Outdoors, Manchester City Council, Manchester City of Trees, The Mersey Forest, Seymour Park Community Primary School, Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust