The government has released a report from the Urban Green Spaces Taskforce, which called for a high priority to be put on the role of parks and green spaces in improving the quality of urban life.

Forum Response: English Nature

Mathew Frith, English Nature's urban adviser, told ePolitix.com, "We welcome the recognition given in the report to the role of parks and urban green spaces in supporting biodiversity and reinforcing that vital contact with nature that people seek.

"Nationally important populations of wildlife such as song thrush, water vole and stag beetle are found in urban green spaces. These spaces, and the people that cherish them, can make an important contribution to UK and Local Biodiversity Action Plan targets.

"Green spaces offer more than the wildlife they support and are a good place to exercise or relax.

"The report recognises the further importance of natural green spaces in contributing to people's well-being. These include assisting in flood control by reducing surface water run-off, improving air and noise pollution, reducing extremes in temperature and moderating humidity, especially in summer."

Forum Response: Woodland Trust

James Cooper, public affairs manager of the Woodland Trust, told ePolitix.com: "We welcome the report's recognition that access to quality green space is a key component of quality of life and one that has been overlooked for far too long.

"The Woodland Trust believes that action to connect people with their environment is central to the achievement of social inclusion and sustainable development. It is essential that we find ways to link people with the natural world if we are to make sense of our part in it. Therefore urban woods and other green spaces with trees have an important role to play.

"The presence or absence of trees and woods is central to people's perceptions of the quality of their local environment. They provide multiple benefits in urban areas ranging from the improvement of air quality and the provision of wildlife habitats through to simply providing a resource for recreation and a tranquil environment for spiritual renewal.

"We were pleased to see the report highlight some of these benefits and hope that they will figure prominently when government comes to implement its recommendations."