Keir Chauhan is based in Haringey. Keir has been a Ranger since May 2021. Keir is interested in increasing the opportunities for people to connect with the places/ecosystems they exist within. Keir primarily uses birdwatching to show the wildlife present within the city and volunteered for three years as the British Trust for Ornithology’s London Youth Rep. Keir has just finished his history degree at UCL and is currently working with the Laidlaw Opera Trust to deliver the inaugural 2024 Business of Opera Summit. He has found the challenges of creating a diverse and future-focused opera industry complementary to the work needed to engage more people in their environments.
Q1
what inspired you to become a ranger?
I found learning about the environment to be a form of escapism from some of the personal challenges I faced when growing up. I found it a crucial mindfulness tool that kept me motivated even when I was feeling very depressed. I found watching nature co-exist with humans to be deeply rewarding, especially in the face of depressing news about biodiversity loss and climate change. When I discovered birdwatching, I got the chance to see this hidden world among the humans more clearly. I realised I wanted to show and share with others what had been so important to me. So, I got involved with the LondonNPC to engage other like-minded people in the nature all around us.
I personally believe that going outside and experiencing a more natural world is important for mental health and I believe that engaging everyone in the natural world is crucial. I used birds because of their roles as the envoy of nature; they are often more visible when so much of nature is not. In exploring their worlds, we see our world more clearly. This especially applies to cityscapes like in London.
Q2
How are you making London greener, healthier, and wilder?
I recently took part in the Nature of Cities Festival which was a really interesting experience and allowed me to work out how I wanted to showcase multi-species interactions. I love learning and have enjoyed thinking more academically about the environment. However, I think the complexities of nature must be told compellingly. There is not one right way to tell stories about the environment. So, I have enjoyed the process of listening and observing how others feel connected and equally disconnected from the natures’ around them.
Q3
What do you think has the single most positive impact of the environmental initiatives you’ve been part of?
I think that is a really hard question because so much of the time it can feel unclear about how effective your work has been. I treasure the community and people I have interacted with through the simple act of engaging with the natural environment. I met some amazing people and I have seen some incredible London wildlife that makes this place feel like home. For me, connecting my BTO Bird Walks with LondonNPC has been important. I have seen people’s lives change and alter from attending events I ran which is the best possible affirmation. It makes me happy to know I have helped others find birdwatching as a hobby and an escape.
Q4
What have you gained from being part of the LNPC Community?
LondonNPC has provided me opportunities to interact with like-minded individuals who deeply care about London and what the city can become. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the inaugural Earthshot 2021 prize ceremony and work on the interview panel for the establishment of the Adelaide National Park. Fundamentally, the idea of LNPC allows me to articulate so many of my feelings and affections for London’s nature with the wider London community. The London National Park City idea gives legitimacy to a nature that is all around us but is so often rendered invisible. I think the LNPC also highlights the struggle to achieve environmental justice and equitable access to London’s green spaces for psychological, physical, and spiritual development.
Q5
Describe your proudest moment as a ranger
I would say attending the inaugural Earthshot 2021 prize ceremony at the Mayor of London’s request. It gave me time to reflect on all I had achieved in my first year as a BTO London Rep and LondonNPC ranger. It was an absolute honour to represent LondonNPC at the event and meet people working to fix environmental problems for people and nature.
Q6
Describe your most challenging moment as a Ranger and how you overcame it
At first, I was a bit nervous as a younger member of the community. I feel like as I have got older, I have been able to build ideas involving interaction with the broader ranger community.
Q7
What’s next for you as a ranger?
I want to focus on community engagement through unconventional means. I feel most excited when I see things that connect different disciplines in unique ways. So hopefully that means more bird walks and an opportunity to help develop a week of activities at the LondonNPC pop-up Visitor Centre.
Q8
What continues to motivate you on your Ranger journey?
I think one of my favourite mottos explains it best “Serve the World and Let the World Save You”.
Q9
What has been your most memorable encounter with nature in London?
So many so I will have to go with a classic. I went down to the reservoir at the bottom of Alexandra Palace and was looking for what birds I could see. I was still very much opening my eyes to this other world (of birding that existed) around me at the point I came across “ke-ke-ke-ing” kestrels. Seeing those kestrels successfully nest so close to human habitation made me realise how close and intertwined the world of humans is with nature. Finding a Wood Warbler in Alexandra Palace last autumn was also another highlight!
Q10
How can we encourage more people to ‘Do London Differently’?
I think it is a matter of showing what is possible. For example, by celebrating the diversity of ways we can engage with the natural environment and our city. Ultimately, we are part of nature so I do not buy that we cannot connect everyone to nature. It is just about listening and observing how and what sort of engagement appeals to different people.
Q11
It’s 2029…as a community, what do you hope LNPC would have achieved by our 10th anniversary? And what might London look like as a result?
I would like to see the idea of LondonNPC go completely mainstream. I would like it to be something that most Londoners have an understanding of and want to engage with. I think reframing the city is half the battle. If we can get people to believe in a different London, we can work to make the city greener and wilder.
Read more Ranger Stories here.
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Together, we can make London greener, healthier, and wilder..
