National What Week?
N aturenet has every fact
the good environmentalist needs or wants... 
and
this is the one page you've been asking for for years. An incomplete guide to
the national and international days and dates in the wildlife and living environment
calendar. A few are included which, whilst not strictly environmental, might
be good themes for events.
Something missing? You know the answer? Tell
us here.
We include a few days which seem to have reached the end of
their natural lives - but there's always room to revive them so the most recent
information is still given. Where only the last year's date is shown it may
be that the next date is not announced yet - or we haven't noticed it. Some
of the dates only get set quite late in the year, so check the link in the right-hand
column if there is one. It might be helpful - but some of these websites don't
make it easy for you!
Event |
Next
date/last known date |
Every
year? |
Contact/Link |
| Big Garden Bird Watch |
24-25 January 2009 |
? last weekend in January |
RSPB
Birdwatch |
| World Wetlands Day |
2 February |
2 February |
Ramsar |
| National Bramley Apple Week |
3rd -10th
February 2008 |
? |
National
Bramley Apple Week |
| National Nest Box Week |
14-21 February |
14 - 21 February every year |
BTO
or Birdcare |
| Biodiversity Month |
March |
March every year |
Going
for Green. Now apparently defunct |
| National Outdoor Week |
12-20 March |
Same date every year, we think. |
National
Outdoor Week: not updated since 2005 |
| National Science & Engineering Week |
7-16 March 2008 |
Some time in March every year |
The
BAAS - used to be National Science
Week |
| World Day for Water |
22 March |
22 March every year |
UNESCO |
| World Meteorological Day |
23 March |
23 March |
United Nations
(UN) |
| International Dawn Chorus Day |
4 May 2008 |
First Sunday in May |
Wildlife
Trusts; IDCD
website |
| Walk in the Woods |
May |
Yes - every May |
The
Tree Council. Tel:020 7828 9928
Walk
in the Woods |
| National Pet Month |
5 April - 5 May 2008 |
? |
National
Pet Month.
Used to be National Pet Week. It's grown! |
| International Compost Awareness Week |
May 4 - May 10 2008 |
Yes |
The
Composting Association |
| National Mills Weekend |
10-11 May 2008 |
Second weekend in May |
SPAB
Mills section |
| Be Nice to Nettles Week |
14 - 25 May 2008 |
None published |
Be
Nice to Nettles Week; CONE |
| Scottish Biodiversity Week |
19-25 May 2008 |
? |
SNH |
| International Day for Biological Diversity |
22 May |
22 May (formerly 29 December) |
United
Nations (UN) |
| European Day of Parks |
24 May |
24 May every year |
EUROPARC |
| Low Tide Day |
19 May 2007 |
The Saturday in May with the lowest tide |
RiverOcean |
| World Turtle Day |
23 May |
Every year |
The Humane
Society of the United States |
| Wildlife Week |
31 May - 21 June 2008 |
? |
Wildlife
Trusts.
That's some week! |
| Volunteers Week |
1-7 June |
1-7 June every year |
Volunteers
Week |
| World Environment Day |
5 June |
5 June every year |
United Nations
(UN) |
| World Oceans Day |
8 June |
8 June every year |
BMLSS |
| National School Grounds Week |
12 -16 June 2006 |
Varies. Always in June |
Learning
through Landscapes. Unclear if this event is still running. |
| National Badger Day |
15 June 2008 |
Every year on the Sunday closest to June 16 |
The Badger
Trust. |
| National Bike Week |
14-22 June 2008 |
Varies |
National
Bike Week |
| National Insect Week |
23-29 June 2008 |
? |
National
Insect Week
Didn't run for a few years - now seems to be back |
| Great Landscapes Week |
19-27 June 2004 |
? |
CPRE.
This event does not seem to be supported any longer |
| Dragonfly Week |
16-24 June 2007 |
Varies |
British
Dragonfly Society |
| Wales Biodiversity Week |
7th - 15th June 2008 |
? |
Biodiversity
Wales. |
| Big Arts Week |
19 - 23 June 2006 |
|
Big
Arts Week Don't think this happened after
2006. Do my Arts look big in this? |
| Save our Butterflies Week |
21-29 July 2007 |
? |
Butterfly
Conservation. Not sure if this
is an annual event or not. |
| National Parks Week |
Monday 28 July - Sunday 3 August |
Varies. |
Association
of National Park Authorities
Don't confuse with identically-named events held in other countries. |
| National Moth Night |
7 June 2006 |
Varies widely |
National
Moth Night |
| National Mammal Week |
1-9 July 2006 |
? |
The
Mammal Society. No info on the week on this website. |
| Enjoy Your Local Nature Reserve Week |
14-25 July 2004 |
? |
Enjoy
your Local Nature Reserve.
No sign of an undate since 2005 |
| International Bog Day |
27 July 2008 |
Last Sunday in July |
Scottish
Wildlife Trust.
Event seemingly no longer supported centrally, but date sometimes used
still. |
| Marine Week |
2-17 August 2008 |
? |
Wildlife
Trusts |
| National Allotments Week |
August 11 - 17 2008 |
Annually since 2005 |
National Allotment Gardens Trust |
| European Bat Weekend |
25-27 August 2006 |
? |
Bat
Conservation Trust |
| Beachwatch |
20-21 September 2008 |
Annually, third weekend of September |
Adoptabeach |
| International Coastal
Cleanup |
20 September 2008 |
? |
Ocean
Conservancy |
| International Car Free
Day |
22 September |
22 September |
22september.org |
| Red Squirrel Week |
4-12 October 2008 |
? |
Red
Squirrel Week; Wildlife
Trusts |
| World Habitat Day |
6 Oct 2008 |
1st Monday in October |
UN. Although it sounds like biodiversity,
is about human housing and shelter. Thought we'd better include it though. |
| European Shark Week |
8-14 October |
Annually? |
Project AWARE |
| Will for Wildlife Week |
20-27 October 2008 |
? |
Wildlife
Trusts |
| Seed Gathering Season |
23 September - 23 October |
Annually in autumn |
The
Tree Council; Seed
Gathering Season.
Used to be 'Seed Gathering Sunday' but has grown. We think the dates are
the same each year but it's not clear. |
| Apple Day |
21 October |
21 October every year |
Common
Ground |
| Feed the Birds Day |
18 October 2008 |
Third
Saturday of October |
RSPB |
| Make A Difference Day (volunteers
day) |
25 October 2008 |
Last Saturday in October |
CSV
0800 284 533 |
| Youth Work Week |
1-7 November 2008 |
1st week in November |
The National
Youth Agency |
| International Day for Preventing
the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict |
6 November |
6 November every year |
United Nations
(UN) |
| National Tree Week |
26 November - 7 December 2008 |
Yes |
The
Tree Council 020 7828 9928
National
Tree Week |
| Tree Dressing Day |
6-7 December 2008 |
1st weekend in December |
Common
Ground |
| International Volunteer
Day |
5 December |
5 December |
United Nations
(UN) |
| Festival of Winter Walks |
26 December 2007 - 2 January 2008 |
Yes |
Ramblers |
Year of Science
Year of Astronomy
International Year
of Natural Fibres
International Year of Planet
Earth
International
Year of the Reef
and, perhaps more importantly: International
Year of the Potato
Year of the Dolphin
International
Polar Year
The International Year of Deserts
and Desertification
Year of the Outback
International Year for Sport and Physical Education
Year of the Volunteer
We couldn't find anything for 2004 to be the year of, except the CAMRA
'Year of Beer with Food'. That wasn't too bad.
International
Year to commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition
Oh, and the International Year of Rice. But we don't really care about that
as much as we do beer.
International Year of Freshwater 2003
International
Year of Reviewing Ecotourism
and International
Year of Ecotourism
International Year of Culture Heritage 2002
International Year of Mountains 2002
Count Me In:
for dates of just about every week/month/day etc there is, including all the
above and many others.
Reuters AlertNet List
UN list of international
annual days and weeks, years decades etc
Pages marked with this symbol are exclusively written for
Naturenet