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London is a prime example of what is at stake in this battle between urban development and nature. With its population of over 8.6 million, Britain's capital has more than 13,000 recorded species; according to the director of London Wildlife Trust, Mathew Frith, it is the most species-diverse region in the UK. This is a reflection of the city's millions of gardens and its status as an international trading city, which has made it one of Britain's main points of entry for new species from elsewhere in the world.

5.2. ______

Furthermore, urban peregrine falcons are on the rise, greater spotted woodpeckers and jays are increasingly found in inner London, and several species of deer are making their presence known. The River Thames is now home to 125 species of fish after major clean-ups since the 1950s. There have also been upswings in some other species, which are either occupying new niches, or recovering from previous lows.

5.3. ______

One solution lies in an interesting proposal for Greater London to be designated as a National Park City, an idea of Frith's that is rapidly gaining support in the capital. This would mean London becoming a new kind of urban national park. As a result, London would be a semi-protected area with all of the public activities and conservation efforts that take place in a traditional national park, but in an urban environment, which includes people's homes, workplaces and gardens.

5.4. _____

This is a massive shift in the approach to wildlife, which should involve all citizens. The London Wildlife Trust proposal to designate London as a National Park City will help to raise awareness among the population and cultivate more sensitive approaches to the way that we design and manage the city, though it will not solve all the problems that affect nature in London. "It needs to add value to the collective efforts to conserve London's nature for decades, and not merely duplicate these efforts," says Mr Frith.

Adapted from: www.bbc.com

A. The intention is to encourage people to welcome wildlife, for example by using swift bricks in new houses or making holes in fences for hedgehogs. People have to think of it as a set of recommended practices that could naturally connect open spaces and gardens. It's a long-term vision that might be achieved through lots of small, individual actions: digging up concrete paving, planting flowers or not chopping trees down.

B. As a result, ring-necked parakeets and some Himalayan plants have flourished and become as familiar as our native hornbeam and heather in the city scenery. And many don't realise that the capital holds nationally important populations of many species: stag beetles, greater yellow-rattle, black redstart, and wintering populations of gadwall and shoveler.

C. He believes that changing a few policies is not enough to halt the loss and start the recovery; nature needs to be at the centre of how our country is run, putting wildlife habitats back into the landscape. He adds that bringing back nature benefits the whole society and therefore needs to be a priority for the government.

D. Some of these trends reflect national patterns; others are down to changes in London either through conservation action or climate change. The city's open spaces are critically important for the survival of most of its urban wildlife. It's quite extraordinary that 47% of London is covered by green space. Yet, we have to be cautious. London's natural environment needs constant monitoring and protection because pressure to use available land for housing is greater than it's ever been.

E. It's important to note that, apart from the influence nature has on our well-being, urban areas are among the most biologically diverse habitats in the country. With more people living in cities than ever before, this diversity is increasingly coming under pressure from property developers, businesses and home owners who often decide to pave over their lawns, or cut down trees in their gardens.