August 14, 2024
This is your opportunity to speak up for nature and help shape a more nature-friendly landscape for the South Hams.
As COP15 closes with the aim of protecting 30% of the Earth by 2030, we might wonder what we can do locally to help stop further degradation of the natural world around us here in the South Hams.
Fortunately the new Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) is due to be in place soon, and you have the opportunity to help shape it. The Devon Local Nature Partnership (DLNP) has started releasing information, with the first warm-up webinar taking place this November. This outlines the idea of a collaborative, holistic and spacial strategy approach under the new Environmental Act 2021.
The Environmental Act’s requirements are a ‘statement of biodiversity priorities’ and a ‘local habitat map’. This should identify opportunities for enhancing the many benefits we gain from nature.
The idea is to build a locally-led collaborative and coherent strategy with stakeholders which will take into account scenic landscapes; lowering flood risk; better water quality; the storage of carbon; personal health and wellbeing; and sustainable economic development through eco-system services.
The role of the DLNP is to pull together lots of strands, to find coherence in land use, including those living from the land: Water, Farming, Community, Economics and Business, and Connecting Town and Country.
At this early stage DLNP need to know what individuals and groups want from the Strategy - how can it help to restore nature and to help people reconnect with wildlife? What are the challenges and ideas?
To help them understand what's needed everyone can now have a say by completing a simple questionnaire for DLNP. Please encourage everyone in your group or community to fill it in send it off as soon as possible and get involved.
There is a short video to watch which outlines the key objectives of the LNRS.
You can also join the forum and sign up for the newsletter.