This week, Newcastle Borough Council became the first local authority in Staffordshire to pass a Nature Recovery Declaration–publically acknowledging that nature is in long-term decline and recognising the urgent need to take action to reverse it.
This Declaration is important on many levels. While a majority of local authorities nationally have declared a Climate Emergency, only a handful have recognised the ecological crisis we are facing too. The fact is, the two crises are impossible to separate– each exacerbating, and offering solutions, to the other.
It is imperative that government at a local level recognises the crisis facing our natural world and that it receives the same attention and focus as the climate emergency. In the same way that many councils have laid out their plans to tackle climate change – for example by reducing their own emissions – we want to see local authorities committing to action to support nature’s recovery too.
As part of its Declaration, Newcastle Borough Council has pledged to create a Local Nature Recovery Plan and develop a Local Habitat Map that identifies existing natural habitats and pinpoints areas for protection, expansion and improvement. These are important first steps in creating a Nature Recovery Network in the Borough – a joined up network of natural habitats where nature and people can thrive.
A Nature Recovery Network map is the crucial first building block and the very foundation for nature’s recovery. Using latest ecological data for the area, the map will give a detailed overview of where the best areas for nature are and where the opportunities lie to expand and link these areas together. In order for species to recover and populations to expand, wildlife must be given more space to live, feed and breed and have the ability to move freely through the landscape through wild corridors.
A Nature Recovery Network map is vital because it provides decision-makers with the tools they need to make strategic decisions about land use. As Newcastle Borough Council’s Nature Recovery Declaration highlights, the map and accompanying Action Plan must be integrated within all strategic plans and policy areas – not just those related to the environment – as many areas of a local authority’s work have an impact on nature.
It is encouraging to see Newcastle Borough Council taking these vital first steps in creating a Nature Recovery Network in the Borough, and we are keen to work with them on the Local Action Plan and support them in devising the transformative actions they can take to positively impact the natural world.
The Trust wants other local authorities to follow suit and commit to nature’s recovery. All nine local authorities in the county have declared a Climate Emergency, and by declaring a motion for nature’s recovery this would begin to embed the natural world into the heart of local decision-making. The nature crisis must be rooted in all policy areas – from development and growth to health and wellbeing. Over the coming months the Trust will be approaching all councils in Staffordshire to further this aim.