To receive an update on the Telford & Wrekin Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Minutes:
The Ecology and Green Infrastructure Specialist provided Members with an update on the Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
The presentation provided an overview of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, detailing key elements, current progress and the Council’s next steps.
The Local Nature Recovery Strategy is a county-scale strategy across England aimed at reversing nature decline by dealing with specific priorities. The Strategy identifies key assets and areas of opportunity as required under the Environment Act 2021 and County councils were the responsible authorities, with Telford and Wrekin Council (TWC) and Natural England as the supporting authorities.
Members heard that the Strategy consisted of two main elements; the Statement of Biodiversity Priorities and the Local Habitat Map. The Statement of Biodiversity Priorities outlined the goals for recovering biodiversity, including mapping areas of importance and identifying specific actions for land managers. It also reviewed areas where actions for nature had already been taken. The Local Habitat Map conducted in partnership with Oxford University involved detailed mapping of key biodiversity areas and statutory listed sites including Areas of Particular Importance for Biodiversity (APIB) such as nature reserves and priority habitats as well as environmental processes. The mapping tool had helped identify networks and opportunity areas, excluding high-grade agricultural land to balance biodiversity goals with agricultural needs.
The Strategy had involved a diverse group of stakeholders such as farmers and landowners, community groups, wildlife recorders, environmental professionals, Town & Parish Councils and members of the public. A steering group for the Strategy was made up of representatives from Shropshire Council, Natural England, Telford & Wrekin Council, Country Land and Business Association, Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, National Farmers Union, Shropshire Hills National Landscape and Shropshire Wildlife Trust.
Members heard that a number of community and stakeholder events had taken place over several months across Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin to ensure priorities and measures were identified as part of the Strategy. The Strategy was in the final stages of production with a proposed timeline to submit the working draft to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) by March 2025, followed by a six week public consultation period in June 2025 and finally formal adoption by November 2025.
Following the presentation, Members asked the following questions:-
What are the priorities and/or practical deliverables and when are they expected to be delivered?
The Ecology and Green Infrastructure Specialist advised that priorities were divided into habitat types taking into consideration national trends and species clusters. Priorities had included water environment improvements such as reducing water pollution and managing flood risks using natural biodiversity methods. In relation to monitoring, feedback which had been received from DEFRA and Natural England had indicated that there was a resource to create a plan for monitoring of actions, but no enforceability mechanism had been set out in the Environment Act.
The mapping images within the presentation are quite small. Is there a link available to view the map in more detail?
The Ecology and Green Infrastructure Specialist advised that the images within the presentation were a small excerpt of a larger map which was in a state of flux at the time of the meeting.