Communities across Berkshire are invited to say how they’d like to get involved in shaping plans for protecting and improving natural habitats in the county.
Berkshire’s six councils, led by the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, are keen to work with residents, landowners, NGOs, developers, community groups and others to create a Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the county.
Funded by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) as part of a wider national nature recovery project, the result for Berkshire will be a nature map of opportunities, as well as a list of biodiversity priorities.
This will prioritise where time and investment are most needed to improve, protect, or enlarge habitats, create wildlife corridors, or create new habitats on land or around watercourses. It will also help to inform and support funding bids for specific projects.
To ensure as many individuals and organisations as possible are involved in the planning stage during 2024, the project team is holding an initial survey to hear people’s preferences around how best to engage them in the conversations.
This engagement survey covers how people would like contribute to the strategy and stay up to date with project progress, as well as important accessibility considerations, and the chance to say if you have any specialist skills or knowledge to share around particular habitats and species.
Find out more and take part in the survey until Tuesday 2 January at https://rbwmtogether.rbwm.gov.uk/berkshire-local-nature-recovery-strategy If you don’t have online access, you are welcome to use the public-access computers available at all local libraries, where staff are happy to help you get online if needed. Paper copies of the survey form are also available from all Royal Borough libraries upon request.
Councillor Karen Davies, Cabinet member for climate change, biodiversity, and Windsor Town Council, said: “We’re proud to be leading this vital work to shape Berkshire’s blueprint for nature recovery, which once finalised will help protect and improve vital natural habitats for the benefit of wildlife, people and the environment we share.
“We want Berkshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy to be a genuinely collaborative, inclusive and locally-led process, helping to support joint working around nature recovery and focus the work, decisions, expertise and investment of many individuals and partner organisations for years to come.
“To that end, as we prepare to reach out into Berkshire’s communities to hear people’s insights and aspirations, we’re undertaking this short survey to ensure we engage effectively and we’re maximising opportunities for everyone to be involved in the planning process and share their own skills, knowledge and enthusiasm.”