More than 1,000 people have had their say on how best to protect and improve nature across Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland by preserving and improving habitats and biodiversity.
A wide range of views, ideas and suggestions on how nature can be improved and helped to recover was collected by the Making Space for Nature survey, which asked the public about their concerns for nature, and actions which could be taken to boost it.
Workshops for residents are also being held in each of the districts in Leicestershire, as well as in Leicester city and Rutland.
Of the 1,077 people who responded to the survey, 85 per cent said they would like to access nature more often, and 93 per cent said they enjoyed being outdoors. 90 per cent of people agreed that nature should be protected for its own sake, and said it was important for people’s health and wellbeing.
The top concerns about the effects of declining nature were extinction and decline in plant and animal species, reduction in pollinators and a reduction in access to green spaces.
Actions to protect nature which came out top among those who responded to the survey were the creation of new habitats, the restoration or expansion of existing habitats and the need to make space for nature in housing, industrial and other developments.
People also pledged to take their own actions to protect and enhance nature, including helping wildlife in their gardens, and growing their own fruit and vegetables.
In addition to the public survey, a wide range of stakeholders have had their say on possible actions and impacts of making space for nature in the area, through a targeted survey.
This was circulated widely, including to town and parish councils, farmers, landowners, public utilities, education establishments, developers and planning agents.
Importantly, farmers, landowners and land managers were included, with four dedicated in-person workshops held to gain their specific input into the draft strategy.
The results from the surveys, workshops and other engagement events will now be used to create the ambitious new Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which will go out for public consultation at the start of 2025.
Leicestershire County Council was last year appointed as the ‘responsible authority’ to lead on the development of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, working closely with the other local authorities, key stakeholders in land management, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Organisations including landowners, farmers, parish councils, environmental and nature groups, as well as the public, were being asked to have their say to help draw up the priorities to be included in the strategy, which will identify locations to protect, improve or create habitat and to provide the greatest benefit for nature and the wider environment.
The other partners helping to oversee the development of the strategy are Leicester City Council, Rutland County Council, the seven Leicestershire district councils, Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, Natural England, and The National Forest Company.
The response we have had to the Making Space for Nature surveys has been amazing, and shows just how important nature is to residents, landowners and other organisations in Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland.
We will now take those responses and use them to draw up the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, targeting those projects and locations which will benefit the most.
All views and ideas will contribute to the development of the strategy, which we will work up with our partners and consult people on before it is published in the summer of 2025.
The Local Nature Recovery Strategy is a vital piece of work which will have a huge impact on the future natural environment of Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland.
Person:Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for the environment and the green agenda