• Swindon & Wiltshire Eco
• Monday November 4 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Bristol business leaders called on help beavers back to River Avon

Bristol business leaders are being called on to help beavers return to the River Avon after a 400-year absence.

The reintroduction of the world’s second-largest rodent form part of the West of England Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which will be launched this week.

Beavers have not been seen on the Avon for 400 years, having been hunted to extinction in the UK. They have been successfully reintroduced on the Knapdale and Tay rivers in Scotland, and River Otter in Devon.

The plan would also support glow-worms on Severnside and the growing fish populations around Capricorn Quay on Bristol’s Floating Harbour.

The plan – the first of its kind to be published in England – will be launched at the West of England Nature Partnership conference supported by the West of England Combined Authority on Thursday, November 7.

In a call to action to the West’s businesses and landowners ahead of Thursday’s conference, Dan Norris, the Mayor of the West of England, said: “People from the towns, villages, and cities of the West of England love wildlife and nature.

“From the majestic kingfishers along the Kennet & Avon Canal, to mighty ancient oaks in Pensford and vibrant pollinator patches in Bristol’s parks, our region is home to some wonderful species.

“But, for too long, our natural world has been under threat. The ecological emergency has seen species dwindle and die out. As the birthplace of the BBC Natural History Unit, and the launchpad of Sir David Attenborough, the West of England has shone a light on those stories.

“Our region has helped focus minds around the globe on what is at risk and what has already been lost because of human activity.

“This new joint strategy — the first of its kind in the country — will put our region on the map with an ambitious plan to support nature to recover and thrive in every corner of the West of England.

“With investment from businesses and landowners across our region, and everyone doing their bit, the future looks bright once again.”

Welcoming the launch, the government’s nature minister, Mary Creagh, said: “Nature underpins everything – the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat – and we urgently need to halt and reverse its decline across the country.

“Local Nature Recovery Strategies like this one will lay out a path to creating places where people, plants and wildlife can thrive.

“Closer collaboration between communities, businesses and local partners will put nature on the road to recovery for the next generation.

Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, said: “England is currently one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. To protect the web of life that we depend on for our health, wealth and security, we must take cooperative action across every level of society to restore nature. This includes at the local level.

“The first LNRS marks a significant step forward for nature recovery efforts, pioneering a locally led approach to restoring landscapes and habitats at scale. At Natural England, we’ll continue to work closely with local partners across the country to develop strategies for improvements to nature on the ground.

“Embracing this devolved approach to restoring nature on our doorsteps will help us to harness the power of joined up and collaborative action to meet our national targets while bringing a wide range of benefits for people.”

‘Nature recovery and economic growth can go hand-in-hand’

The launch of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy follows a consultation period earlier in the summer. It represents a successful collaboration between the Mayoral Combined Authority, supporting authorities, NGOs and many others, working alongside Natural England to co-develop the strategy.

The West of England Nature Partnership and Bristol Avon Catchment Partnership were key in supporting the development of the strategy, leveraging their expertise and highly collaborative approaches.

This follows other major environmental initiatives by the West of England Combined Authority to help tackle the interconnected ecological and climate crises, including a £1 million fund for communities to join efforts for the West of England to become the Bee and Pollinator Capital of the UK and a £2 million loan to support the creation of a new forest in the Chew Valley across 420 acres of habitat, which could eventually be home to 100,000 trees, the biggest new woodland in the South West for a generation.

Proving that nature recovery and economic growth can go hand-in-hand, the Mayoral Combined Authority has also administered the majority of funding for at least 80 hectares of new wetland habitat, including two hectares of native trees, at Hallen Marsh and Northwick Wetlands as part of natural flood defences.

The Avonmouth & Severnside project will expand an internationally important site for waterbirds while reducing flood risk for 2,500 homes and businesses and unlocking 12,000 new jobs.

More widely, in September Mayor Dan Norris committed the first £10 million towards a new £100 million green investment fund to support the jobs of the future.

The emerging ten-year Local Growth Plan complements this work, seeking to bolster innovation in net zero energy, manufacturing, and logistics across the West of England, from the Severn Estuary to the Somer Valley and former Somerset Coalfield.

Two new train stations have opened in as many years as part of ambitious plans to offer people reliable low-carbon transport options.

And last week the mayor launched the second iteration of Birthday Buses, a free travel scheme which gives everyone in the West of England free bus travel for the month of their birthday.

Last year’s scheme saw 1.2 million journeys taken, with an estimated reduction of over 1,100 tonnes of carbon emissions – equivalent to more than 5 million petrol car miles.

Image courtesy of Yrjö Jyske, published under Creative Commons licence

Latest: West of England positions itself as nature trailblazer with launch of Local Nature Recovery Strategy