Shropshire’s nature recovery strategy in national spotlight
A barn owl in one of the boxes installed by Edgton Parish Council
Shropshire is being showcased as a leading example of how local authorities can work hand-in-hand with communities and parish councils to deliver nature recovery.
The British Academy, which is a UK charity which brings together the humanities and social sciences for research and policy-shaping, has highlighted Shropshire’s work through the Government’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) as part of its Sustainable Futures programme.
Shropshire’s approach is bringing together parish councils, community groups, landowners and farming groups to tackle complex challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss, to ensure nature recovery is successful by being place-sensitive and inclusive.
Shropshire Council leader Heather Kidd said:-
“Good practice for effective nature recovery means working together. By listening to our communities and supporting parish councils, we’re creating practical plans that make a real difference for people and wildlife.
“Shropshire’s approach demonstrates how local knowledge and strong partnerships can deliver national impact, creating a blueprint for others to follow.”
The Shropshire Association of Local Councils (SALC) has taken a lead role in supporting the development and delivery of the LNRS for Shropshire.
It works in partnership with Shropshire Council and other stakeholders to ensure parish and town councils are actively engaged in shaping bespoke nature recovery plans.
Allan Wilson, vice chair of SALC and chair of Edgmond Parish Council where villagers have mapped wildlife corridors and staged community wildlife talks, said:-
“SALC is proud to be associated with the publication of the British Academy document, acknowledging our collective engagement in the development of the Shropshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy and other strands of local nature action.
“We are grateful to Middle Marches Community Land Trust, local Councils and the other organisations that have demonstrate their projects at various nature conferences held throughout the County since 2023.
“The document celebrates and proves how local people, community groups, and councils working in conjunction can create positive environmental changes in their areas for nature and our own wellbeing.”
Janet Cobb, clerk of Edgton Parish Council, where a community nature map has been put up in the village hall and residents have marked-up ponds, hedges, trees and constructed nesting boxes for barn owls, added:-
“Because of the collaborative efforts of people, communities ,individual parish councils and organisations including the Middle Marches Community Land Trust (MMCLT), Restoring Shropshire’s Verges Project, the Marches Meadow Group, SALC, Caring for God’s Acre, the Shropshire Hills Landscape Trust and the Stepping Stones Project, these actions are beginning to take shape and yield results across the county.”
To download the British Academy’s report ‘Pioneering place-sensitive nature recovery at the hyper-local scale: a multi-tier, multi-directional governance approach’ please click here.
