A key part of Wild About Devon’s mission to support community action for nature is the involvement of Parish and Town Councils (P&TCs). Taking action for wildlife should be a priority for P&TCs along with pavements, potholes, play areas and planning!
P&TCs have a statutory duty to conserve wildlife – the NERC Act stipulates that public authorities have a duty to have regard for conserving biodiversity through their policy and decision making. Conserving biodiversity can include restoring or enhancing a population or habitat.
Taking action for wildlife
Taking steps to restore and enhance your local area for wildlife need not be a costly and time-consuming process. Small things such as leaving areas of long grass can have huge impacts and also save money!
Explore our Community Toolkit which provides useful links and guidance to help you learn more about the wildlife in your patch and how to take action to protect and enhance it. Devon Association of Local Councils is a good resource for connecting with other councillors seeking to help nature in their area.
Sharing success
We would like to share some P&TC nature success stories – email bridie.devonnature@gmail.com with a short summary of your work and a picture.
The annual Wild About Devon Awards include recognition of P&TCs who are working within their communities to improve their natural environment. Find information about our winners here.
Parish Biodiversity Audits
To help communities become involved in conserving their own local environment, Devon County Council produced a number of parish biodiversity audits. The audits aimed to provide basic information on the wildlife and geology found within each parish, supported by initial ideas for local action: actions which have potential to contribute to nature conservation on a wider scale – from local to county, county to national and beyond. Visit the DCC website to check if your parish has created an audit, and to find out more about how to create your own.
Stay connected
Join the Wild About Devon forum mailing list here or email enquiries to bridie.devonnature@gmail.com
You can also sign up to receive the Devon Local Nature Partnership newsletter here.