LNRS Q & A

During our June 2023 conference, we set up an online Q & A platform for the attendees to ask questions about our Local Nature Recovery Strategy. Below you can see the questions asked and answers to them.

If you have other questions about the LNRS, please get in touch on LNRS@devon.gov.uk.

• How will you engage the public, and get them involved, in the development of the LNRS?

  We are currently working on a Stakeholder Engagement Plan that details exactly this, which will be publicly available soon.  To date, we have hosted an online Warm-up webinar for the public in November 2022 which was attended by over 250 people. Additionally, our recent conference was a great way to get people engaged in the Strategy and where people were able to share their thoughts and ideas. We have also created a 3-minute video and have an open questionnaire for people to share what they are already doing to restore nature in our county. Going forward, we will be maintaining engagement through our social media, website, and newsletter, and getting people involved through future events such as: webinars that will be open for anyone to attend and a series of workshops over the autumn / winter aimed at specific audiences (for example community groups, farmers, schools etc.). Once the Strategy is written, we will want everyone in our county involved in various ways with delivering on the actions we have identified.

• How will you engage people who don’t usually get involved in these kinds of projects - people who may also have much to gain from connecting with nature?

  We want to ensure that our Strategy is as far-reaching as possible, both for the benefit of wildlife and that of people. This includes those groups we currently struggle to engage with. For this reason, in July 2023 we held an online session for environmental communicators in the SW wanting to engage young people more with their work, which was very successful.  The next session will focus on another demographic that is not currently engaged in order to expand our range (to be confirmed). When communicating the priorities and actions of our LNRS, we will ensure we use many different methods and platforms that are new and innovative so that it is heard and understood from more people. We will also be using existing groups as much as possible that work with particular demographics that we feel are not currently engaged with our work. More details will follow when the Stakeholder Engagement Plan is released.

• Does recovery have to be in the title? If this is a turn off to some sectors.

  Local Nature Recovery Strategies are so-called because that is what Defra is calling them, so yes. Hopefully this won’t put too many people off!

• How can we continue to connect and be supported after this event? Is there scope for a networking group? Regular meet ups throughout the year on practical action/community engagement?

  The LNP runs a few networking groups already such as the Network of Environmental Education in Devon (NEED), Wild About Devon, (that has an active Facebook group), our Communications group, and Devon Invasive Species Initiative (DISI). We are looking into the possibility of setting something similar up specifically for the LNRS so that people have a discussion forum for it. If anyone has any ideas what this could look like please email LNRS@devon.gov.uk.

• Woodland creation - Politicians are jostling for position to plant millions of trees but where are the trees going to come from? Where's the land for them to go on? And, who will actually plant them?

  Government funding has been targeting these tree-planting issues through the Nature for Climate Fund and there are many sources of funding currently available to cover these costs. For example, the Forestry Commission’s England Woodland Creation Offer.

  Other NGOs such as the Woodland Trust, National Trust and Devon Wildlife Trust are supporting tree planting through their work. For example, the Woodland Trust has been supporting Councils across the country through its Emergency Tree Fund to set up community nurseries, and has supported Devon County Council to kickstart the early career of two young professionals to deliver tree planting projects across Devon. The Fund has supported the planting of over 25,000 trees in the county in the 2022/23 planting season, planted by members of the local community. In other schemes contractors are used.

  The Devon Tree Strategy will bring together these aspirations and the LNRS will help identify the best places to plant trees to help nature thrive. This all needs to follow the Right Tree Right Place principles.

• Is there a marine sewage discharge strategy?

  The most recent strategy was put in place by the government on the 23^rd June 2023 and aims to expand current targets to tackle sewage further in order to cover all of our coasts, estuaries, and marine protected sites. The government website has further details. The previous general Combined Sewers Overflow (CSO) reduction plan from last year can also be found on the relevant government webpage.

• Regarding CAN funding - what might there be next for funding these activities - something similar but building on lessons learnt?

  Connecting Actively with Nature (CAN) has now come to an end after five successful years. They are in the process of applying for new funding and will announce this to partners if and when they are successful. The Naturally Healthy Forum is continuing and the next meeting (which will be online) is the morning of the 26^th September. If you would like to join the mailing list for the Naturally Healthy Forum or find out about other funding opportunities please contact Kate Hind.

• How many of our 212 SSSIs are in favourable condition?

  14,130.52 Ha of SSSIs in Devon are in Favourable Condition which equates to 28.82%. You can see the breakdown of this figure here. If you would like more information please get in touch at naturalenvironment-mailbox@devon.gov.uk

• How often are SSSIs monitored?

  The aim is to monitor them every 6 years. However, there are a lot of sites which haven’t been monitored in a long time.

• How do we engage the public with their local SSSIs and LNRs? Especially if they are not accessible?

  To be answered soon by Natural England.

• A review of Devon's special habitats, species and sites presents an opportunity to identify and propose new SSSIs. Will NE support this as part of the suite of actions within the LNRS?

  The SSSI designation programme is published on Natural England’s designations programme – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) .  This includes 1 site in Devon – Caen valley Bats. There is a robust process for adding new SSSIs to the published programme led by Natural England’s designations team.  Were the LNRS to propose any new SSSIs such proposals would need to a robust evidence base assessment against the published Guidelines for selection of SSSIs | JNCC – Adviser to Government on Nature Conservation and would be reviewed by Natural England before they could be considered for inclusion in Natural England’s designation programme.

• SSSI conditions assessment: it would be good to know the obligations for re-monitoring. Are the resources there to do this?

  There are sites which haven’t been monitored for a long time but hopefully this is something which can change in the future as capacity is built within the team.

• Does the LNRS process include the development of a funding strategy, which sets out how the actions identified will be paid for?

  To be answered soon…

• How do we get the balance right between public access and creating in disturbed areas for nature?

  To be answered soon…

• Once we have an agreed vision and strategy for nature recovery in Devon, how can we ensure we have the capacity and capabilities required to deliver it?

  To be answered soon…

• How can new approaches to monitoring (through technology and citizen science) be built into the LNRS to ensure we have the info for effective nature recovery (e.g. barbs and bechs bats)?

  To be answered soon…

• LNRS boundary extended into the English Channel, Atlantic Ocean and surrounding contiguous counties- definition needed and shared

  To be answered soon…

• What funding is DEFRA providing for LNRS development and implementation?

  To be answered soon…

• When mapping priority areas for the LNRS, has climate change been considered and how these habitats could change over time? And does the strategy allow for dynamic change throughout the review period?

  To be answered soon…

• Can the LNRS draw out 1. how people can help with nature recovery and 2. how helping with nature recovery can help people (skills development, eco anxiety, climate adaptation, health and well-being)

  To be answered soon…

• What is the current status of the Wild Honey Bee (Apies mellifera, mellifera) in Devon? Is it worth adding it to Devon's special species list?

  To be answered soon…

• Following on from Tony J's point about locally specific actions, how can we reflect the distinctive opportunities in Devon which are suitable for the North, South, East and West of this county?

  To be answered soon…

• How do we raise awareness of the challenges of solitary and bumble bees?

  To be answered soon…

• What's the mechanism to get County Wildlife Sites (CWS) on the radar?

  To be answered by DCC soon…

• Clearly increasing Designations of CWS LNR and statutory sites is going to be key to the success of the LNRS. How do we resource this? How do we SHARE this responsibility across stakeholders?

  To be answered by DCC soon…