Communities across Berkshire are invited to say how they’d like to get involved in shaping plans for protecting and improving natural habitats in the county.
Berkshire’s six councils, led by the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, are keen to work with residents, landowners, NGOs, developers, community groups and others to create a Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the county.
Funded by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) as part of a wider national nature recovery project, the result for Berkshire will be a nature map of opportunities, as well as a list of biodiversity priorities.
This will prioritise where time and investment are most needed to improve, protect, or enlarge habitats, create wildlife corridors, or create new habitats on land or around watercourses. It will also help to inform and support funding bids for specific projects.
To ensure as many individuals and organisations as possible are involved in the planning stage during 2024, the project team is holding an initial survey to hear people’s preferences around how best to engage them in the conversations.
This engagement survey covers how people would like to contribute to the strategy and stay up to date with project progress, as well as important accessibility considerations, and the chance to say if you have any specialist skills or knowledge to share around particular habitats and species.
Find out more and take part in the Berkshire local nature recovery survey online until Tuesday 2 January (RBWM). If you don’t have online access, you are welcome to use the public-access computers available at all local libraries, where staff are happy to help you get online if needed.
Cllr Puja Bedi, lead member for transport, housing, highways, the environment, and environmental services, said: “We are extremely interested to hear how Slough and Berkshire residents would like to contribute to this important strategy which will protect, improve, and create natural habitats across the whole of Berkshire.
“Please fill in the short engagement survey to allow us to start the process of involving residents and organisations in this collaborative piece of work, for the benefit of our local wildlife and environment. Berkshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy is so important for us all, we would like to hear views from as many people as possible. The survey closes on 2 Jan.”