Communities across Berkshire are invited to participate in workshops and a county-wide survey to help shape important 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 involve residents, landowners, NGOs, developers, community groups and others to create a Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the county during 2024.
Funded by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) as part of a wider national nature recovery project, the resultant blueprint for Berkshire’s nature recovery will be a nature map of opportunities, as well as a list of biodiversity priorities.
It 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 support joint working around nature recovery and focus the decisions, expertise and investment of many individuals and partner organisations, alongside helping to inform and support funding bids for specific projects.
Following valuable conversations with farmers, landowners, and land managers, the project team is hosting a community workshop in each Berkshire area, alongside a county-wide survey, to involve residents, community groups, charities, businesses, schools, colleges and others in shaping the strategy.
The workshops are a chance to find out more about the project and how you can get more involved in supporting nature locally, celebrate the good work already happening and share your knowledge, insights and priorities. Places at the in-person workshops are limited (two people max per organisation) – to register an interest in attending, visit Eventbrite, or for those unable to register online, call Braywick Nature Centre on 01628 777440.
You can also share your thoughts in the survey at this link until Tuesday 7 May. If you don’t have online access, you are welcome to use the public-access computers available at local libraries. Paper copies of the survey form are also available from all libraries upon request.