The world is changing, and we need to change with it. The impacts of climate change are already being felt all over the world. In the last few years, here in Cornwall, we have experienced unprecedented weather with back-to-back named storms, heatwaves, flash floods and unseasonable weather. This more extreme weather poses a challenge to how we travel and feed ourselves and also impacts on keeping Cornwall safe for future generations.
In light of this St Buryan & Lamorna Parish Council has declared a Climate Emergency and Biodiversity Emergency.
Cornwall Council has asked all Parish and Town Councils in Cornwall to adopt a Biodiversity Action Plan by December 2023. We have worked hard to produce a plan that we and our residents can enact to facilitate meaningful biodiversity net gain and connectivity of Nature Hot Spots in the Parish. Our Biodiversity Action Plan is here:
Our first steps are to phase out the use of herbicides on any land we manage; evaluate contracts with regard to the environment; and procure ecologically sound equipment and materials.
It is important that we work as a community to ensure that a meaningful and effective Biodiversity Action Plan is woven in with the needs of people in the Parish. We need a team of residents who are willing to work alongside the Parish Council to form a Nature Action Group and make the Biodiversity Action a reality for our Parish.
- We will set up a St Buryan & Lamorna Nature Action Group webpage and social media platforms
- We will facilitate the use of a meeting place
- We will hold ‘ring fenced’ funds for St Buryan & Lamorna Nature Action Group
- We will provide information and advice about projects and funding
- We will provide a Councillor/s to act as direct liaison with the Parish Council
The Parish Council has a statutory responsibility to conserve biodiversity in the Parish detailed in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 which can be seen here.
Information about Penwith Landscape recovery can be found here
Resources
Neighbourhood Planning in a Climate Emergency
Carbon Neutral Cornwall Ideas Bank
Cornwall Council, Carbon Neutral
Cornwall newsletter Sign up to our newsletter
Read the Carbon Neutral Cornwall Call to Action
Help shape the greenprint for a cleaner, greener and fairer Cornwall
Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 – Executive Summary