Councillors in County Durham will be asked to declare an ecological emergency in order to do more to stop the decline of wildlife and natural habitats.
In March 2019, Durham County Council declared a climate emergency and prepared an emergency response plan to focus on its carbon commitment targets. The authority is now exploring whether to take a similar approach to biodiversity.
At a meeting of the council's Cabinet in October last year, it was decided that its overview and scrutiny committee would examine evidence relating to the decline of natural habitats and species.
There are various habitats across the county, from its upland peatland and moorland, meadows and wetlands to the magnesian limestone plateau with its species-rich pasture and Heritage Coast. Not only are these a valuable resource for biodiversity and a store for carbon, but also an asset for recreation and wellbeing.
The Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee's review report to go before Cabinet of April 6 shows evidence of global and national decline in habitats and species. While local data included is less extensive, it strongly mirrors national and global trends relating to the condition of sites of special scientific interest, local wildlife sites, habitats and a range of species from fish, birds, mammals and insects.
Coun Mark Wilkes, the council's cabinet member for neighbourhoods and climate change, said: "We have already, in this year’s new budget, built in significant resources to ramp up our work to improve the natural environment. It is clear that action needs to be taken to do more to halt the decline in natural habitat, biodiversity and species in our county for the benefit of future generations.
"Although we already have 31 designated local nature reserves and an additional 61 sites identified as important for local wildlife, we recognise that our plans need to go beyond the managed sites to consider what more can be done through different services and key relationships with education, awareness and volunteering."
There are already several ongoing initiatives in County Durham to promote nature recovery, including the restoration of 12 miles of coast with 160 hectares of grassland habitat managed for nature conservation. The Biodiversity Enhancement Project aims to enhance council-owned green spaces with 41 hectares converted to species-rich grassland, while tree and woodland cover is being widened, focusing on expansion of tree and scrub cover.
Coun Wilkes added: "As a council we have committed more investment than ever before in this year’s budget towards achieving the best possible ecological improvements for our county. We are also investing significantly in improving access to our wonderful countryside for residents and visitors."
