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The Natural Choice

The Natural Choice

A new white paper was launched in June this year outlining the UK government's ambitions for the natural environment over the next 50 years and beyond. Under the white paper, The Natural Choice, Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs) would be set up to allow local partnerships to take forward opportunities for restoring biodiversity and connecting up habitats. Councils, local communities, landowners and conservation bodies will be encouraged to get involved, it says.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has set aside £7.5 million for 12 pilot NIAs to test the approach in urban and rural areas. The funding will be allocated through a competition, due to be launched later this month.

The Government’s response reflects evidence in the recent National Ecosystem Assessment, and builds on outcomes of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya in October 2010.

Communities secretary Eric Pickles said: "Green spaces are incredibly important to local life, which is why this government is committed to protecting them. These are special areas that invigorate communities like local beauty spots, wildlife habitats or even local playing fields so important for healthy activities."

The white paper says: "We will take a strategic approach to planning for nature within and across local areas. This approach will guide development to the best locations, encourage greener design and enable development to enhance natural networks."

It adds: "We will retain protection and improvement of the natural environment as core objectives for local planning and development management. We want the planning system to contribute to our objective of no net loss of biodiversity; to encourage local authorities to promote multi-functional development so that we get the most from land; and to protect our best and most versatile agricultural land."

Find more information on the Defra website by clicking HERE