Northern England could be come a “nature powerhouse” as a result of new moves to boost conservation in the region, it has been claimed.
Merseyside environmental campaigners spoke out in praise of the conservation strategy announced by government advisers Nature England, which aims to protect rare habitats across the region.
Natural England recently announced a new plan to use nature as a way to drive economic growth, setting out their ambition to grow the Northern economy by £118bn every year by 2050 through investment in natural spaces.
Despite the North representing just a third of England’s land, it is home to over 60% of its freshwater, wetlands, floodplains and natural grasslands. Natural England believes these are worth more than £6bn per year to the North.
Marian Spain, the Chief Executive of Natural England, outlined how the North can play an important role in preserving nature as well as providing economic growth.
She said: “The North has the natural assets that can help create the places people want to live, work and invest in and that will keep them happy and healthy, as well as providing green careers of the future.”
She continued: “It can be a powerhouse for Nature as well as for the economy and thanks to Nature North is well placed to make the right decisions and secure investment in nature.”
This bold new outlook for the future comes after the announcement of Liverpool’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
The recently announced strategy aims to enable the public to play a part in the conservation of Merseyside’s natural spaces.
Liverpool’s Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram emphasised the need for green spaces to be preserved.
He said: “Our residents deserve to live in a greener, cleaner city region with thriving green spaces on their doorstep and protecting and sustaining our natural world will be key to achieving that ambition.”
The National Trust, who are stewards for many natural spaces around Merseyside, have backed the initiative. A spokesperson said: “As a conservation charity, we’re committed to restoring nature.”
They continued: “To do this, we need to work together with others locally. Strategies like the Liverpool City Region’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy are key in bringing different partners together in aid of nature.”
The National Trust have their own conservation initiative, mirroring that of the council’s, where they are committed to creating a quarter of a million hectares of nature-rich land by 2035.
Initiatives like that of Nature England, Liverpool’s Combined Authority and The National Trust all aim to protect natural habitats. Merseyside is home to such habitats and natural spaces, I went to Ainsdale which is home to rare sand dune grasslands and wetlands to find out what these initiatives are aiming to protect.
