Local Nature Partnerships

1. Local Nature Partnerships Exploring the Value of a Thames Gateway Approach Martin Hall martin.hall@gtgkm.org.uk Steve Matthews steve.matthews@emergentresearch.co.uk +44 (0)795 263 8922 Dr Jonathan Pratt Jonathan.pratt@emergentresearch.co.uk +44 (0)772 535 8933

2. Testing the Idea of a Thames Gateway Estuary & Parklands Local Nature Partnership • “Warm-up” sessions: • Critique & discuss the Idea • What Ecosystem Services? Review potential resources & mechanisms available • Workshops: • Ecosystem services • Opportunities & priorities Identify interested parties Documentation & action plan • Possible issues: • Overlap with other LNP proposals? • Links to other initiatives and partnerships? • Competing priorities? • Local politics? • Public sector resources stretched?

3. Stakeholders • Contacting 100-150 stakeholders from: • Local Authorities (ED, Planning) • Large businesses (Ports, utilities, mining & quarrying) • Landowners and Land Managers (Large estates, NFU, Wildlife Trusts, Wildfowlers etc) • Recreation, tourism and visitor economy (chambers, FSB, Visit Kent etc_ • Health & Wellbeing (LAs, NHS, Volunteer organisations) • National arms-length partners (e.g. Natural England, Forestry Commission etc) Coalition Government White Paper, June 2011

4. Local Nature Partnerships: What They Could Do 1. Demonstrate local leadership, raising awareness about the vital services and benefits which a healthy natural environment brings for people, communities and the local economy. (eg: champion the outdoors with Health & Wellbeing Board) 2. Develop a shared environmental vision and set of priorities for their area. (eg: environmental protection and enhancement for economic and social benefits, or improving local ecological networks at a landscape scale). 3. Contributing to local authority plans that affect the environment. (eg: after the new Planning laws) 4. Help contribute to the Green Economy (eg: by working with Local Enterprise Partnerships or promoting sustainable tourism).

5. Local Nature Partnerships: What They Could Do 6. Co-operate with other partnerships where this results in more efficient use of resources and better outcomes.  (eg: Local Enterprise Partnerships) 5. Align efforts & make best use of resources by bringing together a range of local stakeholders (eg: aligning & pooling resources of local authorities, businesses, statutory authorities, civil society organisations, land managersto deliver environmental improvements). 7. Work at a landscape scale to improve the range of benefits and services we get from a healthy natural environment (eg: members supporting Nature Improvement Areas or biodiversity offsets pilots). 8. Form at a level that can take a strategic-enough approach to deliver integrated outcomes with a wide range of benefits, around the places, areas and natural systems that work best locally. (eg: Thames Gateway Estuary)

6. LNPs: Possible Activities (examples) • Provide governance for key initiatives, such as a new Natural Improvement Area and Thames Gateway Parklands schemes? • Advise on and shape local implementation of the National Planning Policy Framework , helping to make new developments in the area more sustainable? • Provide forum for developing, refining and embedding natural valuation tools into local decision making? • Co-ordinate projects to develop the area’s visitor economy potential by improving its natural assets? • Share learning on improvements in people’s health and wellbeing through increased access to nature, exercise and a healthy environment?