Council declares Nature Emergency

At the full Council meeting of 31 October 2023, East Lothian Council unanimously voted to support a motion to declare a nature emergency.

The motion proposed by Council Leader, Norman Hampshire, recognises that biodiversity is in decline and the impact that climate change is having on wildlife and nature.

The motion approved:

• Notes the body of evidence which outlines the alarming extent of the global nature and biodiversity crisis. Nature is in decline and urgent action must be taken to reverse this.
• Recognises the inherent value of nature, as well as its crucial importance as an integral part of culture and society, and for our health, wellbeing, and economy; this being demonstrated through placemaking, tourism, food, energy, water and air quality regulation, etc.
• Additionally, recognises that the nature and climate emergencies are intrinsically linked and that nature plays a key role in meeting climate targets, particularly for climate change adaptation and resilience.

The motion was seconded by Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing, Cllr Colin McGinn, who outlined the work East Lothian Council is already undertaking to restore and enhance nature including through the Biodiversity Action Plan, Tree and Woodland Strategy, the Open Space Strategy, the recently launched Nature Networks and developments for the East Lothian Climate Forest.

Cllr Hampshire said: “Declaring a Nature Emergency follows, and is intrinsically linked to, our earlier declaration of a Climate Emergency in 2019. We remain committed to tackling the Climate Emergency but we are all too aware of a decline in plant and animal species and reduction of wildlife habitats. We are already delivering action in East Lothian to tackle the nature crisis through our existing range of strategies, partnerships and projects, working with partner agencies, community groups and volunteers.

“We will seek to further embed action to reverse the decline in nature as we update our range of strategies and policies across all our services, whilst being mindful of balancing this motion and commitment with the range of other duties and responsibilities of the Council.

“During the pandemic ‘lockdowns’ it became evident that opportunities for people to access natural spaces resulted in so many positive effects for wellbeing. An environment that is rich in biodiversity not only enhances wildlife and nature but can also enhance our own lives, provide feelings of calm and generate creativity. We aspire to offer local residents everyday opportunities to enjoy connecting with nature close to their homes.”

The Council also agreed to a range of regular reports on the progress of work arising from the declaration including:

• How existing Council strategies, such as the Biodiversity Action Plan, Climate Strategy, Tree and Woodland Strategy, Green Network Strategy, Open Space Strategy, Local Development Plan, align with the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and the Berlin Urban Nature Pact, and notes any changes to existing strategies required to deliver against these.
• Providing an update on the development of our Biodiversity Action Plan including specific considerations of how the plan is impacting:

1. The adoption of an ecological coherence approach to effectively identify and target actions required to tackle the nature emergency and deliver the various strategies listed above, including through the further development of the regions Nature Network.
2. The adoption of a partnership approach, working with East Lothian Climate Action Network (utilising its newly-announced Climate Hub), and other community organisations, and also collaborating with neighbouring local authorities, and with Government agencies such as NatureScot, to maximise delivery opportunities for the strategies listed above and to identify further opportunities for nature restoration, nature-based solutions, and protection of biodiversity, both within the county and in connection to larger networks.