Woodlands, Biodiversity & Healthy Communities

Pete Etheridge, Dorset Coppice Group Woodlands are one of the UK’s most highly prized and valued habitats that offer a sanctuary for both wildlife and people alike. Here in Dorset, we are fortunate to have a wide range of woodland types, from coppiced woodlands to high forest, commercial plantations to wet alder carr. Many of …

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If we designed our urban roads around teenager transport needs, would it benefit wildlife in our towns?

Cllr Felicity Rice, BCP Council & Independent LNP Board Member BCP and Dorset councils are developing their local plans.  These are 3-5 yr long pieces of work which have obvious implications on wildlife, such as biodiversity targets on individual plots or greenbelt release, or managing SANG’s or SSRI’s.  However, in order for us to all …

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Dorset Annual Forum 2021

The 2021 Annual Forum was held on 4 March, via Zoom due to the pandemic. A Recording of the Annual Forum is now available (see time-stamps for individual speakers below) – presentations are also available below. 9.30        Welcome and Introduction to the Forum – Luke Rake (Chairman, Dorset LNP) (0:0:00) 9.40        Value of Nature Recovery …

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Land values, conservation and politics

Will Bond, Alaska Ecological Contracting Ltd There is a common assumption that lower land values would benefit conservation: it seems common sense. But is it correct? As the UK re-appraises its land management strategies post Brexit, there is an opportunity to reconsider the impact that land values have on our relationship with, and uses of, …

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Access and Nature Conservation

Durwyn Liley, Footprint Ecology Access and nature conservation overlap in a particular way in England.  Some of the best countryside sites for recreation are also some of the most important for nature conservation.  Some semi-natural habitats have open access and many sites managed for nature conservation have car-parks, trails and a range of opportunities for …

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Biodiversity Audits

Dorset Environmental Record Centre and Dorset Wildlife Trust have produced updated biodiversity audits for Dorset LNP. These documents will inform future work such as the development of Local Nature Recovery Networks (coming out of the Environment Bill). Biodiversity Audit 2021 Audit Species Spreadsheet 2021 Marine Biodiversity Audit 2021 (to be added shortly) For more information …

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What have insects ever done for us?

Imogen Davenport, Dorset Wildlife Trust The UK has over 20,000 species of insect, but their numbers are declining sharply. In Dorset over 8,000 species have been recorded over time – no doubt an under-estimate but some 20% of these are now under various categories of threat, are rare, protected or indeed extinct. Some of our …

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Welcome to New Board Members

Following launching our board member recruitment in October, the December 2020 Board meeting welcomed four new independent board members: Pete Etheridge Lee Hardy Durwyn Liley Felicity Rice Thank you to everyone who applied, we were really pleased with the high standard of all the applicants. The meeting also welcomed new BCP Council representative Cllr Mark …

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The Next Agricultural Revolution?

Ian Alexander, Natural England We, humans, started farming at the end of the last ice age, over 10,000 years ago.  Whatever initiated that transition to farming it enabled both substantial population increase and phenomenal technological and cultural development as, buffered by stores of produce, people were freed from the daily need to hunt and gather …

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Board Member Recruitment 2020

Are you a keen advocate for Dorset’s natural environment? Are you committed to champion the benefits of our environment for wildlife, people and the economy? Do you want to help embed the environment into decision making in the county, supporting nature’s recovery, natural capital and nature-based solutions? The Dorset LNP Board is looking to appoint …

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