There is not just a climate emergency, but an ecological emergency too.
The evidence is clear that we must support nature on land and at sea if we are to prevent ecological breakdown.
View the State of Nature information
We are reducing our carbon footprint on the journey to becoming carbon neutral. But to stop climate and ecological breakdown we must tackle both together.
We need to go beyond decarbonising energy by also growing nature. This will help us reduce the risks, draw down carbon and adapt.
View the Carbon Neutral information
We need to enhance nature, not just protect it.
Our Environmental Growth Strategy provides a long-term framework. It aims to not just conserve, but to grow nature. We can do this by ensuring that there is more of it, and that it is bigger, better, more diverse and more joined up.
It is produced with our Local Nature Partnership, and guided by the principle that we are interconnected with nature. It contains 10 pillars as the natural foundations for a green recovery. They provide steps towards our target that by 30% of our land and seas are well managed for nature by 2030.
It also elaborates on how we will together deliver a cleaner, greener Cornwall with more space for nature. This is a core ambition of the shared vision Gyllyn Warbarth: Together We Can, The Cornwall Plan 2020-50.
View Gyllyn Warbarth: Together We Can, The Cornwall Plan 2020-50
Where next?
Our immediate next steps are to develop a Nature Recovery Strategy and investment programme.
These will define a shorter-term plan for the next five years on what, where and how we can best support nature to regenerate. Cornwall was one of only five places to pilot creating one, and a draft is now produced.
It will help shape new approaches to planning (on biodiversity net gain and our new planning proposals). And it will shape incentives for land management for the new national scheme.
It will also help ensure that we champion and support the work of our partners, local communities, and volunteer networks.
It will be adopted once the Environment Bill becomes law.
You will have more opportunities to shape the draft later this year.
Together for nature
We will only succeed with the active contributions of our strategic and delivery partners; and the wider support of other organisations, central government, businesses, volunteer networks and local communities.
There are lots of exciting projects going on to support environmental growth.
These include:
and many other partner and community projects. We will continue to support and champion these, such as through the Cornwall Sustainability Awards.
Everyone can support the effort for environmental growth. This can include making changes to how you consume, travel and more.
Measuring progress
We published our first Monitoring and Evaluation Framework report in 2020. It details the status of 13 Key Performance Indicators. For more information about the data behind each indicator, go to the technical report.
These indicators are being reviewed in 2021.
