Dorset Council declares nature emergency

Councillors of Dorset Council have voted to declare a nature emergency at the meeting of the full council on Thursday.

The motion, which was put forward by Cllr Nick Ireland, Leader of Dorset Council, urged council members to recognise that nature is in decline and that urgent action is needed to reverse this.

The majority of councillors backed the declaration, with 54 voting to pass the motion, 20 voting against and 4 abstaining.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Ireland noted that the council would not be starting from scratch.  Work is already underway to develop a Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the county, which has seen the council work closely with farmers, landowners, businesses, and organisations to identify priorities, opportunities and actions to recover nature in Dorset. 

The declaration commits to further supporting this work, as well as embedding nature’s recovery at the heart of the council’s plans. 

Following on from its climate and ecological emergency declaration in 2019, this new declaration will help strengthen the council’s ambitions to create a carbon neutral, nature positive and resilient Dorset as outlined in its Natural Environment, Climate and Ecology strategy. 

Councillor Nick Ireland, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Climate, said:

“The UK is now widely recognised as one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries and it is critical that we take steps to address this.

“A thriving natural environment not only makes Dorset a beautiful place to live, it also underpins our local economy and provides the essential things we need to survive like the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink.

“Nature based solutions will also play a huge role in helping our county respond to environmental issues like flooding, climate change, and poor water quality.”

Other commitments in the council’s nature emergency declaration include removing and restricting the use of glyphosate and other chemicals damaging to nature, reducing pressure on wildlife and wildlife corridors, and improving access to nature – particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

To find out more about what the council is doing to support nature recovery in Dorset and how residents and organisations can play their part, visit the Dorset Council website.