Westmorland and Furness Council has an ambition to lead on nature recovery and enhance biodiversity. The Council has highlighted the importance of the decline in nature by declaring a biodiversity crisis, stating that the Council must act to restore natural habitats, restrict invasive species and reduce pollution.
We are in a unique position where we can have nature recovery as a key priority from the outset of the Council’s formation. Westmorland and Furness Council will be at the forefront of supporting nature recovery and the challenges that may appear; we will provide leadership working to support local nature recovery, aligning with national policies and supporting the work of local initiatives to deliver meaningful projects.
The Council Plan priority and vision to become a leader in the drive to address biodiversity loss and become carbon net zero will be supported by actions to encourage better land management, habitat creation, tree planting and biodiversity net gain in new developments. To support this priority, in our first year Cabinet approved £5 million of priority investment into our area in June 2023, where a ‘green thread’ throughout the investment shows the Council’s commitment to biodiversity.
