Brentwood Gazette

Project appeals for help in its mission to reverse decline of Essex wildlife

ESSEX communitie­s have been asked to join forces to tackle the crisis of the decline in the county’s wildlife and to work to improve habitats.

One in six species are at risk of extinction in Great Britain and there is a 55 per cent decline in farm birds.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) aim to tackle this biodiversi­ty crisis and encourage nature’s recovery.

LNRSs were made mandatory by the Environmen­t Act 2021 and Essex County Council was appointed by DEFRA to deliver the strategy for Essex. The Essex LNRS is being created in collaborat­ion with the Essex Nature Partnershi­p as well as landowners, key environmen­tal stakeholde­rs and community groups.

The project will highlight areas where nature is thriving and identify opportunit­ies for potential habitat creation and enhancemen­t to develop a strategy for recovery.

Dr Simon Lyster, chair of the Essex Local Nature Partnershi­p, said: “As we all know, nature in Essex, just like everywhere in the world, has been seriously depleted in recent decades. But we now have an unpreceden­ted opportunit­y to reverse that decline. For the first time ever, we have a law, the 2021 Environmen­t Act, that requires us and every other county in England to come up with a strategy for nature recovery – to ensure there is more nature in Essex in future than there is now.

“The law requires us to identify where the best opportunit­ies for nature recovery are; where we can best create nature recovery networks so our nature areas are bigger, better and more joined up.

“But we need your help. Should we focus efforts on our towns or our rural areas, along our coast or along our river catchments – or all of the above? We want your views to help shape our nature recovery strategy and our ‘opportunit­y maps’ for nature recovery in Essex.”

Essex currently has 14 per cent of green infrastruc­ture and the Essex LNRS aims to provide a strategic framework to help stakeholde­rs work together to increase this to 25 per cent by 2030.

The Essex LNRS also aims to help farmers and landowners reach a target of 50 per cent of farms using sustainabl­e farming practices and to significan­tly improve the connectivi­ty of wildlife habitats.

The UK is in the lowest 12 per cent of countries across the world for biodiversi­ty intactness, meaning animal and plant habitats have become increasing­ly fragmented.

The habitat loss is due to a number of reasons, including intensive agricultur­al practices, human encroachme­nt and disturbanc­e, and constructi­on. It has led to wildlife existing in isolated pockets of land and unable to move freely.

Now nearly one in five species have been adversely affected by the decrease in habitat connectivi­ty.

The strategy will seek to help nature recover, highlighti­ng existing spaces of importance for biodiversi­ty, finding opportunit­ies for improving habitats and making more space for wildlife to thrive. The completed LNRSs will influence planning decisions and help to obtain funding streams for environmen­tal improvemen­ts.

Essex County Council and the Essex Nature Partnershi­p want as many people as possible to contribute to the project which, it hopes, will see bigger, better and more connected areas for nature to recover.

Dr Lyster said: “We are looking to engage with as many people as possible and encourage everyone to visit the Essex Nature Partnershi­p website to find out more and share their views.

“More and more people are doing good things for nature in their gardens and in their communitie­s. Many Essex farmers are producing food in ways that also benefit nature.

“We absolutely can meet our human needs and have a thriving natural world. Help us make it happen, and let’s start by coming up with a fantastic nature recovery strategy for our precious county.”

■ To find out how you can help go to www.essexnatur­epartnersh­ip.co.uk

A MAN who “didn’t consider how his dangerous driving affected others” by sparking a police pursuit through Essex has been jailed within 24 hours of being arrested.

Officers noticed a suspicious­looking white Transit van travelling along Golden Jubilee Way in Wickford on Sunday, February 4.

Their suspicions were aroused when a check on the registrati­on indicated an owner older than the man who was driving. When they signalled for the driver to stop, the Transit overtook them and headed towards Nevendon Road, weaving dangerousl­y through the traffic before driving on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic.

The driver made his way down the A127 and escaped after parking on a grass verge. An Essex Police officer ran after the suspect and detained him at the back of a petrol station.

Adam Bibby, 31, of St James Gardens, Westcliff-on-Sea, was arrestedan­d later charged that same evening.

He appeared at Southendon-Sea Magistrate­s’ Court the next day and pleaded guilty to all charges at his first court appearance, including driving whilst disqualifi­ed, dangerous driving and no insurance.

Bibby was jailed for 26 weeks and disqualifi­ed from driving for two years for the charges of driving whilst disqualifi­ed and dangerous driving. The owner of the stolen van will be reunited with their vehicle.