Nearly 100 people attended the WENP Annual Conference on 10th March 2015. We were delighted to hear the thought provoking talks and insightful discussions that followed. Bevis Watts, CEO of Avon Wildlife Trust opened the conference, handing over to Dr. Dominic Hogg, the WENP’s Chair. Dominic gave an overview of our successes to date and launched our first Nature Improvement Area – Severnside Wetlands NIA
Colin Skellett, Chair of the Local Enterprise Partnership, gave a fascinating insight into the regions economic strengths and why the quality of our natural environment is pivotal to maintaining that strength. The final speaker, Isobella Murfin, Head of Valuing and Improving Natural Capital, Defra, provided the national perspective and explained why LNPs, such as ours, are a great vehicle for embedding the value of nature into local decision making. The conference was ended on a tasty high by Andrew Whitehouse (Buglife) who officially launched the West of England’s first B-Lines network with (probably) the world’s first B-Lines cake.
