What can nature do for us?

Nature for a healthy, happy and prosperous West of England

The West of England Nature Partnership were delighted to welcome over 100 attendees to our fourth Annual Conference. The theme of this year’s conference was the role of the natural environment in shaping the future of our region and was held in the elegant Guildhall in Bath.

The audience heard from a wide range of speakers and experts, Councillor Liz Richards (B&NES Member and WENP Board Member) kicked off proceedings and introduced the WENP Chair Dominic Hogg. Dominic provided an overview of the work the partnership has been delivering and introduced the first three speakers, who provided overviews of the social, environmental and economic imperative of a healthy natural environment. Starting with Gary Grant (Green Infrastructure Consultancy), who provided a compelling case for urban green infrastructure, such as green roofs and rain gardens. Followed by Dominic Mellon (Public Health Consultant) who discussed the importance of bringing health and nature together and how these should be integrated into planning decisions, followed by Ian Dickie (eftec) who explained the case for environmental economics and natural capital accounting.

We were also delighted to welcome Jon Khoo, who provided an inspiring case study on Interface and the fantastic work they have done to transform their sustainability credentials. Finally, Louise Fradd (B&NES) launched the award winning WaterSpace Study.

Download the presentations from the day here (please note image quality has been downsized to reduce file size)

Photos to follow.

Download the conference programme for speaker and session information.

Find out about past conferences in 2016 and 2015.

Photography by Jon Craig and Miriam Gooch