Close to one hundred people gathered in Bristol City Hall on the 9th June for the first in-person West of England Nature Partnership Conference in three years.
It was brilliant to see so many people, representing such a range organisations across the region and beyond, in the same space discussing how we drive nature’s recovery at scale.
Leaders and Executive members from all four Unitary Authorities all spoke at the Conference, which also included a video message from the West of England Mayor. Breakout sessions were held on financing nature-based solutions in the West of England, the Forest of Avon Plan, and WENP’s Strategy for Nature and Health in the West of England. There were also a number of roundtables on partnership projects across the region: from Nature Recovery in Bristol’s Parks and Green Spaces, to the Waterspace project along the River Avon.
Slides from the Conference are available at the links below:
- WENP Strategy 2021 – 2030 (Ian Barrett, WENP Chair)
- Bristol Avon Catchment Plan (Zoe Hancock, Bristol Avon Catchment Partnership Coordinator)
- Nature Recovery and Green Infrastructure in B&NES (Councillor Sarah Warren, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Bath and North East Somerset Council)
- North Somerset Council’s Green infrastructure strategy – engaging our communities (Councillor Bridget Petty, Executive Member for Climate Emergency, Ecological Emergency and Engagement)
- Financing Nature Recovery: Putting nature’s recovery onto a sustainable financial path (David Young, Senior Fellow at the Broadway Initiative)
Additionally, an article on Councillor Toby Savage’s presentation to the WENP Conference can be found on the South Gloucestershire Council website at the following link: Empower parish councils to spark a community-led nature revolution, urges council leader | Newsroom (southglos.gov.uk).
We look forward to seeing you all again next year!
Photos @ Freia Turland
