Local Nature Partnerships (LNPs) are a relatively new initiative, announced in the Natural Environment White Paper 2011, tasked with leading on biodiversity, green infrastructure, land restoration and catchment management. They bring together representatives from different sectors to make links between environmental action and wider economic and community priorities. They also work alongside the existing Local Enterprise Partnerships to help grow a green and low carbon economy.
The North East Local Nature Partnership (NELNP) has been created from the merger of two existing partnerships; 3Rivers and Northumberland Lowlands and Coast. The move consolidates the partnership with one board overseeing the projects’ activities. Continuity is retained as the chair/vice chair remain the same.
NELNP believes that we have the opportunity to establish a new local nature partnership for the North East Lowlands that facilitates coordinated decision making for the benefit of natural heritage, delivering integrated outcomes that provide a wide range of ecosystem services including improvements in health and wellbeing and a vibrant economy.
The remit of the NELNP is to embed the value of natural heritage into local decision making and work to improve ecological networks at a landscape-scale. It works with a diversity of organisations to plan and deliver strategic action enabling the recognition of the value of the natural environment in social and economic as well as environmental terms. It identifies opportunities to deliver improvements to natural heritage that are integrated with the enhancement of local communities and support economic success.
The team is currently waiting to hear more about Heritage Lottery Funding for this project - more information coming soon. For further information on the newly formed NELNP, please call (0191) 584 3112.