Decision details

The Environmental Sustainability Officer presented the report of the Executive Manager – Communities to report how the Council had been working with the

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (NWT) to deliver the Rushcliffe Nature

Conservation Strategy and Biodiversity gain in Rushcliffe. It was noted that Rushcliffe Borough Council had a Nature Conservation strategy since 1995 that had been refreshed in 2010 and 2015 and was due for renewal in 2020. It was noted that the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust was making a significant contribution to delivering the nature conservation strategy in areas including: 

·         Promoting Landscape Scale Conservation to create a more resilient natural environment

·         Promoting the maintenance and enhancement of nature reserves

·         Promoting sympathetic land management for wildlife in rural and urban areas

·         Supporting continuous surveying, monitoring and reporting of Rushcliffe’s biodiversity

·         Raising awareness of nature conservation issues

·         Seeking to influence the impact of development on wildlife.

The Environmental Sustainability Officer provided information on some of the achievements against key performance indicators of the Service Level Agreement with the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. These included an increase of the original 210 hectares being managed as nature reserve to approximately 460 hectares since 2004, and the significant increase in the number of hours recorded as voluntary practical nature conservation work from 3,138 hours in 2004 to 10,219 hours in 2016.  It was noted however that even if a site was managed at a nature reserve that it did not necessarily mean that the site was open to the public.

Ms Janice Bradley - Head of Conservation at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, attended the meeting and delivered a presentation to the Group which focused on delivery of the service level agreement with the Council. The presentation covered:

·         The Service Level Agreement

·         The Service Level Agreement Targets

·         The Service Level Agreement Sites

·         The Service Level Agreement Outputs

·         Training Provisions

·         Multiple Output Projects

·         The Benefits to Rushcliffe in Partnership Working

Members asked several questions regarding the nature reserve at the East Leake quarry site. Ms Bradley advised that the quarry was now undergoing its fourth extension and that at each extension the trust had been successful in ensuring that the amount of habitat provision had been maximised at each stage of the restoration. It was noted that because the land at the quarry site was privately owned and that the quarry was still in operation, it was difficult for members of the public to gain access to the site but that there were public access paths available and that these would be increased over the coming years.

Members of the Group noted that the SLA with the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust provided excellent value of money for the Council with the wide-ranging services that it provided and welcomed how well it engaged with volunteers and local schools. Members of the Group asked several questions regarding the tuberculosis vaccination programme for badgers and received verbal responses. Members also welcomed the work that the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust had done is assisting to establish Friends Groups at new nature reserves sites such as the Lily Ponds in Radcliffe on Trent.  

The Chairman thanked the Environmental Sustainability Officer and the Head of Conservation at the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust for attending the meeting and for answering their questions.

It was RESOLVED that:

a)    The report of the Executive Manager – Communities be noted.

b)    The work undertaken by the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust be endorsed.

c)    The Service Level Agreement with the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust be supported.