Issue - meetings

Presentation by Jo Traill Thomson, Landscape Pioneer and Local Natural Capital Plans, DEFRA.

Council received a presentation by Dr Jo Traill Thomson, Landscape Pioneer and Local Natural Capital Plans, DEFRA regarding an update on the DEFRA/Natural England Landscape Pioneer project.  She outlined: the “key asks” from Defra for the Landscape Pioneer initiatives; that Landscape Pioneer initiatives were taking place in North Devon, Cumbria, Manchester and Suffolk; work that had been undertaken in North Devon to-date; the six impacts for the initiative in North Devon that had been agreed; expenditure heatmap for North Devon; number of organisations spending per km²; where spend take places; outcomes of a workshop regarding organisations working together to generate greater income and investment; the Pioneer Board would consider a 25 year Environment Plan for adoption; the initiative would end in March/April 2020; prior to the end of the initiative the three key areas of focus would be net gain work, natural capital strategy and investment cases for the North Devon Pioneer and Environmental Land Management trial.

The Landscape and Countryside Officer agreed to email Members the definition of Natural Capital Strategy.

Council thanked Dr. Jo Traill Thomson for her presentation and attendance.