Net zero target for Shropshire's beauty spots
Conservation groups in Shropshire will be tasked with meeting new net-zero targets after the UK Government released its latest plans for the country’s wild spaces.
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The Government hopes to restore or create more than 250,000 hectares of wildlife habitats within protected landscapes such as the 310 square mile Shropshire Hills National Landscape site in the south of the county, formerly known as the Shropshire Hills AONB.
The Shropshire Hills National Landscape Partnership(SHNLP) will discuss how the county can contribute to revised targets issued by the UK Government’s rural affairs department when it meets next week, which also include reducing greenhouse gas emissions in protected landscapes to net zero by 2050 and asking farmers to switch to “nature friendly farming” on their land.
The Government also hopes to increase woodland trees in AONB sites as well as restoring 130,000 hectares of peat bogs, known to be effective at reducing river flooding by holding back rainwater in upland areas. Shropshire has around 40 hectares of recorded peat bogs.
“Targets have not been set for water quality or climate change adaptation but these are also topics relevant to protected landscapes and on which action is expected, coordinated with the broader processes on these topics, ” says Phil Holden, SHNLP Team Manager, in his report.
“The net zero target obviously encompasses a very wide scope of emissions sources and therefore potential activities to reduce these.
“The targets represent quite a significant change of culture for protected landscapes. This should be positive, but in some public services an over-emphasis on certain numerical metrics has not always been helpful for overall effectiveness of delivery,” he added.
The Shropshire Hills was one of the first designated “Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty” when it was awarded the status in 1958. The updated National Landscape Partnerships do not own the areas they manage, so they work with landowners, farmers and partner organisations to help deliver their projects.
Members of the SHNLP, which is based in Craven Arms, include conservation bodies such as the Environment Agency, landowners and community and industry representatives alongside representatives from Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council.
The management committee of the body will take a first look at how the new targets can be implemented, and how it can address a number of potential conflicts with national policy, when it meets on Tuesday, March 19 in Craven Arms.
