Community

Compact and dispersed communities result from different planning policies
Compact and dispersed communities result from different planning policies

If democratic governments do not handle issues by consent, they suffer in elections. Therefore governments need the understanding and support of citizens when making long-term policy decisions for the environment. Those citizens also need good understanding for their personal environmental decisions. Those who manage the rural environment are not just the farmers and hunters and wardens of nature reserves, but also those who manage gardens and road verges and public areas that are often owned by local communities.

Maintaining and restoring the riches of nature needs all these interests to be linked, because some species cover much larger areas than one garden or even one farm. Such linkage can bring economic benefits too, if human visitors at the nature reserve in the north of the local administration also use the guest-houses and shops in the south. Naturalliance aims to build a system that brings together the information across whole administrations and beyond, to help everyone benefit from the riches of nature.

BEST PRACTICE. A pilot study in southern Britain shows how data were gathered to help design this Naturalliance site, as part of a service for parish planning and managing controversial wildlife.

PRODUCTION. Our aim is to link you to the best sites for information and ideas that motivate local local people to help you and your staff to manage the local environment.

PROBLEM-SOLVING. Wild species can bring costs as well as benefits, so we provide advice on pragmatic management to turn threats into opportunities.

MAPPING. Our eventual aim is to build local knowledge into a mapping system that gives guidance as simply as the coloured cues in a word-processor. This should help your decisions and help residents understand your policies. As a start there is a simple mapping tool and suggestions for projects to use it.

Please REGISTER, to help us help you to:

• Manage council areas at times of year that safeguard natural riches;
• Minimise conflicts between different interests through use of experience elsewhere;
• Gain income and employment for residents by enhancing local natural resources;
• Win local support by enhancing opportunities for healthy recreation.

When you register, you can complete our SURVEY to tell us what information you would most like.

 
is supported by
TESS Logo Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust Logo Anatrack Ltd Logo Tero Consulting Logo COUNT Partner International Union for Conservation of Nature Logo