East Lothian Council

" Further recognises that East Lothian Council is in a unique position to embed action on these issues across all its services due to the number of key strategies that are dueto be updated in the near future, including the LDP, Economic Strategy, Local Housing Strategy, and Biodiversity Action Plan; and notes that that the nature crisis, like theclimate crisis, is the responsibility of all departments and staff to tackle, and that Countryside and Leisure officers already support colleagues to embed awareness of this into working practices across the Council"Therefore, Council agrees:To declare a Nature Emergency, akin to the Council declaration of a Climate Emergency in 2019, recognising the state of nature, its inherent value, and the crucial role its recovery and restoration will play in realising climate targets.The Council requests a report to Full Council before the next summer recess, with the progress of work arising from this report to be monitored and discussed on an ongoing basis after this by the cross-party Climate Change and Sustainability Forum (on the understanding that key milestones or changes will also be scrutinised and voted on by Full Council when appropriate), and which(1) Outlines how existing Council strategies, such as the Biodiversity Action Plan, Climate Strategy, Tree and Woodland Strategy, Green Network Strategy, Open Space Strategy, Local Development Plan, align with the GBF, Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and the Berlin Urban Nature Pact, and notes any changes to existing strategies required to deliver against these.(2) Provides an update on the development of our Biodiversity Action Plan including specific considerations of how the plan is impacting:(a) The adoption of an ecological coherence approach to effectively identify and target actions required to tackle the nature emergency and deliver the various strategies listed above, including through the further development of the regions Nature Network.(b) The adoption of a partnership approach, working with East Lothian Climate Action Network (utilising its newly-announced Climate Hub), and other community organisations, and also collaborating with neighbouring local authorities, and with Government agencies such as NatureScot, to maximise delivery opportunities for the strategies listed above and to identify further opportunities for nature restoration, nature-based solutions, and protection of biodiversity, both within the county and in connection to larger networks."

— Full Council (Source)