What’s the Plan? Reconciling Mission-Driven Government & Nature’s Recovery

The new Westminster government is committed to delivering more housing development, energy and planning. They are also talking a good game on nature recovery, reassuring us that targets to improve and restore the environment will always shape policy.

But how likely is this? Will one set of priorities override the other? Will moves to change the planning system or reclassify Green Belt land set a dangerous precedent? Where does a move towards more sustainable agriculture fit in all this? And, finally, what will become of the Land Use Framework promised by the former government?

Join us for a lively public debate where we will explore these questions with experts from academia, conservation and campaigning. This forum will consider how to champion nature recovery whilst recognising the importance of the very real social and environmental pressures on land use. Building on ongoing work by the British Ecological Society in this space, including our recent publication with the Zoological Society of London and our 2024 Symposium on Resilient Landscapes. Ultimately, our panel will examine how ecologists and conservationists can be a positive yet pragmatic voice for nature at this pivotal moment in our shared landscapes.

Join the British Ecological Society and our guest panellists on 9 December at the Museum of Liverpool. This event is hosted as part of the British Ecological Society’s Annual Meeting, the largest ecological conference in Europe. We encourage conference delegates, relevant industry professionals, engaged members of the public, and political decision-makers to attend and be part of the debate. To reflect this, there will be a Q&A discussion to hear from our audience.

Confirmed speakers include Professor Nathalie Pettorelli of the Zoological Society of London, Richard Benwell, a local conservationist and the CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, and Director of the Eden Project’s National Wildflower Centre, Richard Scott. The event will be chaired by BBC Merseyside’s Climate and Environment Correspondent, Ellis Palmer.

This event will be taking place in the Global City Theatre at the Museum of Liverpool.

Photo: Blaine O'Neill. Licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Host or Publisher British Ecological Society