Meeting the North’s Mayors: Nature is fundamental to every place for a Great North

On Wednesday 4th September, Mayors, Council, Business and Academic leaders from across the North of England met in York and agreed a new pan-regional partnership, Great North. With more than 90% of Northerners living in devolved administrations by 2025, new ways of doing government are emerging – of the North, for the North, by the North, that was the message of the day.

Nature North was there, with Colm Bowe (Development Manager) and David Renwick (Nature North board member & Natural England regional director for the North) putting the case for nature to the most senior decision-makers in our region. The importance of nature recovery for climate resilience and achieving net zero was discussed, as well as the integration of nature into planning approaches. Following work earlier in the year, we are pleased that the value of nature is recognised in the newly published Manifesto for the North, with actions for building our natural capital to provide wider benefits for prosperity, wellbeing and resilience of communities in the North.

Nature is fundamental to every place in the North, from our urban areas and nature rich green spaces, to the wide open landscapes of the uplands and the amazing estuaries and coastlines. Devolution is changing the shape and scale of government in England, providing different opportunities to raise the importance of integrating nature into policy and investment decisions. Nature North – which is made up of dozens of cross-sector partners and collaborators  from across the North – is a pioneer of this new scale of thinking and action.

To read the Manifesto of the North: Manifesto for the North – Convention of the North