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DA21 - Sustainable Dorset newsletter
Meeting of Environmental Theme Group - June 2011
(Dorset Strategic Partnership)
Environmental Theme Group (ETG)
Meeting, County Hall, Dorchester, 29 June 2011
1. ETG status. Although the DSP (or, at least, most of its activities) is closing down, the Environmental Theme Group will continue to function. This was agreed by the last DSP meeting; and anyway, it seems the ETG does not need DSP authority for its continued existence; it can go on meeting if its members so wish. And is clear that they do. Those present felt that ETG has value as a collective voice on the Dorset Environment (representative, coordinative, collaborative, intelligence gathering), and that there is work to be done.
2. New Chair of ETG. After three years as ETG chair, Simon Cripps (DWT) is standing down. In his place, the group elected Wanda Fojt of Natural England. (Originally a fen and bog scientist, she is currently the NE area manager for Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.)
3. Local Nature Partnerships. These partnerships have been proposed in a new government white paper on the Environment. Local groups (roughly at a county level) are invited to express an interest to DEFRA by 31 July for initial funding (£20,000 - £50,000) to draw up proposals for such partnerships. There was long, long discussion on this topic, but among the outcomes:
a. ETG is giving itself the mandate to oversee this initiative for Dorset, including Bournemouth & Poole. (Its current membership – though not always well represented at meetings – covers most interested parties.)
b. The currently urgent bid to DEFRA will be coordinated by DWT, under the responsibility of Imogen Davenport.
c. Although the envisaged partnership is seen as Dorset-focussed, some talking to neighbours may be appropriate (e.g. Hampshire); and, internally, discussions will be needed with Bournemouth & Poole, AONBs, Dorset Coast Forum, and the Local Enterprise and Biodiversity Partnerships, among others. (How much of this is possible before 31 July is unclear.)
d. ETG will discuss this topic again at its next meeting (probably 7 October), after the DEFRA response has been received.
e. (If the DEFRA response is positive – which seems to be assumed), there should then be a wider meeting of all interested parties, towards the development of a project proposal to DEFRA for the new Dorset Nature Partnership – presumably after 7 October.
f. This eventual ‘project’ will ideally be much broader than biodiversity, with links to / components of the Dorset economic, energy, heritage and sustainability agendas. [This seems to me quite a tall order, and there is no indication of the eventual sums of money that might be available, nor the terms of reference to which proposals will need to match. And, within Dorset, there are potentially quite a large number of big players wanting part of the action – so none of this may be very helpful to small third-sector sustainability and environment groups.]
[Any urgent questions on all this, though probably not very welcome, could be addressed to Imogen or to the organiser of the ETG, Peter Moore, Environmental Policy Group Manager, DCC, on 01305 224285 or at P.K.Moore@dorsetcc.gov.uk . ]
Mike Jones (at jonesodowd@aol.com)
3 July 2011
Related Sectors
Partnership
Related Organisations
Related Organisation:
Dorset Agenda 21 (da21)
Related Organisation:
Dorset County Council – Sustainability Team
Related Organisation:
Dorset Wildlife Trust Group files
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