Sir David Attenborough praises bold new West Yorkshire nature strategy
Sir David Attenborough sends powerful message as West Yorkshire unveils green vision 🌳
National treasure Sir David Attenborough has backed a strategy that aims to boost nature across West Yorkshire.
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin revealed the region’s first Local Nature Recovery Strategy on Wednesday, and said the plan would improve the region’s resilience to heat, drought and floods, as well as supporting nature. One of the aims of the strategy is to increase access to green spaces for everyone in West Yorkshire.
The Local Nature Recovery Strategy aims to restore habitats for wildlife, help to cool down neighbourhoods, provide better flood control, and connect people to nature to help improve health and wellbeing.
It includes planting more trees, making towns and cities more wildlife-friendly, and ensuring more people can access high-quality green spaces and spend more time outside in nature.
The document highlights the importance of improving water quality to make canals and rivers clean and healthy, rewetting landscapes such as the uplands so they can hold more water, and creating new ponds and wetlands, which could unlock benefits for animals and plants, people and places.
Speaking about the launch of the strategy, Mayor Tracy Brabin said: “The time to act on extreme weather is now – in West Yorkshire we’ve experienced record-breaking heatwaves this summer and seen once-in-a-hundred-year floods becoming more common.
“Nature is supposed to be enjoyed, and we want future generations to understand just how lucky we are to have beautiful landscapes and green spaces on our doorstep, so it’s our responsibility to protect them.
“This plan sets out targets to restore habitats, improve water quality, and make it easier for more people to spend more time in nature, giving us real hope for the future as we work to make West Yorkshire a greener, nature-rich region for all.”
West Yorkshire Combined Authority shared news of the strategy with Sir David Attenborough.
In a letter, he wished the strategy success, saying: “West Yorkshire’s first nature recovery describes how a still greener, more diverse future can be achieved through realistic, practical action.
“I hope it inspires many others to develop a strong connection with the natural world, not only through action to help wildlife but also through the arts and other activities.
“I wish it every success.”