This year, we launched Calderdale’s first Ecological Emergency Action Plan to drive nature recovery. We are working together, as part of the Wilder Calderdale partnership, to deliver the plan. We collect ecological data to:
- Guide decisions.
- Restore habitats that are damaged.
- Use nature to help reduce the risk of floods.
Plus we’re doing even more to help wildlife and the environment.
Highlights
- We’ve started new surveys in partnership with others. The surveys help us to learn more about the populations of important wild animals. This includes water voles, white-clawed crayfish, and otters.
- Calderdale Council and the Environment Agency have invested in 19 projects to reduce the risk of flooding in the borough.
- The Calderdale Food Network is soon to launch a Food Strategy for Calderdale. The next step is to work with partners to put the plan into action.
Challenges
- We already have some useful data on wildlife and habitats but keeping it up to date is an ongoing effort.
How we are doing
View our progress chart to see the status of each action:
Our priorities for next year
Over the next year, we’ll keep working on the Ecological Emergency Action Plan. This means planting and looking after woodlands, restoring damaged peatland, bringing back old grasslands, and making our rivers cleaner.
Case study: Calderdale’s first community-owned nature reserve
Bridestones Moor is a 114-acre piece of land near Todmorden. It’s now Calderdale’s first nature reserve owned by the local community. A group called Bridestones Rewilded CIC bought the land with help from a loan and donations from 595 local people. It will be a space for animals to thrive and for people to enjoy nature. The moor is good for the planet because:
- It stores carbon,
- Gives birds a place to live,
- Helps to reduce floods.
Photo provided by Bridestones Rewilded CIC.