Ecology partnerships in Buckinghamshire

We’re working with partners in Buckinghamshire to improve ecology and biodiversity across the county.

The Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Natural Environment Partnership (NEP) project brings people together who want to make a positive change in nature.

Buckinghamshire Council is a partner of the NEP.

This NEP forms one of 49 Local Nature Partnerships (LNPs) in Britain, developing a vision to:

• highlight the importance of the natural environment
• develop a more joined-up approach, linking environmental objectives with social and economic goals

The NEP was recognised as a LNP in June 2012. It consists of a variety of sectors alongside environmental bodies.

Read more about the Natural Environment Partnership and their conservation priorities.

The Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Environmental Records Centre (BMERC) has been collating records across the county since the 1970s.

The data informs decision making in planning, development, and wildlife conservation.

BMERC collects data from:

• skilled volunteer recorders
• the general public
• professionals working for wildlife charities (BBOWT and RSPB)
• professionals working for government agencies (the Environment Agency and local authorities)
• ecological consultants

Having up to date records allows us to:

• map where species are
• how these distributions are changing
• inform conservation measures

You can get involved by recording wildlife and geology, and submit your own records to BMERC. It’s a great way to enjoy wildlife and nature in your area.

We use this data at a local level to:

• inform planning decisions and conservation measures
• contribute to national datasets such as the National Biodiversity Network
• contribute to international databases such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility

We can then use the data to conserve species globally. This includes understanding how species will react to future events such as climate change.

The record centre also:

• provides data to local recorders and national recording schemes - you can request a data search via the website
• coordinates recording groups in Buckinghamshire, such as the Buckinghamshire Rare Plant group and Buckinghamshire Invertebrate Group (BIG)
• loans out equipment to help with wildlife recording
• organises free recorder seminars with talks on biodiversity and wildlife recording in Buckinghamshire

Find out about sending in records and how we use these records on the BMERC website.

Buckinghamshire is one of 5 areas in the country to trial the development of a Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS).

These strategies are a new way of helping nature. They identify which characteristics are most important at a local level, such as:

• wildflowers for pollinators
• more trees to fight climate change
• more green spaces in our towns

We then know what we need to focus on and where we need to invest resources.

The local strategies will form part of a national Nature Recovery Network. We aim to create improved, joined-up places rich in wildlife. These places will benefit both nature and people.

In early 2021, we engaged with stakeholders to help with our Local Nature Recovery Strategy pilot. We wanted your input to create a shared vision for nature’s recovery over the next 25 years.

View the outputs from the LNRS pilot and learn more about valuable natural spaces in Buckinghamshire.

An action plan, ‘Forward to 2030: Biodiversity Action Plan’ for biodiversity within Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes, has been produced by the Natural Environment Partnership.

The Local Nature Partnership worked in collaboration with the council as well as other statutory conservation agencies, non-government organisations, local government, landowner and manager representatives, naturalist groups and individual wildlife, landscape and conservation experts.

The Plan serves as an interim Biodiversity Strategy, with a focus on nature’s recovery, until such time as formal Local Nature Recovery Strategy is completed within Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.