Invitation to shape the nature of England – IEMA response

IEMA recently responded to the Government's consultation exercise on the natural environment. Click here for more details.

IEMA recently responded to the Government's consultation exercise on the natural environment, "an invitation to shape the nature of England".

The important exercise set out the Government's initial thoughts and considerations in preparation for next year's white paper, recognising that the natural environment "underpins our economic prosperity, our health and our wellbeing".

The response from IEMA stressed the importance of environmental professionals in providing Government, Planning Authorities, business and other organisations with appropriate and effective information. It stressed that any new approaches for introducing and valuing ecosystem services will need to be carefully developed to reflect the multiple benefits provided by ecosystems and to avoid unintentional negative consequences.

Our response further identified the need to go beyond simple awareness raising and to ensure that appropriate training is provided to equip decision makers at all levels both in the public and private sector with knowledge, skills and tools essential to providing a greater understanding of the complexities of natural value and to allow for more integrated decision-making.