NATURE AND BIODIVERSITY 1. What Positive things are happening now? • Exmouth in Bloom ( Wildlife Garden at Hamilton Lane Allotments; Marine Drive wildflower site; Greening the Grey project • Bystock ( Devon Wildlife Trust- Exmouth Branch) working party • Millennium Wood ( old landfill site) trees planted in 2000 • Blue Hearts ( Marine Drive, Colonies, Dennesdene Farm) • School wildlife areas ( E.g. Marpool School) • Exmouth Nature Reserves (Exmouth Local Nature Reserve, The Maer) • Phear Park wildlife pond • Manor Gardens flower area • Liverton Industrial Estate ( Phase 2) dormouse boxes and bat boxes • Bat boxes in trees, behind The Maer and at Bystock • Tree wardens • Beach cleaning • Wild Exmouth project (2019 – 2021) (Patch for Nature; wildflower planting and tree planting) • Uncut areas of grass (Littleham estate and Salterton Road trees; Dennesdene Farm meadow; Marine Drive verge and bank; some verges between Exmouth and Budleigh ( DCC); A la Ronde meadow) • Exmouth Wildlife Group/ Exmouth Swift Group ( collecting evidence of biodiversity; swift box installations; campaign to increase biodiversity on all housing estates) 2. Vision for 2030 • Everything in 1, above, still extant and improved (where appropriate) • Waterways: Restored streams that are more biodiverse; elimination of concrete banks( where possible) and more natural planting • Verges: Managed verges to encourage biodiversity, cut once an year in late summer and arisings removed (Verges was a wish by 7 people) • Trees: Much more tree planting, across open spaces, within existing roads (where pavements are wide enough). The town becomes an urban forest and nature sanctuary with mix of native and orchard species. (Trees was a wish by 13 people) • Wildflowers: Appropriate areas of open space planted (and managed) for wildflowers ( E.g. one person mentioned bank facing Halsdon Road); Close car parks and create meadows instead ( Wildflowers was a wish by 8 people) ; • Rewilded areas: Exmouth has more areas that are wild, protected from being built on, creating and maintaining wildlife corridors; majority of green spaces are managed for wildlife ( not just humans) (Possible locations include: Valley Parks, Plantation Walk, areas within parks) ( Rewilded was a wish by 7 people) • Seafront: Themed gardens along Queen’s Drive; seafront is more naturalised containing elements of much improved biodiversity; no building is as close to the sea wall as the Water sports Centre is ( Seafront was a wish by 3 people) • Sea grass planting for carbon capture • Bee attracting gardens • All new housing developments have built in nature friendly elements like bird / bat bricks/ tubes; 25% tree cover; wildflower areas; hedgehog highways • Encouraged planting of native shrubs ( e.g. hawthorn) to increase biodiversity Establishment of a Discovery Centre that encourages respect for wildlife 3. Who should be involved? • The community of Exmouth • Town Council ( including Neighbourhood Plan) • East Devon District Council ( including Local Plan) as they are landowners and their parks and open spaces contractor( currently Streetscene) • Devon County Council (where appropriate) • All three councils should communicate with each other • Government ( through any appropriate legislation) • Councillors and M.P. • Town Council, D.C.C and EDDC Climate Action Plans • Greater Exeter Strategic Plan • Local Exmouth organisations/ environmental groups • Environment Agency ; Natural England; AONB • Conservation organisations ( e.g. RSPB, Butterfly Conservation, Plantlife, Rewilding Britain, Devon Wildlife Trust) • Clinton Devon • National Trust • Wild Exmouth project • Jurassic Coast Trust • Schools • Fridays For Futures ( School Strike movement) • XR or other appropriate pressure groups • Housing developers ( especially in the light of possible “net gain” for biodiversity, legislation • Local businesses (to sponsor) • Corporate sponsorship (e.g. national chains with businesses in Exmouth) • An EDDC “ecologist” ! • Possible: East Devon and Dorset National Park ?