South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) has declared an Ecological Emergency following a motion that was passed at the council meeting on 11th February. It reflects the council’s commitment to protect and restore the natural world and forms an integral part of the council’s Corporate Plan.
It builds on the council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency in 2019 and follows a pledge to become a carbon neutral council by 2025 and a carbon neutral district by 2030.
The motion was proposed by our district councillor, Sam Casey-Rerhaye, who said: “The the Covid-19 pandemic highlights the relationship between people and nature. When we destroy and degrade habitats, we increase the risk of disease spill-over from wildlife to people”.
The motion calls also for the council to incorporate climate and ecological emergencies and nature recovery as strategic priorities in planning policies. The council plans to establish a Biodiversity Steering Group within all council work areas, including Covid-19 recovery projects and programmes.
Mrs Casey-Rerhaye, added: “We are seeing more and more tangible evidence of how ecological issues are impacting nature and wildlife and making the climate crisis even worse. We are already experiencing how this leads to extreme weather which is having a detrimental effect on food production in the world”.
More information on the SODC News Website.
