Protecting and restoring our natural environment

The protection and restoration of our local environment and habitats are vital for our livelihoods, economy, quality of life and wellbeing.

We declared a climate and biodiversity emergency in 2018, so we know to address this we need to enhance and improve access to the most important natural habitats.

This includes: 

  • chalk grassland
  • woodland
  • hedgerows within our city

The way we currently interact with nature needs to change.

We need to restore habitats and create new experiences with our local environment, without the negative impacts that tourism can sometimes bring.

Through re-wilding areas of the estate, building on the success of the Gold Sustainable Food City award and restoring the kelp coastline we can make substantial long term change to the local environment.

The top 5 actions for nature and environment are to:

  • consult and approve the City Downland Whole Estate Plan and develop 10-year action plan, linked to biodiversity, plant and tree health, carbon emissions and sequestration, renewable energy and soil health
  • build on Brighton & Hove’s Gold Sustainable Food City award with campaigns for a more plant-based diet, less single-use plastics and tackling food poverty
  • encourage and facilitate tree planting, green corridors and restoration of hedgerows and ponds to enhance biodiversity, especially on city-owned assets including parks, planters and community gardens
  • Wilding Waterhall – the ecological restoration of Waterhall golf course by CityParks
  • museums delivering a distinctive offer at the Royal Pavilion, Booth Museum, Hove Museum and Preston Manor to support learning, creativity and engagement of diverse audiences and environmental sustainability, collaborating with The Living Coast Biosphere programme

Through these changes we can create a healthier and more diverse local environment, while creating more opportunities for carbon capture. This gives us the chance to get closer to a carbon neutral Brighton & Hove.

The Living Coast by bike

As we want to encourage residents and visitors to have a more of a physical connection with our wider region, we have worked with So Sussex to create a cycle route directory where you can explore the local environment by bike.

The region Brighton & Hove sits in is known as The Living Coast Biosphere. It has some tremendous environmental landmarks and is the only biosphere in the country that has a mix of the Downs, towns and the coast.

With routes for all levels of experience, The Living Coast by bike provides a unique chance to be an ecotourist while limiting your carbon footprint.

What you can do

We all have a unique opportunity to interact with our local environment with the South Downs on our doorstep.

You can also:

If you run or an involved with a food business, check out the work by Brighton & Hove Food Partnership highlighting the amount of money businesses can save by not wasting food.