Moray Council has declared a Nature Emergency, similar to the Council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency in 2019.
The declaration recognises the current state of nature, its intrinsic value to society and highlights the urgent need to aid its recovery and restoration, which in turn plays a part in realising climate targets.
Brought to full council by Climate Champion, Cllr Draeyk Van Der Hørn, elected members also welcomed the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, which brings statutory targets for public bodies, including local authorities, to meet the challenges of the nature crisis.
Council also agreed to adopt a partnership approach to work through the numerous strategies created to tackle climate change and the biodiversity crisis.
The Council Leader will now write to COSLA outlining the points in the motion with a view that they take this forward and request additional resources from the Scottish Government to support this work.
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Van Der Hørn said:
“The decision shows how we can act together as a council, recognising the importance of nature emergency, so we can all act and work together on restoring our natural world.”
Council Leader, Cllr Kathleen Robertson, added:
“I am pleased that Officers will bring back a report on the impact of the Nature Emergency to a further committee and look forward to the response from COSLA for more resources to address this matter.”
