A recent report highlights the efforts made by Caerphilly County Borough Council to enhance biodiversity.
The Council’s Environment and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee endorsed the updated report at a meeting held on 16th November.
Caerphilly County Borough Council has a legal duty to maintain and enhance biodiversity to promote the resilience of ecosystems under the Environment (Wales) Act 2016.
Included within the report are several initiatives successfully delivered by the council, which aid in the protection of biodiversity within the borough. These projects include the adoption of a Green Infrastructure Strategy in November 2020 which aims to build on the significant work already carried out by the council to develop Caerphilly into a green and healthy place to live with an established, multi-functional green infrastructure of high-quality spaces; interlinked by a network of corridors that benefit both people and nature.
Tree planting initiatives have also been undertaken, which saw dedicated volunteers plant 4,500 trees at Ynys Hywel Farm that links to Sirhowy Valley Country Park delivering a significant wildlife corridor between the Graig Goch Local Nature Reserve, NRW woodland and the River Sirhowy. An additional 27,600 trees have also been contract planted on an adjacent site.
The ‘Nature isn’t Neat’ approach to grass-cutting was approved by the council in December 2021, whereby highway verges and by-pass routes mowing is kept to a minimum and a list of areas were nominated by local members within their respective wards, which could be allowed to flourish during the summer period, enhancing the local environment.
Cllr Chris Morgan, Cabinet Member for Waste, Leisure & Green spaces, said “In 2019 Caerphilly became only the second council in Gwent to declare a climate emergency and commit to becoming carbon neutral by 2030. This repot highlights the incredible work that has been undertaken by Team Caerphilly, in order to help reach this goal.
“Taking care of the environment, protecting our biodiversity, and reducing our carbon footprint is everyone’s responsibility and it’s great to see the variety of projects being undertaken by us as a council, but also those which engage residents and local communities.
“I was proud to chair a recent seminar on biodiversity to all council members supported by our officers and it was fantastic to see the support from all members for our council’s biodiversity work.”
