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Our work: The Nature After Minerals Programme


Nature After Minerals: A new team in play

We have a new team of Advisers in post, made possible by Natural England through Defra's Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF).

 Focus on Planning Adviser - Charles Butt

The grant will run to the end of March 2011 and during that time our Planning Adviser, will be conducting a national assessment of emerging MDFs to review their status, regional apportionment and potential for biodiversity delivery. The results will showcase how best to bring biodiversity fully into the equation and help target delivery at the local level. A series of seminars and workshops tailored for planners and elected members will be available for those Mineral Planning Authorities identified as having the greatest potential to contribute to the Government targets for habitat creation through the Biodiversity Action Plan. The project aims to share best practice and lessons learned, and builds on the programme of past regional workshops, which many readers attended. www.afterminerals.com). The RTPI Planning Award 2008 recognised the usefulness of the tool which uses simple environmental and physical criteria such as soil type, geology and proximity to existing BAP habitats to inform strategic spatial planning.

A nationwide trawl for electronic data describing future allocations or preferred areas of extraction is underway. This will be used to update the award winning predictive web tool, which provides recommendations on the potential for mineral sites for biodiversity delivery.

The case studies, seminars and web tool are a resource offered to mineral planning authorities, landowners and local communities, conservation bodies and operators alike. To date we have gathered many examples of Mineral Planning Authorities and operators working together to develop restoration schemes that have multiple, sustainable long term benefits. We hope they inspire you to grab the opportunity to take a bold and visionary approach to site restoration that will benefit people and wildlife. And if you have examples of your own we would like to hear from you.

 To share your best practice in planning for biodiversity, to provide MPA data on preferred areas or allocations, or to put forward a biodiversity related issue to resolve, please contact us.

Last updated 1 March 2010

 

New Partnership: RSPB & CEMEX

RSPB with CEMEX UK have come together in a new biodiversity partnership. The 2-year project is being lead by Dr Sam Tarrant who has taken on the role as the new CEMEX UK Biodiversity Restoration advisor. Contact Sam.Tarrant@rspb.org.uk to find out more.

Last updated 02 November 09 

 

 


RTPI) have awarded the www.AfterMinerals.com website with a prestigious RTPI Planning Award in the 2008 ‘e-government’ category. The website was recognised for the innovative use of information technology to inform the planning process, a tool developed to facilitate nature conservation benefit on minerals sites.

 The Nature After Minerals Programme, is looking to update the web tool over the coming year to include future mineral extraction sites or ‘preferred areas’. 

RTPI win (Feb 2009) Left to right: RTPI President Martin Willey, Mark Avery Director of Conservation RSPB and host Radio Four’s Fi Glover.
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The Judges awarded a glowing report:

 “It was the sheer usefulness of this project which impressed us. We were also impressed by the partnership approach to the project.

We think this is a highly practical tool… developed in a comprehensive, imaginative and professional way and… a project which might have won an award in more than one of our categories.”

This work could not have been achieved without the support and input from planners and mineral planning authorities and we would like to extend our thanks to those who have offered feedback and attended workshops.

Honoured Guests Left to right (back): Ken Hobden, Mineral Products Association (formerly QPA); Mark Walton, Environment Planning Protection Network; David Henshilwood, Natural England; Carl Simms, RSPB; Jerry McLaughlin, Mineral Products Association (formerly QPA); Darren Moorcroft, RSPB; Simon Elson, Surrey County Council; (front): Kareen Holliday, Nature After Minerals Programme; Mark Avery, RSPB. Guests included David Hill, Natural England, Peter Huxtable, British Aggregates Association and Minerals Planning Journal
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We are delighted that the project has been recognised in this way and will continue to look for opportunities to work together through a partnership approach.
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We will pool expertise and information to help this essential industry contribute strategically to Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) targets, as well as the suite of wider benefits to society such as recreation, amenity, education, soil protection and geodiversity.
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Last updated 05 February 09


Nature After Minerals

Minerals sites are often ideal for creating wildlife habitats such as wetlands, heath, grasslands and woods. 

The Nature After Minerals Programme is a new partnership between Natural England and the RSPB, with support from the Mineral  Products Association (formerly the Quarry Products Association).  The organisations are working with mineral planners and industry to help nature after minerals. Together, we will make substantial contributions to the habitats and species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan targets and provide richer places for people to enjoy.

Learn more about the Nature After Minerals Programme  

Working in Partnership

The RSPB and Natural England are working in partnership to achieve our joint objectives. Since the partnership was established in 2007, a Steering Group with representatives from both organisations provide governance and guide the strategic direction for the programme.

Representatives from the Mineral Products Association, Mineral Planning Authorities, the Environment Agency, as well as planners, geologists and land management advisors from both Natural England and RSPB, make up a Technical Advisory Group which offers technical guidance and input.

Our aims

The partnership has two primary aims:

1) To help deliver more priority BAP habitat on mineral sites, that is appropriate, high-quality and sustainable

2) To promote the huge benefits that high quality restoration and enhancement on mineral sites offer to people and wildlife

 


Nature After Minerals builds upon a strong foundation of work with the minerals industry. The first programme of work was through the predecessor initiative 'Minerals Restoration Potential Project'.

In January 2005, the RSPB started work on a national project aiming to understand the potential contribution that mineral sites in England could make to UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) targets for habitat creation.   The After Minerals website was one of the project's main outputs, a resource which the Nature After Minerals Programme continues to expand upon and revitalise.  

The potential contribution that habitat creation on mineral sites could make to UK BAP targets was vast.  However, the Minerals Restoration Potential (MRP) project also highlighted that only a small proportion of this potential was actually set to be realised. 

Learn more about the MRP Project


For information about Geographical Information Systems data relevant to Nature After Minerals, see the GIS data page


For links to other website that may be of interest, please see the links page


If you have any questions about the Nature After Minerals programme or to provide feedback about this site, please contact us