Government agencies and officials set to visit Harborough this week to find out more about council's 'groundbreaking' rewilding scheme
Leading environment organisations and Government departments are coming to Harborough this week to visit the district council’s Rewilding Harborough project.
Representatives from Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Natural England, the Environment Agency, Anglian Water, Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts will meet at the council’s offices in The Symington Building on October 8 before seeing some of the sites on the ground.
Harborough District Council said: "The purpose of the visit is to introduce project partners, build a partnership approach, demonstrate how large scale projects such as this can contribute to nature recovery and share learning.
"Topics of discussion will also include water related issues with a focus on the River Welland and wetland restoration."
Cat Hartley, director of communities and wellbeing, said: “Establishing effective partnerships is going to be the key to making this rewilding project successful. I am looking forward to welcoming these organisations and showing them that we are taking action to address the nature crisis in the region with the engagement of local communities.”
Mat Carter, chief executive of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, said: “This project is an opportunity to restore nature and create a landscape where people and wildlife can thrive. We work best together and are delighted to welcome our partners to see this project”.
Rewilding Harborough is a project where the council acquired 130 acres of land to the north of Market Harborough and Great Bowden to, in their words, "unlock a restoration of regional and national significance for nature recovery and rewilding".
With the support of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust the council intends to restore and reconnect habitats at scale across the district, creating a "resilient and healthy environment, accessible for people, teeming with nature and rich with opportunities for learning, health and wellbeing".
Groups and people who are interested in getting involved in the Rewilding Harborough project can email: [email protected]