North Yorkshire volunteers praised for efforts to help to tackle climate change

It says the work of volunteers is vital to conduct grassroots schemes to conserve the county’s vast natural habitats.

Among those who are involved in conservation projects is Audrey McGhie, 61, a nurse at Scarborough Hospital.

She is among a 20-strong group of volunteers with the Yorkshire Seal Group, which work to teach visitors to respect the wildlife that lives on the coastline.

They provide telescopes and binoculars, so that people can watch the seals unobtrusively.

“I am very interested in anything to do with conservation and wildlife,” Audrey said. “I lived in the Falklands for a long time and saw the wildlife there, which includes a lot of different types of seal. I also saw the effect people are having on the marine environment.

“If I can get more people interested and aware of the environment and the impact we have on marine life, I am helping in some small way.”

North Yorkshire Council said the work of community champions has made a huge contribution across the county, keeping it “greener and more connected in ways that would otherwise not have been possible”.

With the Howardian Hills, Nidderdale and the Forest of Bowland Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors National Parks, North Yorkshire has five protected landscapes covering almost 50 per cent of its countryside.

Among initiatives which aim to help with habitat restoration and improving biodiversity is a proposed local nature recovery strategy.

The planned strategy for York and North Yorkshire, which is due to be in place in 2025, will identify priorities for nature's recovery, map the most valuable existing areas and identify opportunities for creating and improving habitats.

Funding of £388,000 from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been allocated to prepare the strategy throughout the current and next financial years.

Members of the council’s executive have also endorsed a bid for York and North Yorkshire to become the first carbon negative region in the country, meaning more carbon dioxide emissions would be removed from the atmosphere than are emitted.

The authority said its own work is aided by scores of volunteers who are “playing a major role in helping to conserve the environment”.

A team of 130 countryside volunteers helps to look after 6,000 kilometres of public rights of way and play an instrumental role in preserving access to the countryside.

They also help with landscape conservation in the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which lies between Helmsley, Malton, Sheriff Hutton and Easingwold.

Coun Carl Les, North Yorkshire Council’s leader, said: “Volunteers play such an important role in society, but their work on conservation projects in North Yorkshire is invaluable.

“Like all councils across the country, we are facing significant financial pressures, and volunteers are such an important additional strand to support the work we do."

Executive member for managing the environment, Coun Greg White, added: “North Yorkshire is the largest county in England and while our stunning landscapes are famous across the world, it is a mammoth task to conserve them and protect them for future generations.

“The need to tackle climate change is a priority for the council, and we are indebted to volunteers whose conservation work is so important to achieving those aims.”

A climate change strategy has been drawn up for North Yorkshire to develop work that is already under way to reduce carbon emissions, while outlining how the council will prepare for changes in climate.

Initiatives being considered include producing more renewable energy, reducing the use of fossil fuels, improving insulation in homes, encouraging the use of low-emission vehicles and promoting more active travel such as cycling and walking.