Brighton and Hove City Council leader Jason Kitcat on the importance of Brighton’s biosphere
I’m delighted the Brighton area has become the first new UN Biosphere in the UK in almost 40 years, as well as the only one in south-east England. It adds to the work we’re doing across the greater Brighton region to support and promote our shared economy and environment.
A biosphere is an area internationally recognised by UNESCO as a leader in balancing conservation and development. Our Brighton and Lewes Downs Biosphere is the block of land and sea between the River Adur at Shoreham in the west and the River Ouse at Newhaven in the east. Our joint bid couldn’t have been successful without the support and work of our 40-odd partners including other local councils, the RSPB, the National Trust, universities and schools, and businesses.
What do we have in common with the likes of other biospheres such as South Africa’s Cape winelands, the Danube delta, and Greece’s Mount Olympus? Well, for a start we’re home to some globally unique and rich environments including chalk grassland on the South Downs, vegetated shingle beaches and undersea chalk reefs. We’re host to thousands of species of wildlife, including more than 200 that have been internationally recognised as being in need of conservation.
But that’s not enough to qualify for biosphere status – we must not only recognise wildlife across the Downs, city and coast, we also have to balance nature with sustainable development. In many ways we already do this, for example through supporting transport routes to the Downs, cleaning up our beaches and putting in place ambitious targets for sustainable building within the city’s boundaries.
But biosphere status gives us the opportunity to raise more awareness about this work locally, put us on the world map as a place to visit and invest, and it opens the door to attracting more funding to the city.
Our biosphere will help everyone appreciate and enjoy the wealth of nature on our doorsteps, and set us up for exciting opportunities ahead.
