5:10pm Wednesday 25th January 2012
By Mike Addison
MORECAMBE Bay could benefit from thousands of pounds worth of investment if it becomes a Nature Improvement Area (NIA) next month.
Defra and Natural England will ann-ounce 12 NIAs across the country on February 27, and Morecambe Bay is one of 15 places in the running.
If successful, the government would make a £657,000 grant to Lancaster City Council — designated the accountable body for the three-year project — which will oversee distribution of the cash.
It would mean that areas in the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Out-standing Natural Beauty (AONB) and places towards the north and west of Morecambe Bay would benefit, inc-luding the crucial limestone pavements that provide a rich habitat for many species.
The local economy could also be boost-ed through promoting nature-based tourism and providing benefits for farming businesses in the area. Enhanced and enlarged wildlife sites are also in the pipeline. Another potential benefit would be a reduction in carbon escaping into the atmosphere.
“This money would basically be an investment in nature,” said Lucy Barron, manager of the Arnside and Silverdale AONB. “We’re trying to improve the natural environment across the area through a range of different measures.
“It’s all about bringing positive ben-efits to the area and that’s why we have made this application and worked with a range of people to capitalise on this opportunity, because otherwise the funding will go elsewhere in the country.”
The NIA grant scheme has been est-ablished to help improve the landscape, biodiversity, ecosystems and the public’s connection with the natural envir-onment. Should Morecambe Bay be successful in gaining the status, work on the NIA would begin in April. The creation of 12 new NIAs by Spring 2012 follows a Government commitment in the Natural Environment White Paper.
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