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Alive with Nature

Stirling Council and partners aim to deliver the aspirations set out in this plan as part of our commitment to combating climate change and conserving biodiversity. Delivery of this plan will result in increasing natural capital, improving health and wellbeing, and strengthening social inclusion, using investment in our natural environment to achieve positive change.

We have attached the full Alive with Nature (PDF document)

We are asking for feedback on this document so we can make sure that your thoughts and views are added before the plan is agreed upon. You will find a survey below where you can provide your views. Thank you for your support.

Alive with Nature - Consultation Draft.pdf

(4.1 MB)

Phases

Phases overview

Phase 1: Alive with Nature Plan Survey

Alive with Nature Plan Survey

Phase 2: Further Comments

Further Comments

Phase 3: Analysis of your feedback

Analysis of your feedback

Phase 4: Feedback

Feedback

Phase 5: Comment on the draft Plan

Comment on the draft Plan

Phase 6: The Final Plan

The Final Plan

Further Comments

20 August 2021 23:00 - 6 September 2021 23:00

Now the survey is closed, we invite everyone to offer us their views in the comments section below. We will use these comments, alongside the survey results to inform the next steps.

13 ideas

Susan Mitchell5 years ago There is a climate emergency so every road in Stirling Council's area needs a cycle lane. by 2031. Yet your plan merely says, "The [Alive with Nature] document also designates the Central Scotland Green Network and the National Walking and Cycling Network as national developments" This is completely meaningless. You can designate all you like but you have no plans and no targets. The "Alive with Nature " document may as well be a "dead without Nature" document if you don't do something massive in the next ten years. Now, if it is impractical to manage to put a cycle lane on every road then tell us what proportion of roads will have cycle lanes. Is it going to be 1 in 2, 1 in 5 , or 1 in 10? Stop using meaningless "designations "and tell us how this major move from the motorised vehicle to active travel is really going to be accomplished in the 10 years we have left to make a difference to climate change, how much it is going to cost and where the money is coming from.

Neil Kitching5 years ago The Council needs to place far more emphasis on tackling the scourge of invasive species. At present, it appears in a couple of short paragraphs and one action. Invasive species are one of the main threats to our biodiversity and they require coordinated and long term action to control. Not endless more 'monitoring and mapping' - simply action to control them. Communities can help. We need a public education campaign too.Rhododendrons are rampant across many areas (Gillies Hill), himalayan balsam (River Forth), Japanese knotweed, grey squirrels and the notorious giant hogweed (railway lines, River Forth and the tip) - as well as many more. We shouldn't bury our heads in the sand and ignore this threat.

Aaron O' Brien5 years ago I see the described purpose, but the goals and objectives just describe one possibly too-large too-vague survey. Climate Change literally flooded my house, meanwhile our pedestrian paths and cycle lanes are drowned with the noise of traffic. Perhaps the Aw/N should reduce its scope, and enhance only one or two really impactful issues. Planting trees no more reduces Climate Change than band-aids on a gunshot wound - however maintaining greenfield sites in the Stirling River watershed would work to reduce flooding (note: there is major development planned along the banks of a major tributary at bridge of Allan - is this worth the further flooding in Stirling centre?) Also --stop excessively cutting grass in the green spaces around Old Stirling Bridge, wild space reduced run-off and actually supports wildlife.What I'm saying is, we must absolutely protect and assist in everyway those environments which reduce run-off and flooding. And tall vegetation, such as thick native hedges planted on let-it-grow-wild roads verges, would reduce noise pollution and make already existing pedestrian routes far more comfortable and approachable.

Una Mac Fadyen5 years ago There are many beautiful patches of natural habitat within the city of Stirling area that are choked with rubbish and overgrown with invasive weeds and potential hazards to animals e.g. ragwort. Just clearing these would encourage the local population to value and use these areas more responsibly. Where this has been done e.g. at riverside, the area is more popular and healthy. Likewise incentivising takeaways for use compostible wrapping would reduce the discarded plastic that adds to the environmental damage in our area.

David Mitchell5 years ago

Alison Brown5 years ago I don't understand some of the targets, they read as if they have been picked out of the air rather than worked out on an objective basis. Or am I reading this all wrong? For example, to have all children engaging with nature as part of education could be done this year. Does it really say 2045?? Also 'three' new active travel routes? In the whole area? When active travel is a top priority not only for net zero reasons but also as an immediate way to engage people with nature? Why three? Why not 33 or 333?

Alicia McGrandles5 years ago

Robert Moyes5 years ago There is scope to have the built environment play a big role via gardens and the like. Loss of gardens to driveways should be resisted. no mention of the long promoted path alongside the River Forth east towards Fallin.There is reference to 3 new Active travel routes but no mention of the quality of the best route in the City along the River to the north of Raploch which links the Centre with the College etc in a very environmentally way and which has scope for much improvement with tree planting etc.

Dorothy Breckenridge5 years ago

Tom Furniss5 years ago I welcome Stirling Council's Alive With Nature plan. But the Council needs to look to its own routine practices, some of which constitute the kind of environmental vandalism that this document condemns. I'm referring to the routine spraying of weedkiller on the edges of paths and alongside fences and hedges in school grounds, parks and verges, which destroys wildflowers (so-called 'weeds') and wildlife habitats (especially by hedges) and deprives pollinators of food sources. Weedkiller also destroys soil organisms, gets into water systems, and can affect animal and human health. This is especially pernicious in school grounds. Such spraying goes against some of the key aims of the Council's plan - - the objective to ensure 'Biodiverse areas exist within all school grounds and business parks' (p.14) and the highest priority action to 'Deliver changes to land management, include grass and verge maintenance' (p.15).

Veronica Korkut5 years ago

Wendy Faulkner5 years ago The fourth set of Alive with Nature objectives seeks to involve stakeholders, including communities and volunteers, to monitor, drive and deliver change. One suspects that this emphasis on community engagement is motivated in part by an anticipation of limited funding. Nonetheless, it is clear that the scale of the emergencies we face will require effort and change by all groups and sectors in our communities. Moreover, local knowledge and insight into economic, environmental and social history and conditions (eg, re flooding) can provide crucial inputs into developing appropriate solutions.The challenge is how to enable this level and breadth of engagement. The following thoughts are offered in a constructive spirit, hopefully to open a conversation:· In order to get significant and impact-ful community engagement, there is a crying need to raise environmental awareness, of both the CNE issues and possible solutions. The point of doing this is to inspire and motivate citizens to get involved in whatever actions make sense to people locally. It is to build a movement of people coming together to make a difference.· How to inform and motivate citizens is arguably the greatest challenge wrt to community engagement around the CNEs. It will require creativity as well as targeted outreach (to local schools, housing, businesses, youth groups, etc). Thankfully, there is also a growing body of experience to learn from and draw on as communities across the country and beyond wrestle with the challenge. · One possible approach to inspiring engagement is suggested by recent experience in Fintry, where the community has become informed and animated about nature (in general) through work on the red squirrel. Why not use red squirrels a mascot for the whole ‘Alive with Nature’ effort – a red squirrel logo on Council road signs and anywhere that relevant actions are being taken?! Because people have strong positive associations with the species, this could work symbolically to build ‘buy in’ for the CNE plan. (Why not: everyone will have a red squirrel within 500m of their door?!)· Existing community bodies undoubtedly have a role to play. For instance, Community Councils might be mandated to survey residents for inputs on CNE actions and to monitor progress around targets for CNE actions. Similarly, Community Development Trusts could be proactive and strategic in developing a more circular, green economy in their localities. More ‘bottom up’ local initiatives should clearly be supported where these exist.· However good the level of local community engagement, there will continue to be a need for significant investment and support from governmental, third sector and business organisations. For many of the changes required, it will not work to simply hand over responsibility (or trees!) to communities. Some level of funding will likely be needed as well as relevant expertise (eg, specific practical guidance on what it means to plant ‘the right trees in the right place’ in the context of different localities).

Wendy Faulkner5 years ago Alive with Nature addresses part of what’s in the Council’s CNE Plan 2021-2045 – principally improving carbon absorption, the quality of the natural environment and people’s engagement with it. I like the vision for Stirling to have “a thriving natural environment enjoyed by all”. And I think the framing of specific objectives under four themes – to enhance, connect, embed and involve – is useful.However, whilst some of the policies needed to reduce emissions in the shire are addressed in other SC documents (notably, the Active Travel Action Plan and Food Growing Strategy), those cited do not appear to address other things we could and should be doing to reduce emissions – eg, building the public transport network and service levels needed to really reduce car use, supporting local businesses and communities to audit and reduce their carbon footprint. It would be good to hear more about what else SC in doing to reduce the county's carbon footprint?I have struggled to find out what Stirling Council is actually doing around the CNE partly because of the inter-related policy strands and the various partner jurisdictions (the National Park, Forth Valley). Is there a danger that policy in this area is becoming too ‘siloed’ when we need ‘joined up thinking’ if our efforts on the CNEs are to be effective?

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