The environmental plan project

Skånes Ess local environmental plan constitutes a good guidance towards a greener economy, but to catalyze the process, targeted efforts are required. The environmental plan project will translate that environmental plan into real initiatives and contribute to achieving the municipal, regional, national, and global environmental goals.

Skånes Ess has in its local development strategy for 2014-2020 a strong focus on environmental and sustainability issues, primarily through the intervention area Land/water. Here, ideas related to collaboration between land, forestry, and water activities, local implementation of environmentally friendly measures, improved water environment in lakes and waterways draining to Hanöbukten/Baltic Sea, long-term sustainable outdoor life and tourism, as well as capacity-building measures are included.

Ahead of the program period and as a basis for the development strategy, a local environmental plan was developed to show the way towards the measures, cross-fertilizations between activities, and possible project ideas that can be realized through locally led development using the leader method. The environmental plan was based on national and regional environmental goals as well as interviews with local and regional authorities and organizations with environmental work on their agenda (municipal ecologists, the County Administrative Board in Kristianstad, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation in Skåne, the Biosphere Area Vattenriket, and the environmental and health protection unit in Kristianstad).

There is a common interest in the community to locally find the balance between utilizing, developing, and preserving the place-based resources available in the geographical area of Skånes Ess. The environmental plan constitutes a good guidance, but to catalyze the process towards a greener economy, targeted efforts are required which will be undertaken through the Environmental Plan Project. In the project, we want to:

• Stimulate collaboration and open discussions between industries, land, and water activities.
• Connect ongoing local initiatives and ideas with possible measures.
• Take advantage of and support budding initiatives.
• Find possible funding for good local ideas.
• Inspire regarding resource efficiency and transition.
• Highlight ongoing efforts.
• Link together environmental and climate work locally, regionally, and nationally.

To lead the work, a project manager will be hired to coordinate activities that will initiate local environmental work. The project manager is also tasked with exploring the area and seeking interesting suggestions and ideas, as well as organizing study visits to showcase good examples. To stimulate new meetings, various types of theme meetings and workshops will be organized. In collaboration with regional and local actors in the environment and climate, information about funding opportunities will be provided. Interesting results will be followed up qualitatively by the project manager and compiled into a material to be disseminated within the network and to the public.

The project provides conditions to implement the local environmental plan that was developed during 2013-2014 into real initiatives and contribute to achieving the municipal, regional, national, and global environmental goals. The project can use the umbrella project land/water as a tool for initiatives that contribute to the goals. The project enables meetings between different actors working on issues related to land/water and the environment while creating a local network. Inspiring activities about environmental initiatives are organized based on what has been developed in the Environmental Plan. The project fits well into Skånes Ess strategy and contributes to the goals for 2014-2020.