Lancashire Environment 2002
Foreward
'Lancashire Environment 2002' presents the first comprehensive picture of the state of the County's environment for a decade. It allows us to look at whether conditions in Lancashire have got better or worse for a wide range of environmental factors.
The first Green Audit published by Lancashire County Council in 1991 set a standard for environmental auditing which many others have since sought to replicate. This report builds on that and updates the key environmental indicators from the Green Audit.
The results show that there have been tremendous improvements in some areas, such as the cleanliness of our beaches and rivers but that challenges still remain.We have 23% more woodland but the County still has one of the lowest areas of woodland cover in the country. Two thirds of our Districts have less than half the national average.
Overall, Lancashire's Environment 2002 contains 35 indicators which show whether conditions have improved or deteriorated since 1991. 17 indicators reveal an improving situation with only 3 showing things getting worse. However for 15 of the indicators the data is inconclusive or there is insufficient data to show a definite trend. In many cases we do not the information we need to enable proper assessments to be made.
One of the key findings from this audit is that we need to develop better monitoring systems. There is a need for more effective monitoring of environmental change through developing qualitative indicators, including looking at how our climate is changing and what impact that is having in Lancashire. In areas such as landscape, countryside and nature conservation, there are good measures of how much land is designated as 'special' or 'protected' but not of whether those areas are improving or deteriorating.
We will now be considering how we can improve our monitoring systems to inform future state of the environment reports.
We will also be sharing these findings with our partners to stimulate discussion about how we can work together to address the issues raised, and bring about further improvements to Lancashire's environment.
County Councillor Brian Johnson,
Cabinet Member for Community and Regeneration