The Environmental Prospectus for South West England

The Environmental Prospectus for South West England (March 1999) has been produced by a partnership of organisations. The environment of the SW is a key regional strength and one that sets it apart from other English regions. With the right approach, the environment has the potential to contribute even further to the sustainable development of the SW, securing economic, social and environmental benefits for the Region which will be in everyone’s interest.

THE ENVIRONMENT CONTRIBUTES 100,000 JOBS AND £1.6 BILLION TO THE SOUTH WEST ECONOMY. THIS IS OVER 4% OF EMPLOYMENT AND 3% OF GDP IN THE SOUTH WEST

CURRENT POSITION

The Environment Sector: c38,000 jobs, c£833 million output

• The Environment Industry: firms that provide goods and services which are needed for environmental protection
• Environmental Management: use of environmental management systems by businesses to assess and reduce their impact on the environment
• Renewable Energy: wind energy, biofuels and their potentials
• Waste Management Sector: recycling and alternatives to landfill

Regenerating the primary sector: c600 jobs, c£13.1 million output

• Agriculture & Environment: environmental land management schemes, organic farming
• Regional Produce: using the high quality of the environment to brand regional produce, local purchasing, countryside products
• Forestry: Working Woodlands, multi-purpose forestry, Community Forests, the South West Forest Projects Branch
• Quality of life: quality of life underpinning life in much of the region for its residents

Capitalising on a high quality environment: c55,000 jobs, c£473 million output

• Tourism: rural/countryside tourism, sustainable tourist activities, coast and clean seas
• Films and Media: Dedicated regional centres of excellence, quality environments as film locations
• Inward Investment: links between inward investment and quality of life factors, company location
• Natural Environment Sector: economic activity associated with the protection and enhancement of the natural environment.

FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

The environment is a fast growing sector. Significant opportunities exist to increase the employment and economic output of a number of environment-related activities:

Environment industries: an additional 24,000 jobs and £370m output

Organic farming: an additional 160 jobs and £3.5m output

Renewable energy: an additional 12,000 jobs and £260m output

Local purchasing: an additional 2,000 jobs and £44m output

This represents a potential 40% growth to increase the environment’s contribution to 6% of employment and 5% GDP.

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

An Environmental Prospectus for South West England offers a number of recommendations to SWERDA and others with a key role to play in the sustainable development of the Region. These recommendations can be summarised as follows:-

A South West Economic Development Vision should:

A South West Economic Strategy should:

• develop a skills strategy that matches the existing and future opportunities offered by environment-related activities in the Region.
• identify ways in which it can direct incentives within funding programmes to encourage environmental benefits.
• identify flagship environmental projects and pursue programmes which demonstrate the ‘win win’ opportunities from pursuing environmental and economic objectives together.
• be subject to a ‘sustainability assessment’ which should include a strategic environmental assessment that is both comprehensive and transparent.

As a voice for the Region and in developing Best Practice, SWERDA and others charged with the economic development of the Region should develop in-house expertise and work with the network of environmental partners to:

• assess the environmental impacts and opportunities of policies and programmes.
• help business to respond to new environmental legislation and policy developments.
• ensure that necessary environmental infrastructure, such as waste management facilities, is put in place.

A detailed technical document is available for interested organisations, contact RSPB Tel: 01392 432691.