Purpose

Climate and Environment are key priorities for the Council, as set out in the Great 8, Doncaster Economic Strategy, Housing Strategy, and Doncaster Delivering Together Investment Plan. The Environment & Sustainability Strategy seeks to deliver a series of outcomes from carbon reduction to nature protection and recovery.
Following extensive wildfires on Hatfield Moors in May 2020 that caused significant damage to habitat and a loss of peat carbon, partnership discussions reflected on the greater need to protect our peatland assets in the light of climate change, not only to protect the nationally important store of peat carbon and prevent it becoming a carbon source, but also to conserve biodiversity in a warming climate. Intervention was needed at a landscape scale that integrated the present and future needs of a wider range of interests.
As a result, the Council is now leading a multi-agency partnership to prepare a nomination to UNESCO for Biosphere Reserve status for Doncaster & Humberhead Levels. The current partnership includes Natural England and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust with support from other Local Authorities in the proposed biosphere area.
A Biosphere Development Steering Group is chaired by the Council’s Chief Executive, and a Biosphere project manager post in the Sustainability Unit has been funded from the Environment & Sustainability Earmarked Reserve.

Decision

As a result, the Council is now leading a multi-agency partnership to prepare a nomination to UNESCO for Biosphere Reserve status for Doncaster & Humberhead Levels. The current partnership includes Natural England and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust with support from other Local Authorities in the proposed biosphere area.
A Biosphere Development Steering Group is chaired by the Council’s Chief Executive, and a Biosphere project manager post in the Sustainability Unit has been funded from the Environment & Sustainability Earmarked Reserve.
A UNESCO Biosphere has the following core functions: -
1. Conservation – contribute to the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic diversity.

2. Development – foster economic and human development which is socio-culturally and ecologically sustainable.
3. Logistic Support – support for demonstration projects, environmental education and training, research and monitoring related to local, regional, national, and global issues of conservation and sustainable development.

Biosphere reserves aim to be ‘learning places for sustainable development’. They are sites for testing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity. Sustainable development in a UNESCO Biosphere is based on the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. A UNESCO Biosphere in the region would give Doncaster the opportunity to be a leader in new sustainable development practices.
In order to create a UNESCO Biosphere in the region that serves its community a large amount of public engagement needs to be undertaken. We have undertaken a Heritage Lottery Application for 15 months of Biosphere Engagement and within application included funding for a Biosphere Engagement Officer.
The lottery funded project concludes in November 2026.
We will extend the Biosphere Engagement Officer contract from November 2026 to July 2027 to fully support the integration of the UNESCO Biosphere in the local community. This is to maintain momentum on the project and to maintain the established relationships the Biosphere Engagement Officer has built with the community groups. The Lottery funded project will have created outcomes and the contract extension enables the Biosphere Engagement Officer to action these. The Biosphere Engagement Office with continue to build partnerships within the Council and external organisations to deliver actions in the Environment and Sustainability strategy and other related strategies promoting sustainable development for environmental and social benefit.
Biosphere Engagement Officer:
• Sustainability Unit Grade 8 x 8 months with on-costs + 3.5% for salary rise/increment =
£34,150
Total costs to be met from the EMR = £34,150

Alternative options considered

Decline of the extension of the Biosphere Engagement Officer’s contract, while it would not critically harm the application to UNESCO it would:
a. Significantly weaken our ability to engage the public with the Biosphere proposal, decreasing its effectiveness.
b. Reduces our ability to demonstrate why bringing a Biosphere to the region is positive for the inhabitants of the region.
Therefore, the option to decline funding offers has been rejected.