University of Exeter and CIoSLNP Mobilize Public to Enhance Environmental Enforcement in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

University of Exeter and CIoSLNP Mobilize Public to Enhance Environmental Enforcement in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

(IN BRIEF) The Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Local Nature Partnership (CIoSLNP) is urging residents to report environmental offences harming nature and wildlife, such as illegal tree felling, poaching, and marine pollution. This initiative comes after a detailed review, conducted with the University of Exeter’s Centre for Environmental Law, evaluated enforcement practices among seven regional agencies. The review pinpointed challenges like regulatory overlaps and poor public communication and proposed measures including a centralized website and enhanced inter-agency cooperation. In response, CIoSLNP has launched a dedicated campaign and webpage to facilitate reporting, with local leaders emphasizing the critical need for improved enforcement to protect the region’s unique natural assets.

(PRESS RELEASE) EXETER, 5-Mar-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — In an effort to bolster environmental protection, the Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Local Nature Partnership (CIoSLNP) is urging residents to report any suspicious activities that might be harming nature and wildlife. The initiative follows a comprehensive review—conducted in collaboration with the University of Exeter’s Centre for Environmental Law—that examined enforcement practices across seven agencies including the Marine Management Organisation, Environment Agency, Natural England, and local police forces. The report identified critical challenges such as regulatory overlaps, insufficient public communication, and limited inter-agency cooperation, and recommended several measures including a centralized website, improved reporting, and enhanced public engagement to streamline enforcement and reduce prosecution costs.

In response, CIoSLNP has introduced new collaborative measures among the agencies and launched an awareness campaign to guide the public on how to report illegal activities like unauthorized tree felling, poaching, and marine pollution. A dedicated webpage—Help Protect our Wildlife and Environment | Let’s Talk Cornwall—provides detailed contact information for reporting such incidents, as well as guidance for assisting stranded wildlife.

Lord Teverson, Chair of CIoSLNP, stressed the importance of enforcing environmental laws to protect both current and future generations, while Councillor Martyn Alvey highlighted the region’s unique natural landscapes and the collective responsibility to preserve them. Dr Tiago de Melo Cartaxo from the University of Exeter added that improving enforcement is crucial amid national concerns over declining environmental compliance, emphasizing that the report’s recommendations could serve as a model for regulatory reform across the UK.

Media Contact:

pressoffice@exeter.ac.uk

SOURCE: University of Exeter