Sharing the good news from the Essex Business School and School of Life Sciences at the University of Essex that CERG’s joint interdisciplinary application to the Innovation Fund has just been approved.
The project, which is… “an outcome of Dr Tony Sampson’s (EBS and project lead) and Professor Tom Cameron’s (Life Sciences) collaboration with the Cultural Engine Research Group (CERG) on the Wild Essex Imaginarium (a special symposium held at EBS in Sept 2025 focused on arts, cultural and community engagement and action in the Essex Wildlife Trust’s LNRS). Uttlesford District Council’s attendance at this event initiated an enthusiastic conversation about a collaborative exchange based on the Districts Council’s existing plans and supported by UoE skills in business, community development, and environment to support their realisation. The project enables direct action to support the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) delivery in North West Essex. Essex LNRS was launched by the Essex Local Nature Partnership (hosted by Essex CC). This statutory document sets out priorities for nature recovery across Greater Essex, with roles and action for key players including local authorities, agriculture, charities, business and local communities.
Given the challenge of biodiversity loss, hyper-local community action is required at scale across all parts of Essex. This includes at a community level, with local charities, groups, parish councils all needing to step up and deliver relevant programmes in their areas.
