It’s Friday, which is the typical time of the week to look back and see what our customers have been up to lately. The answer is usually ‘lots’, with around 1000 or more consultations, engagements and other activities open on the Citizen Space Aggregator on any given day.

There are some especially interesting exercises open on the topic of climate and environmental preservation at the moment.

Forests are having a moment, with in-depth forestry and green infrastructure strategies from the Government of Northern Ireland and Torfaen. And the Environment Agency continue to use their Citizen Space in innovative and versatile ways. (Read more about the versatility of Citizen Space.)

Read on for more details.

Torfaen Council

Torfaen is running a consultation on a Green Infrastructure Strategy. Essentially, Torfaen is seeking stakeholder input on how the county will care for its green and natural spaces in the long term – including forests, parks, waterways, and so on – as well as ensuring the public can safely access and benefit from them. The Strategy demonstrates how green infrastructure can help adapt to climate change, reverse the decline in biodiversity and support healthy living and well-being.

Why it’s good: This is aimed more towards stakeholders than individual members of the public, so it’s quite lengthy, but it does a good job of not getting too technical. The strategy document is embedded in every section, and they’ve done a good job of summarising and explaining each issue that’s presented.

Government of Northern Ireland

The Government of Northern Ireland are consulting on proposed forest and woodland plans for Armagh. Headings include Protecting Habitats and Species, Growing Trees Sustainably, and Restoring Peatland Habitats – as well as some detailed appendices on environmental policy and the existing peatland restoration strategy.

Why it’s good: Again, this is a stakeholder consultation, so it’s long, but it’s very well-structured. The chapter-based consultation with clear headings makes for easy navigation. Climate obligations and the essential role of forests in combating climate change, biodiversity loss and habitat loss is a key consideration throughout.

Environment Agency

This is an example of the Environment Agency’s use of Citizen Space to host information pages. They are holding three targeted Citizens’ Juries, on the topic of ‘rethinking water’, to discuss the important question: How do you connect with water in your local environment, and what needs to be changed in the future to benefit people and wildlife?

Two of the three juries have already taken place with the third set for the 18th March.

The page lists information about the Citizen’s Juries and the surrounding issues. Although everyone taking part has already been selected, it’s still beneficial to show information and resources about these participatory events as they can influence decisions that affect everyone in the area. Hosting an information page such as this is a good idea in terms of transparency and accountability.

Citizen Space is a citizen engagement platform trusted by government around the world. Government organisations and public bodies use Citizen Space to connect with more citizens, increase engagement and improve processes.

To learn more about what Citizen Space can do for your organisation, book a free demo and we’ll walk you through it.