Building resilience to the effects of climate change on important local habitats and landscapes was at the top of the agenda when local MP, David Rutley, took time to visit the National Trust's Lyme Park in Disley.
David was joined on the visit by Lead Ranger, Chris Dunkerley, and Claire Disley, a full-time Ranger at Lyme Park, who showed him some of the innovative steps that the National Trust is taking to ensure the property and its landscapes are resilient to climate change. These include the creation of woodland areas with a more robust and diverse range of species, combined with the removal of non-native invasive plant species. David was pleased to learn that 1,500 new trees have been planted at Lyme Park over the past three years.
Ms Disley also explained that Lyme Park is taking part in the National Trust's 'Riverlands' scheme, which will see the rewetting of nearby moorland, promoting more carbon capture, slowing water flows and reducing the risk of fires. The condition of Lyme Park's moorland will also be improved thanks to the recent introduction of its own herd of highland cattle, with their natural grazing behaviour.
Beyond these measures, the National Trust's broader mission is to help reconnect more people with nature and the importance of protecting our natural environment. The team at Lyme Park are seeking to fulfil this important aim by creating experiences in nature which are both fun and informative.
On his visit, David was also able to inspect the damage to the car park, footpaths and grounds caused by the recent localised flooding. David and the National Trust Ranger Team spoke about how important it is to ensure better resilience against future extreme weather incidents and David was impressed to see that the National Trust is already working to restore areas damaged by the floodwaters.
Speaking after his visit, David said, "As the recent flooding in Cheshire demonstrated, our climate is changing and we must urgently seek to address this. I was impressed to see the innovative and practical measures being implemented at Lyme Park to make the property more resilient to climate change, harnessing a more natural approach in doing this. I look forward to actively supporting Lyme Park as it takes forward this important work in the months ahead."