LOCAL efforts to improve nature and ecology in the South West will receive significant investment from a new £2million Nature Recovery Fund created by South West Water.

The package will support community-led projects to boost the environment by assisting environmental partnerships across Cornwall, Devon and the wider South West.

Part of the investment will help to expand volunteer programmes focused on grassroots biodiversity and nature conservation, which are delivered by local environmental groups.

The fund also hopes to support initiatives with local groups to improve water quality in the River Dart.

Collaborative projects with Plymouth City Council and the Environment Agency to enhance rainwater harvesting and catchment management for better bathing water quality are also planned, as well as community rainwater storage in St Agnes.

These schemes will help to guard against storm overflow events during heavy rainfall by temporarily diverting or storing rainwater, cutting the volume of water in sewers to more manageable levels.

The Nature Recovery Fund will also be used to expand existing pond creation schemes, tree planting, and other community-driven environmental projects, with funding priorities shaped in partnership with local environmental stakeholders.

Susan Davy, Chief Executive, said: ‘We are continuing to make big improvements to our environmental record.

‘This fund will help to support grassroots, community-led work to protect and restore our natural environment across the regions we serve.

‘Over the next five years, South West Water will continue to invest in critical infrastructure, increasing capacity across our estate and guarding against future disruptions.

‘We look forward to working with partners and communities across our areas as we increase our efforts to protect and support the environment across the whole of our region’.