Devon Local Nature Partnership appoint chairperson

The Devon Local Nature Partnership (LNP) has appointed Suzanne Goodfellow as its chair.

The Partnership was established last year as one of 48 strategic local nature partnerships formed in England, and its board met for the first time in December.

Suzanne will be taking up the voluntary role with the aim of maximising the economic, social and health benefits obtained from Devon’s outstanding natural environment.

Suzanne worked for many years with Dartmoor National Park Authority, for much of this time leading the authority's ecological work, but more recently in the positions of Director of Park Management and Director of Conservation. As well as having responsibility for guiding the National Park’s role on natural environment, cultural heritage, tourism and access issues, Suzanne also developed and delivered projects such as Dartmoor Farming Futures and the Dartmoor Mires Project.

Since July 2012, Suzanne has acted as Director of a new company – Goodfellow Environmental – which provides environmental and ecological consultancy services that integrate people, place and policy. She brings to the LNP not only a tremendous wealth of knowledge, but also considerable vision, drive and enthusiasm.  On this basis, Suzanne is very well-placed to provide a strong, championing voice for Devon’s natural environment as well as very competent leadership of the LNP.

She said: “I am absolutely delighted to be appointed to the Chair of Devon LNP and really look forward to working with other Board members, and all those who care about the Devon’s natural environment.  A key role for the LNP will be to bring partners together to strengthen, protect and improve Devon’s amazing natural environment and to enhance the ways in which this contributes to the health and wellbeing of Devon’s people and a sustainable growth economy.”

The Devon LNP Board has commissioned the development of a Business Plan, which will be published later this spring.