25 October 2023
In July 2023, the SHG budget for 2023/24 was approved by Legislative Council. The budget allocated a total of £47,072,000 for recurrent and capital expenditure.
Of the £47,072,000, the Environment, Natural Resources and Planning (ENRP) Portfolio was allocated £1,682,000. This means that of the six Portfolios included in the 2023/24 Budget Book, ENRP receive 3.6% of the SHG recurrent budget.
The Portfolio has 84 recurrent and 16 project staff roles to deliver its range of work.
What are ENRPs strategic aims?
Whilst all Portfolios contribute to the five national goals, the ENRP Portfolio primarily supports the Altogether Greener and Altogether Wealthier goals. To deliver this, ENRP work programmes contribute to seven of SHG’s 33 strategic objectives.
To support these national goals and strategic objectives, ENRP is pursuing five main policy priority areas as part of its Strategy and Delivery Plan, which are being used to inform and direct their work programmes. These are:
- Protecting the natural environment by conserving biodiversity, preventing, minimising or mitigating against any negative activity and or impact, to conserve and enhance the Island’s natural capital.
- Increasing our capacity to safeguard natural habitats and save critically endangered species.
- Managing our natural resources sustainably to increase food production, provide forestry services and products.
- Safeguarding St Helena through implementing a robust biosecurity system and reducing the environmental impact of invasive species.
- Implementing an effective land planning and building control system in support of sustainable development and economic growth.
Where will ENRP’s allocation be spent?
ENRP’s allocation will support delivery of a number of leadership, advisory, regulatory, provider and enabling functions, as well as a number of public services.
The ENRP is responsible for a broad range of functions and services, such as managing the SHG forest and agricultural estates, agricultural services to producers, environmental protection, waste management, biosecurity, licencing of fishing and marine activities and their enforcement, energy and water policy, and a land planning and building control service.
The allocation will also compliment a number of externally funded projects, including marine and fisheries conservation, cloud forest management, National Conservation Area (NCA) management, waste materials recycling, single-use plastics and upgrades to the SHG agricultural estate.
Whilst much of the ENRP budget is focused on delivering these policy priority areas the policy deliverables they are focusing on include:
- Review of existing policy and strategy in the areas of agriculture, biosecurity and climate change.
- Developing a new renewable energy policy to underpin St Helena’s transition to generating 80% of its energy demand from renewables by 2027/28.
- Developing a new policy for environment and marine pollution, to ensure that we are adequately protecting our precious environment and special biodiversity, and meeting international environmental and maritime obligations.
- A terrestrial conservation programme aimed at maintaining and managing key endemic species and habitats, helping to manage the risk posed by the current pathogen situation, whilst also supporting activities of the Cloud Forest project.
- Developing a new five year Biosecurity Policy
Since the budget was approved ENRP has already delivered a number of outputs. This has included:
- Progressing 38 development applications for decisions
- Further SHG Agriculture Estate upgrading work under the Investment in Agriculture Project funded by EDIP
- Imported a further consignment of day-old chicks to replenish the Island’s stock of layers for egg production
- Adoption of a further a new five year Marine Management Plan for St Helena’s MPA
- Adoption of new Marine Tourism and Interactions with Marine Life Regulations and delivery of training and accreditation to implement a marine tourism and interactions with marine life licencing system
If you would like more information about any areas of the ENRPs work, please get in touch with Darren Duncan, Portfolio Director, by email through darren.duncan@sainthelena.gov.sh or by telephone on 24724.
#StHelena #ENRP #Budget23