Our Partnership

The Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Nature Partnership is a collaboration of local partners working together to grow nature – leading our local ambition for nature recovery. We are formed of individuals and senior decision-makers from across public, private and third sector bodies who recognise the importance of putting the environment at the heart of all our decision making.

Local Nature Partnership’s were formed following the 2011 Natural Environment White Paper, The Natural Choice: Securing the Value of Nature. Their role is to provide local, joined-up strategic leadership for the natural environment; and to champion nature’s value for the benefit of the environment, people and the economy.

photo credit: Simon Stuart-Miller

Our Board

Lord Robin Teverson – Chair

Robin is a member of the House of Lords and chairs its EU Environment sub-committee. He speaks in particular in the Lords on climate change and energy issues.

He is a former board member of the Marine Management Organisation. As such, he also takes a close interest in the marine environment and fisheries.

He is a trustee of the Green Purposes Company. This holds the ‘green share’ in the Green Investment Bank. He is a director of the think tank Policy Connect, and Wessex Investors Ltd. He represented Cornwall and Scilly as its MEP during the 1990s. He lives in mid-Cornwall.

Cllr Martyn Alvey

Martyn is the Cornwall Council Portfolio Holder for Environment & Climate Change. He was born and brought up in Falmouth and had a successful career in the Administration Branch of the Royal Air Force, retiring as a Squadron Leader in 2004.

He has been a Parish Councillor since 2004 and was first elected to Cornwall Council in 2017. During the last Administration Martyn shadowed the Environment and Climate Change Portfolio. Working cross-party with a Labour colleague Martyn seconded the Motion which led to Cornwall Council declaring a Climate Emergency.

He is a Trustee and former Chair of the Cornwall Community Flood Forum, an Environment Agency appointed member of the South West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee and a member of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership.

vicky fraser – CEO

Vicky is the Service Director for Environment and Connectivity at Cornwall Council. Vicky leads a team of over 200 officers who work across a range of services including Climate Change, Carbon Neutral Cornwall, AONBs, World Heritage Sites, Maritime Infrastructure, Parking, Highways, Public Transport, and Transport Strategy.

In January 2019 Cornwall Council declared a climate emergency, and Vicky is committed to delivering the Forest for Cornwall project as well as a resilient, carbon neutral transport network to ensure a cleaner, greener Cornwall in line with the Council’s target of carbon neutrality by 2030. Vicky is keen to support Cornwall’s rural communities with accessible, sustainable transport links for employment, education, training and leisure, alongside providing the right environment for walking and cycling to enable communities to live healthy active lives closer to home.

Matt walpole – DEPUTY CHAIR

Matt is the CEO of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. He grew up in Cornwall before forging a career in conservation that has seen him work and travel in over 70 countries.

He completed a PhD in nature-based tourism and undertook research in human-wildlife conflict and coexistence in Africa and Asia. He has developed and delivered global biodiversity indicators and assessments for the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and helped governments to mainstream biodiversity into wider development decision-making. He directed the secretariat of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment, the first of its kind to explore the value of nature to society.

Most recently Matt has been a strategic advisor at WWF International, with a particular focus on area-based conservation. He is a longstanding member of the judging panel of the World Responsible Travel Awards and has acted as a trustee for various conservation organisations.

clare parnell

Clare is a board member and rural lead on the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership and is chair of the organisation’s rural group. She has a background in Agricultural Economics and working in the Agri-food sector. She farms in a family partnership in North Cornwall.

nick lawrence

Nick is Assistant Director for the South West Region of The National Trust with responsibility for Cornwall. Nick grew up in Cornwall and after The Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester he trained in private practice, managing large agricultural estates. He holds regional and national roles with the Trust, though principally works in Cornwall. He leads the strategic direction, operational/project management and financial performance of properties in Cornwall where the Trust manages a diverse and substantial range of property, gardens, businesses and 196 miles of Cornish coast.

Inside and outside Nick’s work with the Trust he has been involved with various multi agency fora, charities and organisations. He has a wide and varied range of interests/hobbies, including most sport and outdoor activities. He has a particular passion for the environment and the Cornish coast.

mark rice

Mark is the Area Director for the Environment Agency in Devon Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. With a team of approximately 350 people our activity ranges from managing the risk of flooding from main rivers, reservoirs, estuaries and the sea; regulating industry and agriculture; responding to environmental incidents including major pollutions and flooding and managing water resources to secure the water needs of communities, businesses and the environment. Mark has 20 years’ experience of working with the Environment Agency in a variety of communications, operational and strategic roles, he has a background in communications and public affairs.

sian rees

Siân is an Associate Professor in Social-Ecological Systems Research at the University of Plymouth, UK. She is a social scientist who has extensive experience of delivering research that influences marine conservation, management and policy.

Siân currently leads the Marine Social Science Research Unit within the University of Plymouth’s Marine Conservation Research Group. She is motivated to enable environmental science to link more strongly to human well-being and economic prosperity. Her team are impact-focussed, co creating and delivering research in partnership with statutory nature conservation agencies, sea users, NGOs, government departments and international organisations to support the sustainable and fair use of marine ecosystems.

Siân leads a number of international and national research projects. She is an advisor for both NERC and Defra’s Marine Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment.

phil mason

Phil is Cornwall Council’s Strategic Director for Strategic Growth and Development. He has been with Cornwall Council since its formation as a new Unitary Authority in 2009 and was one of the team who designed and undertook the transition from the previous two tier governance. Phil is a member of the Council’s Corporate and Directorate Leadership Teams and as such has strong Council wide responsibilities.

Since Unitary Phil has been the Senior Responsible Officer for a number of Council wide initiatives and developed the Council’s programme for the direct delivery of 250 homes a year, as well as new garden village’s at West Carclaze in St Austell and Langarth in Truro. Phil has also been directly responsible for the Council’s leadership in the development of Nansledan a new community being developed by the Duchy of Cornwall on the outskirts of Newquay.

Phil believes strongly in providing resident centred services and doing the best we can for all residents particularly those most in need of our support. He is a strong advocate of distributive leadership at all levels of the organisation with all disciplines working to their collective strengths.

Phil is currently helping to lead the Council’s response to Climate Change and the need for Cornwall to reach a net zero carbon position.

Martin Howlett

Martin operates a traditional family farm business aiming towards self-sufficiency, and is a keen champion of environmental stewardship for the public and fellow farmers.

His farm hosts an education centre to promote nature-friendly approaches for environmental stewardship, and he is one of the National Farmers Union’s Climate Champions.

Ilya Maclean

Ilya is Associate Professor of Global Change Biology at the University of Exeter’s Environment and Sustainability Institute.

He is an applied ecologist broadly interested in understanding how humans have changed the biological world, and how we might protect and enhance the world’s remaining biodiversity. He has a particular interest in using ecological theory to make smart decisions about how to do this – and is committed to finding practical solutions to environmental problems and work closely with researchers in other disciplines and local, national and international policy-makers and practitioners.

dr Rebecca lovell

Becca is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter’s European Centre for Environment and Human Health, and a member of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Nature and Health.

Becca works on evaluating, synthesising and translating evidence of the links between nature and health for policy and practice. She is interested in the multiple ways in which the natural environment influences our health and wellbeing. She is currently working on better understanding ‘what works’ in nature based-health interventions and the delivery of nature-based solutions, and how better understandings of the ways in which we as individuals and communities value natural environments could inform decision making and ways of working. Becca works with a range of different organisations including the World Health Organisation, Department of Health, Defra, Natural England, multiple Local Authorities, and a range of health or environment focused NGOs.

andrea ayres

Andrea is Deputy Director for Natural England in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Area.

With a background in nature conservation, she has lived and worked in Devon and across the south-west for over 25 years, having held a variety of roles in the environmental sector including with the RSPB, Groundwork, Teignbridge District Council and the Environment Agency.

With a love of the outdoors and all things water. She is passionate about creating opportunities to connect people and inspire them to get involved in looking after their local environment. In her spare time, she is a keen swimmer and has completed a number of endurance swims.

Cllr harry legg

Harry is the Lead Member for Environment, Climate Change and Waste on the Council of the Isles of Scilly. After studying in Truro and Newcastle Harry returned to the islands where he was born and raised. He has worked with his father who was a fisherman all of his life and his uncle who still farms on the protected landscape of Scilly giving Harry first-hand knowledge of working on the land and sea.

Harry was elected to the Council of the Isles of Scilly in 2017 and now chairs the Climate change working group which he has been a part of since it was formed when the Council declared a Climate Emergency. He also represents the Council of the Isles of Scilly on the Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership, the South West Regional Flood and Costal Committee and Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Nature Partnership.

Julian branscombe

Julian is the Chief Executive of the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust. This charity employs ten members of staff. They manage about half of the land area of the Isles of Scilly for wildlife and, including extensive areas on St Mary’s, St Agnes and Gugh, Bryher and St Martin’s, and the great majority of the uninhabited islands.

Julian moved to Scilly for this role in 2021. He is delighted to be living in an archipelago again, having spent a decade in Orkney. He is a keen naturalist and experienced ecologist. He has held conservation, heritage project management and leadership roles for a number of Wildlife Trusts, Orkney Islands Council and RSPB Scotland. He also has substantial experience in small island community-led economic development from five years spent as an over-committed trustee for Papay Development Trust.

Other Strategic Groups

Thematic Groups

Cornwall Biodiversity Initiative
Marine Liaison Group
Cornwall Catchment Partnership
Strategic Resilience Board
Environmental Growth Evidence Group
Devon & Cornwall Soils Alliance