What is the Advisory Group?
The Advisory Group is an integral part of making sure the People’s Assembly is a fair, balanced and well-informed process. The members have been selected for their technical expertise and their diverse experiences, as well as to challenge accepted views and oversee an independent, robust and democratic design process.
The role of the Advisory Group is to:
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Provide advice and guidance on the scientific evidence presented to the People’s Assembly;
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Check the resources and materials presented to the People’s Assembly, making sure that they are balanced, accurate and include perspectives from across all four nations;
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Help give context to the work of the People’s Assembly within wider debates on biodiversity loss, climate change and food production & consumption.
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Connect the People’s Plan for Nature programme to other initiatives to share learnings;
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Advise and support the delivery team in ensuring the process is accessible and equitable for all attendees.
The members of the Advisory Group have expertise in the areas that the People’s Assembly will cover: biodiversity, climate change, and food and farming. They are representative of a broad range of ideological standpoints, representing different parts of society, including business, government representatives, academia, NGOs and civil society groups.
How were they selected?
The project design team for the People’s Assembly for Nature - consisting of Involve and staff members from the RSPB, the National Trust and WWF - created a shortlist that focused on ensuring the Advisory Group includes:
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the breadth of perspective;
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representation of the devolved nations;
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representation of different parts of society;
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an intergenerational focus and;
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an understanding of the topic area in question.
This list was also reviewed by the two Academic Leads working on this project.
Does it mean they are accountable?
The Academic Leads and the Advisory Group are not accountable for the final evidence selected and presented at the Assembly weekends, and are only acting in an advisory capacity. They will not automatically endorse the recommendations from the People’s Plan for Nature.
Advisory Group meeting notes
Download and read the meeting notes from the first Advisory Group meeting on 4 October 2022.
Download and read the meeting notes from the second Advisory Group meeting on 20 October 2022.
