Strategy development

Liz Milne

Project Manager

Liz has been at Kent County Council for 20 years, managing the Natural Environment & Coast Team for the past 15.  Liz was responsible for the development of the Kent Biodiversity Strategy, KCC’s Pollinator Action Plan (Plan Bee) and the Kent Tree Establishment Strategy (PLan Tree).  Liz is responsible for the project management, and ensuring delivery of the Kent and Medway Nature Recovery Strategy by spring/summer 2025.

Chris Drake

Project Officer

Chris has been at Kent County Council for 15 years, starting as Coastal Officer and now as Partnership and Projects Officer, co-ordinating the Kent Nature Partnership (KNP).  Chris brings to the project extensive partnership working experience and excellent working relationships with many of key stakeholders.  Chris will be the Project Officer, ensuring the KNP and wider stakeholders are fully engage across the work.

Rachel Boot

Project Support Officer

After a lifelong interest and connection to nature and environmentalism, Rachel is currently studying for a Masters in Sustainable Food and Natural Resources.  Alongside her passion for nature, Rachels brings to the team experience in local community projects from her hometown of Margate.  Rachel will provide support across the work of the whole project team but will particularly focus on our communications and wider engagement work

Alexa Murray Mujtaba

Landowner Officer

Alexa brings to the team experience of working closely with farmer clusters and leading a Defra Test & Trial exploring Natural Capital and Blended Finance, enabling farmers to influence the development of the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS). Drawing on over 20 years of implementing new policies and frameworks in the public and private sector, Alexa will lead on the land management elements of the project and be responsible for ensuring there is meaningful engagement with this important stakeholder group.

Katie Pattison

Local Government Officer

Katie comes to the project with a background in the management of country parks and greenspaces throughout Medway.  Katie will lead work with Kent & Medway’s local planning authorities, ensuring these supporting authorities are involved throughout and that the strategy provides, as intended, a vital source of evidence for local planning and decision making.

Louise Lawton

Coastal and Marine Officer

Louise has a background working on various coastal sites around Kent, primarily in engagement type roles. New to working for Kent County Council, Louise will lead on the development of the coastal and marine elements of the Making Space for Nature project, ensuring that priority areas and actions to recover coastal and marine biodiversity are identified in consultation with all relevant stakeholders.

Kathi Bauer

River and Freshwater Officer (secondment)

Kathi is seconded from the South East Rivers Trust, where she has worked with partners including farmers, water companies, and other NGOs on protecting and restoring rivers and catchments in Kent for the last five years. She will lead on the development of the river and freshwater  elements of the project, ensuring that priority areas and actions to recover river and freshwater biodiversity are identified in consultation with all relevant stakeholders.

Grace Olsson

LNRS Senior Advisor, Natural England

Natural England are a Supporting Authority for all of the LNRS’s around the Country and provide a conduit to advice from DEFRA, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission. Natural England have provided two Senior Advisors to support and advise Kent County Council with the LNRS process.

Grace has been working on the West Sussex Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Natural England for the last six months, having come from a background in people and project management. She graduated from Sussex university with a QLD in Law and Politics in 2019, where she specialised in international environmental law. Grace is deeply committed to environmental protection and sustainability, and she looks forward to contributing to the recovery of nature through targeted, coordinated, and collaborative action within the Kent LNRS.

Lyndsey Neale

LNRS Senior Advisor, Natural England

Lyndsey has been working for Natural England for the last two years, focussing on supporting the LNRS for East Sussex (and Brighton and Hove). Prior to this, she worked as an environmental adviser in the construction industry. Lyndsey is very excited to be supporting with the production of the Local Nature Recovery Strategies as she is passionate about the need for nature recovery, and wants to take proactive steps towards this goal.