Biodiversity - Local authorities

How You Can Help

Local Authorities

Key Actions :

Ensure that policies to protect and enhance biodiversity are included in Local Development Plans
Guard against development which is detrimental to biodiversity
Provide biodiversity advice to communities and business
Acquire and manage land as Local Nature Reserves.
Ensure good conservation management practice on council landholdings
Provide support for community and biodiversity projects
Engage in local Biodiversity partnerships and forums.
Develop Local Nature partnerships and Nature Areas
Set a good example in developing policies to conserve global biodivesrity through environmental purchasing, waste reduction and energy efficiency.

Local government represents the local communities that experience, enjoy and live with local biodiversity. It is therefore in a prime position to interface with local communities and their understanding, protection of, and involvement with local biodiversity.

Planning
Many of the duties and powers of local government have a direct or indirect bearing on biodiversity conservation. As planning authorities, the county, district and borough councils determine the environmental impact of all development subject to planning law. The effectiveness of planning authorities in using the planning system to serve the interests of the natural environment will depend on how stringent they are with assessing the environmental implications of planning proposals and the extent to which they seek to develop policies which recognise the need to steer development away from land rich in biodiversity and to compensate and mitigate for any necessary losses.

Land Management

Local authorities are owners of significant areas of habitat of national or local biodiversity importance and many are managed as Local Nature Reserves. Through sympathetic management of their own land, local authorities can make a significant contribution to local biodiversity targets as well as a Landscape approach to conservation. There are also opportunities through the management of parks, green spaces, school grounds and road verges.

Integration of Biodiversity
Biodiversity is a cross-cutting theme that should be a feature of many areas of local government activity. It is a significant element of sustainable development and economic, social and environmental well-being. Service reviews are a key opportunity to highlight the biodiversity impact of services and to take advantage of the many opportunities local authorities have to enhance biodiversity through their management of green space including urban areas.

Local authorities need to help their communities understand and appreciate the importance of local and global biodiversity and can use the development of community strategies to help people understand what they can do for biodiversity.

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