Get Involved

Through the planning system all local authorities have an opportunity to safeguard and where opportunities arise enhance biodiversity. This can be achieved by:

• Ensuring planning policies are based upon current best practice.
• Ensuring that planners have access to up to date knowledge of key priority habitats and species and know how to use the planning system to safeguard them.
• Working with other organisations and the planning system to help achieve biodiversity targets through appropriate use of conditions for habitat creation, safeguarding and future management as well as community involvement. 

• Making small, appropriate, changes to land management, such as altering mowing regimes.  This  can make huge differences to the biodiversity value of a piece of land and can also have a cost saving.
• Planting, where appropriate, native trees, shrubs and bulbs.
• Preparing and actioning management plans for sites that are know to have existing biodiversity value. This will ensure management is targeted to protecting the value of a site and also take opportunities to enhance it.
• Local authorities have an opportunity to designate and manage Local Nature Reserves.
• Employing suitably qualified rangers and or countryside wardens. These crucial members of staff can provide an opportunity to manage sites as well as carry out environmental educational activities and lead environment events.

Local strategic partnerships

Under the Local Government Act 2000 every local authority has a duty to produce a ‘Community Strategy’ which is designed to improve the economic, social, and environmental  well-being of its residents. The strategies are expected to develop a vision for the area and an identify the actions necessary to achieve this. The strategies are to be developed through Local Strategic Partnerships formed from all sectors of the community. The Government expect that all local authorities to incorporate planning for local action on biodiversity in these Community Strategies.

There are many ways to incorporate biodiversity into the workings of the local strategic partnership. Contact your LBAP officer for more details.