Protecting and Enhancing Biodiversity

Purpose

This Policy Position Statement reviews the importance of biodiversity and the threats, which it faces. CIWEM supports action to further protect and enhance biodiversity, and has identified the following key actions for policy-makers.

CIWEM calls for:

1. Private and public organisations to sign up to and support the World Conservation Union’s Countdown 2010 Initiative (www.countdown2010.net).

2. The links between climate change and biodiversity to be recognised, researched and acted upon by Governments.

3. A substantial acceleration in initiatives to improve the knowledge base on the current state of biodiversity resources.

4. Greater integration between the Biodiversity Action Plan process and other government policy areas.

5. The planning and development system actively to encourage biodiversity restoration and creation.

6. Greater support for initiatives that seek to conserve biodiversity at a landscape scale.

7. An independent review of staff training and retention within organisations in the biodiversity sector.

8. Standardisation of biodiversity records and open access to data.
 
Context

Life on the 'blue planet' is contained within the biosphere, a thin and irregular envelope around the Earth’s surface, just a few kilometres deep. Here, ecosystems purify the air and water that are the basis of life. They stabilise and moderate the Earth’s climate. Soil fertility is renewed, nutrients are cycled and plants are pollinated.

“Biological diversity or biodiversity – the variability of life on Earth – is the key to the ability of the biosphere to continue providing us with these ecological goods and services and thus is our species’ life assurance policy” (Klaus Töpfer Executive Director United Nations Environment Programme).

Key Issues

Biodiversity is important

Goods and services provided by the biodiversity of our ecosystems include:

• Provision of food, fuel and fibre.
• Provision of shelter and building materials.
• Purification of air and water.
• Detoxification and decomposition of wastes.
• Stabilization and moderation of the Earth's climate.
• Moderation of floods, droughts, temperature extremes and the forces of wind.
• Generation and renewal of soil fertility, including nutrient cycling.
• Pollination of plants, including many crops.
• Control of pests and diseases.
• Maintenance of genetic resources as key inputs to crop varieties and livestock breeds, medicines, and other products.
• Cultural and aesthetic benefits.
•  Ability to adapt to change.

Policy-makers need to recognise that biodiversity underpins our very existence.

Biodiversity is under threat

Significant international legislation now exists to protect biodiversity, including the Ramsar Convention (1971), the Birds Directive (1979), the Convention on Biodiversity (1992), the Habitats Directive (1992), and the ‘Water Framework Directive’ (for a comprehensive list see Appendix 1). The key threats identified in the Convention on Biological Diversity include:

• Extinction: based on current trends, an estimated 39,200 species, including one in eight of the world’s bird species face extinction. In the UK, populations of water vole (aka Ratty in the book 'Wind in the Willows') have declined by over 70 per cent.
• Habitat loss and fragmentation: Approximately 45 per cent of the world’s original forests have been cleared, up to 10 per cent of coral reefs have been destroyed and one third of the remainder are on the verge of collapse. In the UK, over 90 per cent of our once flower-rich meadows have vanished due to agricultural intensification.
• Loss of genetic diversity: A loss of habitats also means a loss of the genetic diversity within the species that these habitats support. This genetic diversity is vital - it could provide the next cure for cancer or the gene vital to produce crops which can adapt to a changing climate.
• Climate change: Scientists warn that even a one-degree increase in global temperature will push many threatened species over the edge; our food production systems could also be seriously disrupted.
• Reduction in adaptability: Ecosystems can to a certain extent self-repair and adapt to natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes. A reduction in biodiversity and the goods and service that this provides, reduces this adaptability. We spend billions on flood prevention downstream, which is hugely exacerbated by forest clearance in upstream catchments. Climate change is expected to make this situation even worse.

Recommendations

Despite a plethora of positive policy documents, actions and targets, global biodiversity continues to decline. Action is required to safeguard habitats and species and ensure that the needs of biodiversity are reflected in the policies and actions of all relevant stakeholders.

CIWEM calls for private and public organisations to sign up to and support the World Conservation Union’s Countdown 2010 Initiative. This aims to halt the loss of biodiversity across Europe by 2010.

CIWEM calls for the links between climate change and biodiversity to be recognised, researched and acted upon by Governments. Climate change is widely recognised to pose a very serious long-term threat to global biodiversity: effective policy responses from Governments are urgently needed.

CIWEM calls for a substantial acceleration in initiatives to improve the knowledge base on the current state of biodiversity resources. Reliable and up-to-date biodiversity information is vitally important when making policy decisions. More support and funding for baseline and monitoring surveys, and for environmental record centres and other data-holding organisations, is required to enable the collection, collation and dissemination of up-to-date biodiversity data.

CIWEM calls for greater integration between Biodiversity Action Plans and other Government policy areas. The UK Government has made a significant commitment to the conservation of biodiversity through the UK BAP, and biodiversity strategies for England, Wales and Scotland, but this needs to be much better integrated with planning, sustainable development, education, and other policy areas.

CIWEM calls for the planning and development system actively to encourage biodiversity restoration and creation. Achieving the biodiversity goals of the various policies strategies and initiatives, will require further and more active restoration and creation of diverse habitats. Simply trying to protect the environment from harm will not be enough.

CIWEM calls for greater support for initiatives that seek to conserve biodiversity at a ‘landscape’ scale. Conserving biodiversity at a ‘landscape’ scale (rather than a ‘field scale’), in particular to reconnect fragmented habitats, is a practical way to ensure large gains for biodiversity particularly with the predicted changes in distribution of habitats and species caused by climate change. The quality of the wider landscape is related to the quality of the biodiversity it contains. This is critical in delivering Government objectives for sustainable communities as well as for biodiversity itself.

CIWEM calls for an independent review of staff training and retention within organisations in the biodiversity sector. There is a high level of staff turnover in the biodiversity sector. There is also a recognised skills gap between the requirements of the profession and skills taught at university level. Often graduates have insufficient practical experience and vocational skills. A review should consider whether better training opportunities would improve both the quality of graduates and staff retention.

CIWEM calls for standardisation of biodiversity records and open access to data. Diverse organisations record and store biodiversity data in varied formats. This does not always enable the most efficient use of such information and it would be beneficial for there to be wider agreement as to the most appropriate formats for data storage and dissemination.
May 2007

Note: CIWEM Policy Position Statements (PPS) represents the Institution’s views on issues at a particular point in time. It is accepted that situations change as research provides new evidence. It should be understood, therefore, that CIWEM PPS’s are under constant review, that previously held views may alter and lead to revised PPS’s.
Appendix 1: Key Biodiversity Legislation/Policy and Conventions

Appendix 1: Key Biodiversity Legislation/Policy and Conventions

Useful web links:

The Biodiversity Convention: http://www.biodiv.org/default.shtml
The IUCN Countdown 2010 initiative: www.countdown2010.net/
The Water Framework Directive: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/water/wfd/
Biodiversity Strategy for England: www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/biodiversity/biostrat/index.htm
England Biodiversity Group: www.ukbap.org.uk/EBG/england_biodiversity_strategy.asp

EU:

The Ramsar Convention (1971)
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat was ratified by the UK in 1976. The Convention seeks to promote the conservation and wise use of wetlands, particularly those which support internationally significant numbers of water birds. This is achieved through the designation of Ramsar Sites .

The Birds Directive (1979)
The European Community Council Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (79/409/EEC) sets out general rules for the conservation of all naturally occurring wild birds, their nests, eggs and habitats. It requires Member States to designate Special Protection Areas (SPAs) to protect certain species.

The Habitats Directive (1992)
The European Community Council Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats of Wild Fauna and Flora (92/43/EEC) aims to protect the European Union's biodiversity. It requires Member States to designate Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) - sites of European importance for listed habitats and species. SACs must be maintained at, or restored to, favourable conservation status, and should be protected from damaging plans or projects.

Together, SACs and SPAs form a European network of sites called ‘Natura 2000’. The Directive also requires Member States to provide strict protection for specified flora and fauna outside designated sites (i.e. ‘European Protected Species’).

Other key conventions and polices:
The World Summit on Sustainable Development
Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.
EU Sustainability Strategy
European Plant Conservation Strategy (EPCS)
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals,
Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS)

UK:

National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949
Enabled the then Nature Conservancy (now Natural England) to designate Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and National Nature Reserves (NNRs), and local authorities to designate Local Nature Reserves (LNRs).

Countryside Act 1968
Imposed a duty on local authorities and other public bodies to have regard to the desirability of conserving the "natural beauty and amenity" of the countryside - including wildlife - in the exercise of their functions relating to land.

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
Provided varying degrees of protection for listed species of flora and fauna, including comprehensive protection of wild birds and their nests and eggs. Also introduced the designation of Marine Nature Reserves . It revised the system for designating SSSIs and gave further powers for their protection and the introduction of management agreements.

Protection of Badgers Act 1992
Consolidated previous badger legislation by providing comprehensive protection for badgers and their setts.  Setts can now be disturbed or destroyed only under licence.

Conservation (Natural Habitats &c.) Regulations 1994
Formally transpose the Habitats Directive into UK law, building on existing legislation to protect habitats and species by introducing requirements for assessing plans and projects affecting European designations and licensing certain activities affecting European Protected Species.

Hedgerows Regulations 1997
Protect important hedgerows in the countryside. It is illegal to remove most countryside hedges without first notifying the local planning authority.

Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999
Require (by implementing a European Directive) an Environmental Impact Assessment to be carried out, before planning permission is granted, for certain types of major project which are judged likely to have significant environmental effects.

Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (in Scotland, the Nature Conservation Act (Scotland) 2004)
Strengthens the protection given to SSSIs. It revises procedures for notifying SSSIs and for consenting operations which may damage them. Local authorities have a new duty to take steps, consistent with the proper exercise of their functions, to further the conservation and enhancement of SSSIs.

The Act also strengthens the existing provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for the enforcement of wildlife legislation, including a new offence of "recklessly" destroying or damaging the habitats of certain protected species. For the first time this also places a duty on government to ‘have regard’ to the conservation of biological diversity.

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000
The most substantial piece of EC water legislation to date sets a goal for all inland and coastal waters to reach "good ecological status" by 2015. It establishes a river basin district structure within which demanding environmental objectives will be set, including ecological targets for surface waters.

The Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006
Creates Natural England to act as a champion for the natural environment and establishes the Commission for Rural Communities as a national rural advisory body.

Biodiversity Action Plans
Biodiversity policy took a huge leap forward in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit when 'The Convention on Biological Diversity' was signed. It aims to protect the earth's variety of plant and animal species and their habitats. It requires countries to produce national action plans for the conservation of biodiversity. It entered into force on 29 December 1993 and it was the first treaty to provide a legal framework for biodiversity conservation. It called for the creation and enforcement of national strategies and action plans to conserve, protect and enhance biological diversity.

UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP)
In 1994 in response to the Convention of Biological Diversity the UK government launched the UK Biodiversity Action Plan for dealing with biodiversity conservation.  This process has moved forward at the national level as indicated below on the timeline below.
 
UK Biodiversity Action Plan Timeline

The second reporting round was conducted in 2002. The ‘UK Biodiversity Action Plan - tracking progress - results of 2002 reporting’ was published in May 2003 at the first meeting of the UK Biodiversity Partnership in Perth.

Local Biodiversity Action Plans
The UK BAP process has also moved forward at the local level with regional/district/county and even parish BAPs being produced. In theory, local BAPs work on the basis of partnerships to identify local priorities and determine the contribution they can make to the delivery of the species and habitat action plan targets contained in the UK BAP. The idea being that the only way to make a significant contribution to biodiversity conservation nationally is at the local level.

Planning Policy Guidance

England and Northern Ireland:

• Planning Policy Statement 9: Biodiversity and Geological Conservation. August 2005.
  Planning Policy Statements (PPS) set out the Government’s national policies on different aspects of planning in England. PPS9 sets out planning policies on protection of biodiversity and geological conservation through the planning system. Equivalent policies for the devolved states are listed below.
• Wales:
  Technical Advice Note (TAN) 5 - Nature Conservation and Planning 1996
• Scotland:
  Planning Advice Note (PAN) 60 - Planning for Natural Heritage 2000