Biodiversity 2020 - A strategy for England's Wildlife and Ecosystem Services.pdf

8/14/2019 Biodiversity 2020 - A strategy for England's Wildlife and Ecosystem Services.pdf

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Biodiversity 2020:A strategy for Englands wildlifeand ecosystem services


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Contents

Foreword by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Executive Summary

Chapter 1: Our ambition

Dening success the vision and mission and whatoutcomes we want to achieve over the next ten years

Chapter 2: Priorities for action the strategy to 2020

a more integrated large-scale approach to conservationon land and at sea

putting people at the heart of biodiversity policy

reducing environmental pressures

improving our knowledge

Chapter 3: Delivering the strategy and measuring progress Explaining the components of the supporting and enabling framework for delivery of the strategy

Annex A: Summary of priorities and key actions

Annex B: Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Strategic Plan Aichi targets

Annex C: Table showing linkages between the strategyspriorities/actions and (i) the strategys outcomes, (ii) the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)Aichi targets and (iii) EU Strategy themes


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Foreword

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Foreword by the Secretary ofState for Environment, Foodand Rural Affairs

In October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, over 190 countries around the world reached an historic globalagreement to take urgent action to halt the loss of biodiversity. This agreement recognised just howimportant our wildlife and ecosystems are for sustaining a healthy planet and for delivering essentialbenets for people.

I was rmly committed to ensuring we reached an ambitious global agreement at Nagoya and I amequally committed to ensuring that we now play our part in delivering these commitments throughaction at home.

Biodiversity is key to the survival of life on Earth. Its loss deprives future generations of irreplaceablegenetic information and compromises sustainability.

Our recent National Ecosystem Assessment also shows just how much nature provides for us in thiscountry. For example, the enormous value of inland wetlands to water quality, the value of pollination toagriculture, the health benets of experiencing nature and, not least, how nature and wildlife enrich allour lives.

This strategy will guide our conservation efforts in England over the next decade, including setting ourambition to halt overall loss of Englands biodiversity by 2020. In the longer term, our ambition is to

move progressively from a position of net biodiversity loss to net gain.In our recent Natural Environment White Paper we responded to Sir John Lawtons call for a moreintegrated landscape-scale approach. We need to build a wider network of places across Englandwhich enable wildlife to thrive and natural processes to be sustained, alongside other land uses such asfarming. This will help nature to better withstand future pressures such as climate change and set ourcontinuing conservation efforts for particular important species into a wider context.

Achieving our aims will be a big challenge. Government will play an important role but cant deliverthis strategy alone. Our conservation charities, supported by millions of members of the public andvolunteers, already make a vital contribution in protecting biodiversity. Equally, farmers and landowners

have a central role to play as the stewards of Englands countryside.


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We fully recognise the importance of people in helping to arrest the loss of species. We must ensurethat the value of natures services is better understood and enhance peoples personal connection withwildlife and nature. Ultimately, conservation efforts can only truly succeed with societys support.

This strategy provides the national framework for action to help us collectively achieve our goals.We need to work together, in partnership, to put this into practice, for the sake of Englands wildlife,but also for ourselves and for future generations.

The Rt Hon. Caroline Spelman MP


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Executive Summary

1. Biodiversity is the variety of all life on Earth.It includes all species of animals and plants everything that is alive on our planet.Biodiversity is important for its own sake,and human survival depends upon it.

2. The groundbreaking UK National EcosystemAssessment (NEA) published in June 2011 1 provides a comprehensive account of howthe natural world, including its biodiversity,provides us with services that are criticalto our wellbeing and economic prosperity.However, the NEA also showed that nature isconsistently undervalued in decision-makingand that many of the services we get fromnature are in decline. Over 40% of priorityhabitats and 30% of priority species weredeclining in the most recent analysis.

3. Our challenge is to halt this decline for thebenet of this and future generations.

4. In October 2010, over 190 countries signedan historic global agreement in Nagoya,Japan to take urgent and effective actionto halt the alarming global declines inbiodiversity 2 . This agreement recognised justhow important it is to look after the naturalworld. It established a new global vision forbiodiversity, including a set of strategic goalsand targets to drive action.

5. In June 2011, the Government publishedThe Natural Choice the rst NaturalEnvironment White Paper for 20 years 3 . Thisresponds to the global commitments madeat Nagoya. It outlines the Governmentsvision for the natural environment, shiftingthe emphasis from piecemeal conservationaction towards a more integrated landscape-scale approach. It also sets out how we

can better value the natural environment indecision-making and thereby unlock growthin the green economy and reconnect peoplewith nature.

6. Also in June 2011, EU Member Statesendorsed the European Commissions EUBiodiversity Strategy 4 which has a particularfocus on EU-level action. The EU BiodiversityStrategy will be used as a framework byMember States, along with the globalNagoya agreement, to inform their ownnational plans.

7. This new, ambitious biodiversity strategy forEngland builds on the Natural EnvironmentWhite Paper and provides a comprehensivepicture of how we are implementing ourinternational and EU commitments. It setsout the strategic direction for biodiversitypolicy for the next decade on land (including

rivers and lakes) 5 and at sea. It builds on thesuccessful work that has gone before, butalso seeks to deliver a real step change.

8. The mission for this strategy, for the nextdecade, is:

to halt overall biodiversity loss, supporthealthy well-functioning ecosystems andestablish coherent ecological networks, withmore and better places for nature for thebenet of wildlife and people.

9. We have developed a set of high-leveloutcomes to show what achieving thisoverarching objective by 2020 will mean inpractice. These outcomes are set out in moredetail in Chapter 1, which describes ourambition in greater detail.

1 UK National Ecosystem Assessment, http://uknea.unep-wcmc.org, (2011)

2 Convention on Biological Diversity, COP Decision X/2, Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 (2010)

3 Natural Environment White Paper, HM Government, http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/natural/whitepaper/ (2011)

4 Our life insurance, our natural capital: an EU biodiversity strategy to 2020, European Commission (2011)

5 Throughout this strategy, references to action on land should be taken to include freshwater environments.

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10. We will deliver these outcomes throughaction in four areas 6:

a more integrated large-scale approach toconservation on land and at sea

putting people at the heart of biodiversitypolicy

reducing environmental pressures

improving our knowledge

11. This is a Government strategy. However, itcannot be delivered by government alone.Conserving biodiversity in England has longdepended on partnership, involving statutory,voluntary, academic and business sectors,and the public. To harness this collectiveeffort, we will enable the establishment ofLocal Nature Partnerships across England supported by a 1m fund in 2011/12.

12. Together, we will take forward action in thefour priority areas.

A more integrated large-scale approachto conservation on land and at sea

13. The independent review of Englands wildlifesites and ecological network, chaired byProfessor Sir John Lawton 7, concluded thatEnglands collection of wildlife areas (bothlegally protected areas and others) does notcurrently represent a coherent and resilientecological network capable of respondingto the challenges of climate change andother pressures. The review concluded thatestablishing such a network would effectivelyconserve biodiversity and ecosystem services,delivering many benets to people, whilealso making efcient use of scarce land andresources.

14. Effectively establishing coherent and resilientecological networks on land and at searequires a shift in emphasis, away frompiecemeal conservation actions and towardsa more effective, more integrated, landscape-scale approach.

15. Actions we will take include:

Funding a competition to support thecreation of Nature Improvement Areas 8 intwelve initial areas, providing 7.5 millionin the period 2011 to 2015. Lessons learntwill help us extend this approach.

Increasing the proportion of Sites ofSpecial Scientic Interest (SSSIs) infavourable condition.

Establishing a well managed, ecologicallycoherent network of Marine ProtectedAreas (MPAs). By the end of 2016 thiswill contain in excess of 25% of Englishwaters.

Agreeing a programme of targeted actionwith partners for the recovery of priorityspecies.

Putting people at the heart of policy

16. It is crucial to engage more people in

biodiversity issues so that they personallyvalue biodiversity and know what theycan do to help. Civil society organisationsplay a front line role, directly engaging andenthusing the public about biodiversity. Wewill work with them to engage more peopleand empower them to make a difference.

6 These four priority areas are broadly aligned to the strategic goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity Strategic Plan 2011-2020, adjusted to t thepriorities in England.

7 Making Space for Nature: a review of Englands wildlife sites and ecological network (2010)

8 Reecting the Making Space for Nature recommendation for Ecological Restoration Zones.


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Working with key stakeholders to considerhow the nature conservation sector canengage the public even more effectivelyin future and how government mightsupport this.

Getting more children learning outdoors,removing barriers and increasing schoolsabilities to teach outdoors.

Establishing a new green areasdesignation, empowering communitiesto protect local environments that areimportant to them.

Helping people do the right thing, athome, when shopping, or as volunteers.For example, we will provide fundingto support the Big Wildlife Gardenscheme and launch a new phase ofthe MuckIn4Life campaign, offeringvolunteering opportunities to improvethe quality of life in towns, cities and thecountryside.

18. We also need to take better account ofhow much nature does for us. Biodiversityprovides a range of benets to people,but these are often not taken into accountin decision-making. This is often because

biodiversity benets are outside the marketeconomy, meaning that they are unpricedand therefore too easily ignored in nancialdecisions. This strategy therefore draws onthe Natural Environment White Paper, andaims to ensure that the value of biodiversityis reected in decision-making in the publicand private sector. Developing new andinnovative nancing mechanisms to directmore funding towards the achievement ofbiodiversity outcomes will be a key partof this.

Reducing environmental pressures19. We need to ensure biodiversity is taken into

account by decision-makers within sectorswhich have the greatest direct inuenceon our biodiversity, and we need to reducedirect pressures on our biodiversity. Theapproach will vary from sector to sector,covering a variety of uses of land and sea.

20. We have identied the key sectors we willwork with and the actions we will take.These include:

Agriculture We will improve thedelivery of environmental outcomes fromagricultural land management practices,whilst increasing food production by, forexample, reviewing how we use adviceand incentives, and how we use agri-environment schemes.

Forestry We will bring a greaterproportion of our existing woodlands intosustainable management and expand thearea of woodland in England.

Planning and Development Throughreforms of the planning system, we willtake a strategic approach to planning fornature. We will retain the protection andimprovement of the natural environment

as core objectives of the planning system.We will pilot biodiversity offsetting, toassess its potential to deliver planningpolicy more effectively.

Water Management We willprotect water ecosystems, includinghabitats and species, through a riverbasin planning approach. We will alsopromote approaches to ood and erosionmanagement which conserve the naturalenvironment and improve biodiversity.

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Marine Management We willdevelop 10 Marine Plans which integrateeconomic, social and environmentalconsiderations

Fisheries We will ensure sheriesmanagement supports widerenvironmental objectives, including theachievement of Good EnvironmentalStatus under the Marine StrategyFramework Directive.

21. We will also tackle the problems of airpollution 9 and invasive non-native species.

Improving our knowledge

22. A good evidence base is an essential elementof delivering the strategy effectively. It willhelp us make sure we are doing the rightthing in the right place, and using our

resources effectively, focusing on actionthat will have the most impact. In Englandwe are fortunate in having widely availableinformation on the status and trends inbiodiversity, with much of that informationcollected by volunteers an example of howimportant the wide biodiversity partnershipis to the delivery of this strategy. The UK isalso the rst country to have undertaken acomplete assessment of the benets thatnature provides, through the innovative NEA.

23. However, there remain gaps in ourknowledge. Also, evidence is only helpfulif it is accessible. So as part of deliveringthis strategy we need to improve access toknowledge through sharing of data and clearcommunication of evidence putting powerinto the hands of people to act and holdothers to account.


Investing almost 5 million over thenext three years in England to directlysupport national and local organisations,and groups that co-ordinate volunteerrecording and to contribute to the work ofthe National Biodiversity Network.

Investing a further 1.2 million to supportdata sharing, creating a new fund forbiodiversity recording in the voluntarysector and, in partnership with volunteergroups, develop new and innovativeapproaches to biodiversity recording.

Launching three area-based pilot studiesto trial new strategic approaches towildlife recording, data sharing andinterpretation services to better meet bothlocal and national needs, working with

local partnerships and local centres ofexpertise.

Following the NEA, we will support afurther phase of ground-breaking researchto identify the mix of future actions mostlikely to secure best overall value from ourecosystems, for nature and for people. Itwill also develop practical tools to assistdecision-makers.

Monitoring and Reporting

25. We will develop and publish a set ofindicators to assess delivery of this ambitiousstrategy for our biodiversity.

9 Water pollution is covered in the section on water management.


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Chapter 1: Ambition

White cliffs of Dover.

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1.1 Biodiversity is important for its own sakeand has its own intrinsic value. A number ofground-breaking studies such as the NationalEcosystems Assessment (NEA) have shownthis value also goes further. It is the buildingblock of our ecosystems. These provide uswith a wide range of goods and services thatsupport our economic and social wellbeing.These include essentials such as food, freshwater and clean air, but also less obviousservices such as protection from naturaldisasters, regulation of our climate, and

purication of our water or pollination of ourcrops. Biodiversity also provides importantcultural services, enriching our lives.

1.2 These goods and services are signicant for example the NEA demonstrated thatour coastal wetlands can be valued atproviding 1.5 billion annually in benetsthrough buffering the effects of stormsand managing ooding. Historically suchvalues have been taken for granted, but thiscannot continue. This is why Governmentis committed to doing more to reect thetrue economic value of biodiversity and itsconstituent ecosystems in our decisionsand policies.

Bittern (Botaurus stellaris ), photograph by Michael Hammett. Natural England


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Key Messages from the National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA)The UK is the rst country to have undertaken a complete assessment of the benets which natureprovides; how they have changed over the past; the prospects for the future; and their value to our society.Some of the key messages of the NEA are set out below: The natural world, its biodiversity and its constituent ecosystems are critically important to our

wellbeing and economic prosperity, but are consistently undervalued in conventional economicanalyses and decision-making.

Ecosystems and ecosystem services, and the ways people benet from them, have changedmarkedly in the past 60 years, driven by changes in society.

The UKs ecosystems are currently delivering some services well, but others are still in long-termdecline. 30% of the services we get from UKs ecosystems are in decline.

Population growth and climate change are likely to increase pressures on ecosystem services infuture.

Actions taken and decisions made now will have consequences far into the future for ecosystems,ecosystem services and human wellbeing. It is important that these are understood, so that we canmake the best possible choices for present and future generations.

We need to move towards a more integrated, rather than conventional sectoral approach toecosystem management.

Although there is much more to learn about how valuable different aspects of biodiversity are to the deliveryof ecosystem services, the NEA concludes that we have both the evidence of the benets of managing ourecosystems more sustainably and enough information to start doing so.

1.3 Despite its importance, biodiversity is underthreat. Although there have been someconservation successes in recent years andthere are signs that losses are slowing, overallthe picture in England remains one of decline.

1.4 The NEA and the major independent reviewof Englands ecological network MakingSpace for Nature demonstrated that ourbiodiversity and natural infrastructure isfragmented. These ndings have beensupported by Defras own biodiversityindicators for England. The indicators 10 showa mixed picture more had been done toprotect wildlife: the area of protected sites inEngland had increased; more land was being

managed for biodiversity in woodland and

agri-environment schemes; the condition ofprotected sites had improved; and peoplewere spending more time on conservationvolunteering. However, despite this positiveaction, many of the pressures on wildlife, forexample from pollution, climate change andinvasive species, were still increasing or at besthad not diminished. Although some species,such as populations of widespread bats, haveshown recovery in recent years, many species,such as birds, butteries and plants, andhabitats, particularly in the wider countryside,show long term declines. Over 40% of priorityhabitats and 30% of priority species 11 werestill declining in the most recent analysis 12 .Eight priority species were lost entirely fromthe UK between 2002 and 2008.

10 As updated in January 2011

11 References to priority species and habitats refers to those species and habitats identied as being of principal importance in England, Section 41 of theNatural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.

12 UK Biodiversity Action Plan highlights report, 2008 reporting round.


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1.5 In October 2010, an historic globalagreement was reached to take urgent andeffective action to halt the alarming globaldeclines in biodiversity. This provides a newglobal vision and direction for biodiversitypolicy, in response to the widespreadrecognition that efforts to protect and

enhance biodiversity need to be signicantlyincreased. As part of that agreement,countries are expected to revise their ownnational strategies and plans for biodiversityto take account of the new globalframework.

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Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity TargetsAt the Nagoya UN Biodiversity Summit in October 2010, 192 countries and the European Union agreed toan ambitious conservation plan to protect global biodiversity. This new Strategic Plan provides a exibleframework for all 193 Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity to drive action on biodiversity byall Parties. It established a new global vision for biodiversity a world of living in harmony with naturewhere: By 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem

services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benets essential for all people.Parties also agreed a shorter term ambition to: Take effective and urgent action to halt the loss of biodiversity in order to ensure that by 2020

ecosystems are resilient and continue to provide essential services, thereby securing the planets varietyof life, and contributing to human wellbeing, and poverty eradication..

To deliver this ambition, Parties agreed on a set of strategic goals and targets (the Aichi targets) to driveaction on biodiversity. These are set out in Annex B.

European Union Biodiversity

In March 2010, the EU agreed to an EU vision and 2020 mission for biodiversity:

By 2050, European Union biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides its natural capital areprotected, valued and appropriately restored for biodiversitys intrinsic value and for their essential

contribution to human wellbeing and economic prosperity, and so that catastrophic changes caused bythe loss of biodiversity are avoided. Halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, and restore

them insofar as is feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss.The European Commission has adopted a new EU Biodiversity strategy to help meet this goal. The strategyprovides a framework for action over the next decade and covers the following key areas:

1. Conserving and restoring nature

2. Maintaining and enhancing ecosystems and their services

3. Ensuring the sustainability of agriculture, forestry and sheries

4. Combating invasive alien species5. Addressing the global biodiversity crisis


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1.6 We set out in the Natural EnvironmentWhite Paper that the Government wantsthis to be the rst generation to leave thenatural environment of England in a betterstate than it was inherited. Part of this ismoving progressively from a position of netbiodiversity loss to net gain, by supportinghealthy, well-functioning ecosystems andcoherent ecological networks.

1.7 The Natural Environment White Paperwas the rst step in revising our nationalstrategy in line with the commitments madeat Nagoya. It outlines Governments visionfor the natural environment and the shiftin emphasis from piecemeal conservationaction towards a more effective, innovative

and integrated landscape-scale approachto conservation. It also includes a rangeof measures for reconnecting people withnature and growing a green economy. Thisbiodiversity strategy builds on the NaturalEnvironment White Paper, sets out how ourinternational commitments on biodiversitytranslate into action in England and the co-operation required between government andpartners to realise these.

1.8 This is a government strategy. However, itcannot be delivered by government alone.To deliver the step change we want, we needcontinued engagement from the biodiversitypartnership, and also a strengthening andfurther development of what it is able to do.

The Biodiversity Partnership

Our approach to conserving biodiversity in England has long depended on partnership, involving

statutory, voluntary, academic and business sectors, and it is clear that action on biodiversity presentsan excellent example of the Big Society. This wide biodiversity partnership is absolutely central toconservation efforts in England, for example, being instrumental in successes such as recovery of theotter, bittern and stone curlew.

A huge number of individuals and organisations already make an absolutely vital contribution tothe conservation and enhancement of our biodiversity. Nature conservation charities are engaged inactivities such as managing land, engaging the public and leveraging in resources. Many have led theway in developing the landscape-scale approach which is central to this strategy.

Farmers and other land managers also play a crucial role in sensitively managing the environment over 70% of land in England is farmed. A host of others also contribute in myriad ways, right down toindividuals managing their gardens in a wildlife-friendly way.

1.9 We have developed ambitious yet achievablegoals for 2020 and 2050 intended toprovide better, more, bigger and joined sitesfor nature, as recommended by the MakingSpace for Nature review, to enable us tohalt overall biodiversity loss. The outcomes set out below also draw on the suite of

international targets agreed in Nagoya aspart of the Convention on Biological Diversitystrategic plan for 2011-2020 (see Annex Bfor more details). Achieving these outcomes

will require a co-ordinated set of actions many of which will deliver for more thanone outcome. For example, action to reducepressures on biodiversity may be targeted athabitats but be benecial for priority species.Similarly, improvements in our evidence basewill support delivery of all four outcomes.

This is set out further in Chapter 2 which wehave grouped in 4 areas for action.


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Increasing21%

Stable26%Declining

(slowing)26%

Fluctuating-probably

7%

Declining(continuing/ accelerating)

10%

Unknown/noclear trend

10%

Stable33%

Increasing11%Unknown/no

clear trend25%

Lost (sinceBAP

publication)2%

Lost (per BAPpublication)

6%

Declining(continuing/ accelerating)

8%

Fluctuating-probablydeclining

9%

Declining(slowing)

6%

Detailed status of priority species in England, 2008 Detailed status of priority habitats, 2008(n = 390)(includes species in grouped plans)

A Vision for England

By 2050 our land and seas will be rich in wildlife, our biodiversity will be valued, conserved, restored,

managed sustainably and be more resilient and able to adapt to change, providing essential services anddelivering benets for everyone.

2020 Mission

Our mission is to halt overall biodiversity loss, support healthy well-functioning ecosystems and establishcoherent ecological networks, with more and better places for nature for the benet of wildlife and people.

Outcome 1 Habitats and ecosystems on land (including freshwater environments)

By 2020 we will have put in place measures so that biodiversity is maintained and enhanced, furtherdegradation has been halted and where possible, restoration is underway, helping deliver more resilient andcoherent ecological networks, healthy and well-functioning ecosystems, which deliver multiple benets forwildlife and people, including:

1A. Better wildlife habitats with 90% of priority habitats in favourable or recovering condition and atleast 50% of SSSIs in favourable condition, while maintaining at least 95% in favourable or recoveringcondition;

1B. More, bigger and less fragmented areas for wildlife, with no net loss of priority habitat and anincrease in the overall extent of priority habitats by at least 200,000 ha;

1C. By 2020, at least 17% of land and inland water, especially areas of particular importancefor biodiversity and ecosystem services, conserved through effective, integrated and joined upapproaches to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services including through management of ourexisting systems of protected areas and the establishment of nature improvement areas;

1D. Restoring at least 15% of degraded ecosystems as a contribution to climate change mitigationand adaptation.


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Rationale:

Although we have made some progress, biodiversity continues to decline 13. The independent review ofEnglands wildlife sites and ecological network, Making Space for Nature chaired by Professor Sir JohnLawton, concluded that Englands collection of wildlife areas (both legally protected areas and others) doesnot currently represent a coherent and resilient ecological network that would be capable of respondingto the challenges of climate change and other pressures. The review concluded that establishing such anetwork would effectively conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services, delivering many benets to people,while also making efcient use of scarce land and resources. It recommended that priorities in Englandshould include better, more, bigger and joined sites for nature. Ecological networks are considered to be an

effective means to conserve ecosystems and wildlife in environments, such as England, that have becomefragmented by human activities. Some work on ecological restoration is already underway 14, but we needto extend this approach much more widely 15.

Outcome 2 Marine habitats, ecosystems and sheries

By 2020 we will have put in place measures so that biodiversity is maintained, further degradation hasbeen halted and where possible, restoration is underway, helping deliver good environmental statusand our vision of clean, healthy, safe productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. This will beunderpinned by the following:

2A. By the end of 2016 in excess of 25% of English waters will be contained in a well-managedMarine Protected Area network that helps deliver ecological coherence by conserving representativemarine habitats;

2B. By 2020 we will be managing and harvesting sh sustainably;

2C. By 2022 we will have marine plans in place covering the whole of Englands marine area,ensuring the sustainable development of our seas, integrating economic growth, social need andecosystem management.

Rationale:

A more integrated approach is also needed to conserve biodiversity at sea. We have already made some

progress towards our vision of clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse seas, with recentimprovements in the state of some sh communities in most regions, but climate change will add to thepressures from human activities and there is a need to ensure resilience of biological communities througheffective conservation measures. There is a need to conserve and where appropriate or feasible restoreour marine habitats, take steps to alleviate pressures on threatened species and ensure that the way wemanage our marine environment is based on an ecosystem approach. This will not only build resilience inour marine environment, but also contribute to the sustainable use of its resources.

13 Evidence includes UKBAP 2008 reporting round, Defras suite of indicators for the previous England Biodiversity Strategy, Natural Englands State of theNatural Environment report 2008.

14 For example, the Wildlife Trusts Living Landscapes, RSPBs Futurescapes, and the eight Integrated Biodiversity Delivery Area pilots (ref ThinkBIG, EnglandBiodiversity Group 2011, www.naturalengland.org.uk)

15 Outcomes 1C and 1D also reect particular Nagoya commitments.


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Outcome 3 Species

By 2020, we will see an overall improvement in the status of our wildlife and will have preventedfurther human-induced extinctions of known threatened species.

Rationale

The strategys integrated landscape-scale approach to improve ecological networks is the core meansto conserve our wildlife. But this approach will not be sufcient to achieve the recovery of all priorityspecies and so, in some cases, it will need to be complemented by specic tailored action. The cirlbunting, freshwater pearl mussel and fen raft spider are all examples of species requiring special help

if they are to recover and thrive again in England. Marine species which may require specic actioninclude dolphins, porpoises and whales, sharks, skates and rays (elasmobranchs) and seabirds.

Conserving and enhancing biodiversity is not just an issue for wild species. It also applies to cultivatedplants and farmed animals as well as to their wild relatives. England is relatively rich in wild relativesof crops, landraces of cereal, vegetable and fruit crops, and traditional orchard trees. There are alsoover two hundred native breeds of farm animals which are often associated with traditional landmanagement required to conserve important habitats. The great genetic diversity which these providecan make an important contribution to the ecosystem provisioning service of food security by offeringgenes that are important for future crop or livestock breeding.

Outcome 4 People

By 2020, signicantly more people will be engaged in biodiversity issues, aware of its value and takingpositive action.

Rationale:

Public understanding and opinion on the value of biodiversity has strong implications for theacceptance and adoption of conservation measures.

Many people in England are already very supportive of conservation efforts and make an importantcontribution through a variety of activities, for example, through management of their land,environmental volunteering or simple activities such as feeding birds in the garden. We need to build

on this so that society better understands and more strongly supports the need for a step change inour conservation efforts, and more people choose to play a positive part. For this reason, earlier in2011 the United Nations General Assembly declared the period 2011-2020 to be the United NationsDecade on Biodiversity.

People value the natural world in many different ways and for different reasons. These include valuingit for its own sake (sometimes called its intrinsic or existence value), because it makes our streetsand gardens more attractive, or because people enjoy experiencing nature-rich green places forrecreation, whether a walk in a park or in relatively wild places such as National Parks. Others enjoybird watching, or activities such as angling or wildfowling. Evidence supports what many people feel


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instinctively that regular opportunities to experience natural environments have quantiable positiveimpacts on our mental and physical health 16. A host of other ecosystem services are also becomingbetter understood. All can motivate people to take or support positive action for biodiversity.

The level of direct contact with nature is a factor in inuencing attitudes towards it 17 suggestingthat the more we can stimulate interest in and access to nature, the more people will be willing tocontribute to its protection and enhancement. We also need to build a greater understanding ofindirect effects, such as biodiversity loss overseas resulting from imported goods and services, so thatpeople and business are more aware and actively engaged to reduce this impact.

Although biodiversity provides a range of benets to people, these are often outside the marketeconomy, meaning that they are unpriced and therefore too easily ignored in nancial decisions 18 .We need to better take account of the values of biodiversity in decision-making. There is potential toexpand and establish new markets and nancing approaches for natures services.

16 For example, the National Ecosystem Assessment and the Marmot review, Fair Society, Healthy Lives (2010), cover the positive impact that nature andgreen space have on mental and physical health.

17 Attitudes and Behaviours towards the Natural Environment among the general public in the UK: A Review of Existing Evidence, COI report forDefra (2008)

18 National Ecosystem Assessment

North Wessex Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Crown Copyright

Rural countryside people looking out at the views from Box Hill. Crown Copyright


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Climate Change

1.10 To date, climate change has had a relativelysmall impact on the UKs biodiversity andecosystems, though it has, for example,affected species ranges, population sizes,timing of biological events such as owering,and increased sea levels. However, furtherclimate change is unavoidable because ofprevious emissions and both the direct andindirect impacts are expected to become amore signicant and increasing pressure overthe coming decades.

1.11 This strategy therefore has to be set in thecontext of a possible 2-4C increase inmean summer temperatures in the longerterm 19 , milder winters, changes in rainfalldistribution and seasonality, more extremesof weather and sea level rise 20 . The effects ofthese changes on biodiversity are uncertain

and may occur as sudden and unexpectedstep changes. However, we do know that inthe longer term, over a fth (22%) of priorityhabitats are at high risk of direct impacts 21 ,including montane habitats, grazing marsh,saltmarsh and lakes. Marine ecosystems arelikely to be particularly seriously affected,

including as a result of ocean acidicationdue to rising CO 2 levels. The indirect effectsof climate change, including adaptationaction by other sectors that are key to landand water management, could have asignicant impact in the short term and maybring positive or negative consequences forbiodiversity and the delivery of ecosystemservices.

1.12 We do know that managing our biodiversityis important to both mitigation (addressingthe causes of climate change by removinggreenhouse gases from the atmosphere)and adaptation (helping to reduce theimpacts of climate change). All of this posesa challenge to the way we try to conservebiodiversity and this strategy is designed tohelp increase resilience to climate changeand other pressures. As we implement thestrategy over the next ten years, we will keepunder active review our response to, and ourincreasing understanding of, the implicationsof climate change.

19 UK Climate Predictions (UKCP09): central estimate for change in mean summer temperature in south east England in the 2080s under a mediumemissions scenario is 3.9C, but could be between 2.0C (10% probability i.e. highly unlikely to be less than) and 6.5C (90% probability i.e. highly unlikelyto be more than).

20 UKCP09

21 Mitchell, et al, England Biodiversity Strategy towards adaptation to climate change, nal report to Defra for contract CR0327, (2007)

16

Roadside verge, with rich ora, County: Herefordshire,Photographer: Peter Wakely Walkers enjoying a Cornish valley at spring time. Crown Copyright


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Chapter 2: Priorities for action the strategyto 2020

2.1 Government will play a leading role indelivering the vision, mission and intendedoutcomes. We have developed four priorityareas for action by Government, its agencies,the wider biodiversity partnership andothers to achieve our ambitions, includingaddressing the pressures outlined in thelast chapter:

a more integrated large-scale approach to

conservation on land and at sea22

putting people at the heart of biodiversitypolicy23

reducing environmental pressures 24

improving our knowledge 25

2.2 These four priority areas are based on theve strategic goals of the Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD) Strategic Plan2011-2020, but re-cast and re-ordered tobetter t the priorities here in England. Ourapproach will be informed by the list ofpriority species and habitats in England 26 .Much of the action proposed will contributeto more than one of the outcomes outlinedin the previous chapter.

2.3 The strategy will be taken forward in a waywhich is compatible with Governments otherpriorities. We do not intend to introduce

unnecessary burdens or regulations; ratherour aim is for the outcomes and prioritiesto be used as a focus and driver for actionby partners under this strategy. We want toinspire action at all levels by all partners.

A more integrated large-scale approachto conservation on land and at sea

2.4 In order to halt overall biodiversity loss, support healthy well-functioning ecosystemsand establish coherent ecological networks,with more and better places for nature forthe benet of wildlife and people , we needto establish more coherent and resilientecological networks on land and at sea.

Targeted action is also needed in respect ofsome priority species whose conservation isnot delivered through these wider habitatand ecosystem measures, and also toconserve agricultural genetic diversity incultivated plants, farmed animals andwild relatives.

22 Broadly reects CBD Strategic Plan strategic goals C (improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity) and D(enhance the benets to all f rom biodiversity and ecosystem services)

23 Broadly reects CBD Strategic Plan strategic goal A (address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across governmentand society)

24 Broadly reects CBD Strategic Plan strategic goal B (reducing the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use)

25 Broadly reects CBD Strategic Plan strategic goal E (enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management andcapacity building)

26 Species and habitats identied as being of principal importance in England, Section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.

Arrowhead/industry, Site of Special Scientic Interest: Hudderseld NarrowCanal, County: West Yorkshire, Photographer: Peter Wakely


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What is a coherent and resilient ecological network?(this is explained in a land, rather than marine, context drawn from Making Space for Nature )

What we mean by an ecological network

Much of Englands wildlife is now restricted to wildlife sites, which consist largely of semi-natural habitats.However, surviving in small, isolated sites is difcult for many species, especially in the longer term andgiven climate change.

We want a large number of high quality sites which contain the range and area of habitats that speciesrequire. We also want ecological connections that allow species, or their genes, to move between thesesites. For many species, habitat does not have to be a continuous, physical connection for them to disperse.An ecological network is this network of high quality sites, protected by buffer zones, and connected bywildlife corridors and smaller, but still wildlife-rich, stepping-stone sites.

The ecological networks for different species work at varying scales: some species need a large area, othersa much smaller area. An ecological network for England therefore consists of a range of networks.

What we mean by coherent and resilient

A coherent ecological network is one that has all the elements necessary to achieve its overall objectives;the components are complementary and mutually reinforcing so that the value of the whole network isgreater than the sum of its parts.

A resilient ecological network is one that can absorb, resist or recover from disturbances and damagecaused by natural inuences and human activities (including climate change), while continuing to meet itsoverall objectives of supporting biodiversity and providing ecosystem services.

Components of an ecological network

Ecological networks generally have ve components.

Core areas of high nature conservation value which contain rare or important habitats orecosystem services. They include protected wildlife sites and other semi-natural areas of highecological quality.

Corridors and stepping stones enabling species to move between core areas. These can bemade up of a number of small sites acting as stepping stones or a mosaic of habitats that allowsspecies to move and supports ecosystem functions.

Restoration areas , where strategies are put in place to create high value areas (the core areas ofthe future), restoring ecological functions and wildlife.

Buffer zones , that protect core areas, restoration areas, and stepping stones from adverseimpacts in the wider environment.

Sustainable use areas , areas of surrounding land that are managed in a sustainable and wildlifefriendly way.


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Priority action: Establish more coherent andresilient ecological networks on land thatsafeguard ecosystem services for the benet ofwildlife and people

2.5 The Making Space for Nature reviewsummarised what needs to be done toestablish a more coherent and resilientnetwork in 4 words, which describe ourambitions under this priority: better, bigger,more and joined .

Better: we will improve the qualityof priority habitat both within andoutside protected sites, includingwhere appropriate, by improving theheterogeneity and structural diversity ofhabitats which in turn will provide suitableniches for a wider range of species andenhance resilience to climate and otherenvironmental change. The Making Spacefor Nature review concluded that therst priority is to protect and enhancethe quality of existing priority habitat. Itis much harder, more expensive and notalways possible to re-create habitat than itis to look after what we currently have.

Bigger: we will increase the size ofremaining areas of priority habitat whereappropriate

More: we will create new areas of priorityhabitat where appropriate

Joined: we will enhance ecologicalconnections between, or join up, existingareas of priority habitat, increasingopportunity for wildlife to move around

the landscape by making use of steppingstones, corridors and other features

2.6 To achieve this, we will take and encouragea more spatially-based approach, focussedon places, and landscape-scale action.Approaches aimed at establishing ecologicalnetworks should join up with other activitiesand achieve multiple benets for biodiversityand people where possible.

We will learn from the experience oforganisations and partnerships thathave already adopted a landscape-scaleapproach to ecological restoration, suchas the Wildlife Trusts Living Landscapes,RSPBs Futurescapes, and the eightIntegrated Biodiversity Delivery Areapilots 27 . National Parks and AONBshave potential to be exemplars of goodpractice. We will encourage adoption of

integrated, landscape-scale approaches.This approach will also help achievemultiple outcomes, including conservinggeodiversity and enhancing landscapes inour towns and countryside.

We will enable partnerships of localauthorities, local communities andland managers, the private sector andconservation organisations to establishnew Nature Improvement Areas(NIAs), based on a local assessment ofopportunities for restoring and connecting

27 ThinkBIG, England Biodiversity Group (2011), www.naturalengland.org.uk

Bolt Tail, Bolberry Down gorse, Site of Special Scientic Interest: SlaptonLey, National Nature Reserve: Slapton Ley, County: Devon, Photographer:Peter Wakely


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nature on a signicant scale. We wantto see Nature Improvement Areaswherever the opportunities or benetsare greatest, driven by the knowledgeand vision of local partnerships. Workingwithin the framework of the NationalPolicy Statements and the Governmentsplanning reforms, local authorities willbe able to use local planning to supportNature Improvement Areas, includingidentifying them in their local planswhere they choose, while not deterringsustainable development.

We are funding a competition to supportthe creation of Nature ImprovementAreas in twelve initial areas, providing7.5 million in the period 2011 to 2015.Lessons learnt will help us extend thisapproach.

Natural England and other partners willensure that management of SSSIs andother habitats takes better account of therequirements of a wider range of species.Natural England will consider the impactof climate change and other long-termprocesses on the existing SSSI networkthrough its Notication Strategy, whichwill also identify gaps in the presentcoverage of priority habitats and specieswithin the SSSI series.

We will encourage local authorities totake a more active and positive role inthe management of Local Sites, includingthrough reporting data on such sites inthe Governments new Single Data List.

We will work with transport agencies andkey delivery partners to create coherentand resilient ecological networks in

the natural areas at the edges of ourstrategic roads and railways, whichcover approximately 60,000 hectares.The Government will host a forum withenvironmental stakeholders to inform

future priorities for the enhancement ofthese green corridors.

To aid an integrated approach, theGovernments environmental bodies arereforming the way they work together, sotheir decisions can better reect the fullrange of environmental objectives, and sothey can provide more coherent advice onthe natural environment to local partners.

Priority action: Establish and effectivelymanage an ecologically coherent networkof marine protected areas which covers inexcess of 25% of English waters by the endof 2016, and which contributes to the UKsachievement of Good Environmental Statusunder the Marine Strategy FrameworkDirective

A key element of our approach will bethe establishment of a well-managed,ecologically coherent network of MarineProtected Areas (MPAs). The MarineStrategy Framework Directive recognises theimportant role that Marine Protected Areaswill play in helping to protect biodiversityand requires Member States to put in placespatial protection measures contributing tocoherent and representative networks ofMarine Protected Areas.

By the end of 2016 in excess of 25% ofEnglish waters will be contained in a well-managed Marine Protected Area network.This will help with the delivery of ecologicalcoherence, help conserve and protectrare and threatened species and habitats,and ensure valuable marine ecosystemsare resilient to future change, includingclimate change. It will contribute to aUK and international network. The new

marine planning system created under theMarine and Coastal Access Act 2009 isexplained more fully in the section on marinemanagement.


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Priority action: Take targeted action forthe recovery of priority species, whoseconservation is not delivered through widerhabitat-based and ecosystem measures

We, through Natural England, will agree aprioritised programme with our partners,allocating responsibilities for recovery actionfor the species. Greatest priority will be givento species at most risk of extinction, andthose for which England has a particularinternational responsibility, for example,species that are endemic or which arethreatened at European or global scales. Wewill work with a range of public bodies andauthorities to encourage community action,including by supporting communities inadopting locally-relevant species.

We will ensure that relevant species are givensufcient protection, for example, through

the quinquennial review of schedules 5 and8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981,and also in the marine environment, forexample, tackling bycatch through sheriesmeasures.

We will reduce wildlife crime by workingthrough the Partnership for Action AgainstWildlife Crime (PAW) and by contributing tofunding for the National Wildlife Crime Unitfor a further two years, from 1 April 2011.We have conrmed new UK wildlife crimepriorities for them to target over this period.

We will strive to ensure that cetaceanbycatch is reduced to the lowest levelpossible, and is always below the 1.7% bestpopulation estimate that indicates that it isnot adversely affecting populations.

On the principal threat of bycatch we haveworked, and will continue to work, withthe shing industry to develop an effectiveand safe acoustic deterrent, as this hasbeen identied as the most effective way ofmitigating bycatch in our sheries.

For elasmobranch (shark, skate andray) species, our shark, skate and rayconservation plan clearly lays out how wewill work to secure our overarching aim ofmanaging elasmobranch stocks sustainablyso that depleted stocks recover and thatthose faring better are shed sustainably.

Priority action: Ensure that agriculturalgenetic diversity is conserved and enhanced

wherever appropriate We will raise awareness of existing genetic

diversity within cultivated plants, farmedanimals and their wild relatives, and itsimportance for food security and renewablesupplies of plant materials.

We will encourage responsible managementand conservation of our genetic diversityresource by relevant stakeholders.

We will incorporate the sustainablemaintenance of genetic diversity into keyrelevant policies and programmes, includingincentive measures, protective arrangementsand integrated ecosystem landscape-scaleapproaches.

We will update the UKs inventory of farmanimal genetic resources, establishing asfar as possible efcient identication andmonitoring systems for genetic diversity andmaintaining existing ex situ collections (suchas the National Fruit Collection at Brogdaleand the Pea Collection at the John InnesCentre at Norwich).

Putting people at the heart ofbiodiversity policy

Priority action: Work with the biodiversitypartnership to engage signicantly morepeople in biodiversity issues, increaseawareness of the value of biodiversity andincrease the number of people takingpositive action


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2.7 People are at the heart of this biodiversitystrategy and involving the wider public isan important consideration across many ofthe conservation actions set out under thestrategy, not just those with the primaryaim of public engagement. Civil societyorganisations play a critical front line roledirectly engaging and enthusing the publicabout biodiversity and the wider naturalenvironment such as geodiversity, and this

priority is a call for renewed and expandedaction. Government will contribute primarilyby helping facilitate the sector in this roleand creating the conditions whereby peopleare empowered to make a difference.

We will establish a working group involvingkey stakeholders as part of the strategysgovernance structure, tasked with a remit toconsider how the sector can address this keyaction more effectively in future and howgovernment might provide support. Thiswork will inform the strategys delivery plan.Through the working group, we will builda partnership approach to addressing thischallenge whilst also coming up with moredetailed action on particular key issues.In addition to better engaging society ingeneral, we envisage the working group willneed to consider engagement with prioritygroups and sectors, such as those identiedin the section on reducing environmentalpressures, which have particular inuenceover biodiversity. It will also need to considerissues such as opportunities for synergiesand greater collaboration by the partnership,and also how greater communityengagement can be supported.

2.8 Governments wider decentralisation andlocalism agenda will assist by empowering

local communities to have more inuenceover local decisions which affect them. TheNatural Environment White Paper sets out arange of relevant key reforms, including:

Improving public health locally, by makinghigh quality green space available toeveryone;

Action to get more children learningoutdoors, removing barriers andincreasing schools abilities to teachoutdoors. The Natural Connectionsinitiative provides an example of NaturalEngland and the nature conservationsector coming together to try to becomemore effective in engaging schoolsthrough a collaborative approach;

A new green areas designation,empowering communities to protect localenvironments that are important to them;

Help for everyone to do the right thing,at home, when shopping, as volunteers.For example, we will provide fundingto support the Big Wildlife Gardenscheme and launch a new phase ofthe MuckIn4Life campaign, offeringvolunteering opportunities to improvethe quality of life in towns, cities and thecountryside;

Help for public bodies to full their dutyunder the Natural Environment and RuralCommunities Act 2006 to take accountof biodiversity, by developing tools

and guidance for them to use, and byraising the prole of this duty with ParishCouncils.

Priority action: Promote taking better accountof the values of biodiversity in public andprivate sector decision-making, includingby providing tools to help consider a widerrange of ecosystem services

2.9 In February 2011, we published our

new strategy Mainstreaming sustainabledevelopment The Governments visionand what this means in practice . Thisset out our approach for mainstreamingsustainable development which seeks to

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embed sustainable development into policy.Government has also agreed the GreeningGovernment Commitments to drivesustainability and efciency in the way wemanage our operations and procurement,including a commitment to be open andtransparent on the steps taken to addressbiodiversity and natural environment. TheNatural Environment White Paper sets out awide range of further relevant action to takethis forward on a wider natural environmentbasis. Key reforms include:

The consideration of natures value inall relevant Impact Assessments. Later in2011 we will publish new supplementaryguidance to the Treasurys Green Book foruse by all Government Departments onvaluing the natural environmentin appraisals.

A new independent Natural CapitalCommittee, to advise Government andput the value of Englands natural capitalat the heart of our economic thinking.

Inclusion of natural capital in our nationalaccounts alongside GDP, to capturenatures value in how we measureeconomic progress. Further research willbe undertaken to do this, building on theresults of the NEA.

Actions to support the creation of newmarkets for green goods and services,expanding the opportunities forUK business.

New support and guidance for businesses,to promote responsible use of naturalcapital. For example, we will support anew international coalition of businessesand business organisations to follow upthe TEEB for Business report to helpbusinesses to understand and addresstheir environmental impacts.

The inauguration of a network of 50Natural Value Ambassadors to engagekey decision-makers and opinion formersusing the latest evidence and materialsavailable.

In the marine environment:

Identication of possible MarineConservation Zones (MCZs) under the

Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009is being led by individuals, businesses,communities and organisations throughfour regional MCZ projects. Throughthese projects, local stakeholders willhave a genuine opportunity to shapewhere MCZs are located, their objectives,and management, encouraging localresponsibility and pride a feeling ofafliation and stewardship for their marine

environment. For MCZs and sites designated under

European Directives the Governmentenvisages that Inshore Fisheries andConservation Authorities (IFCAs) and theMarine Management Organisation willwork closely with local interest groups todevelop management measures to ensurethey achieve their objectives. We will alsoexplore the scope for local bodies andinterest groups to have a role in owningvoluntary management measures wherethese are appropriate and the monitoringand surveillance of these sites includingcarrying out surveys and related activities.

For the wider marine environment, thenew Marine Planning system introducedunder the Act provides everyone with aninterest, the opportunity to have a voice

in how the marine area is managed. Thisengagement will help raise awareness ofthe marine environment.


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Priority action: Develop new and innovativenancing mechanisms to direct more fundingtowards the achievement of biodiversityoutcomes

2.10 We need to consider how we might developnew and innovative nancing mechanisms.One way of achieving this is throughvoluntary schemes where payments, calledpayments for ecosystem services, are madeto compensate for actions undertaken todeliver enhancements in natures services.The Natural Environment White Paper setsout Governments role in enabling andfacilitating these voluntary schemes toharness their potential for protecting andenhancing natures services and commits toaction including:

Publishing an action plan in 2012 toexpand schemes in which the provider

of natures services is paid by thebeneciaries, after undertaking a fullassessment of the challenges and barriers.

Introducing a new research fund targetedat these schemes and publishing a bestpractice guide for designing them. Pilotswill also be encouraged to develop acrossa broad spectrum of natures services andbeneciaries.

More broadly, the setting up of a business-led Ecosystem Markets Taskforce to reviewthe opportunities for UK business fromexpanding green goods, services, products,investment vehicles and markets whichvalue and protect natures services. It willreport back to Government in 2012-13.

We will continue to work with partnersto help the biodiversity sector make themost of existing sources of funding, which

will continue to be highly important tosupport the strategys priorities.

Reducing environmental pressuresIntegrate consideration of biodiversity withinthe sectors which have the greatest potentialfor direct inuence, and reduce direct pressures

2.11 In seeking to achieve the strategysoutcomes, our approach needs to set out arange of positive action to improve the statusof biodiversity but also action to reducedirect and indirect pressures on biodiversity,

particularly in those sectors that have thegreatest potential impacts on biodiversity.Using a range of evidence, including theNational Ecosystem Assessment 28 , we haveidentied the key sectors we will work with,and the pressures we will address.

2.12 This section sets out the key actions we willtake relating to each sector. Many of thesecommitments are also set out in the Natural

Environment White Paper. We will respondto further priorities that may arise over thelifetime of this strategy by updating therolling delivery plan.

Sectors:

Agriculture

Forestry

Planning and Development

Water Management

Marine Management

Fisheries

Direct pressures:

Air Pollution

Invasive Non-Native species

24

28 Informed by a range of evidence including the National Ecosystem Assessment, Natural Englands State of the Natural Environment report 2008, UKBAP2008 reporting round, Convention on Biological Diversity strategic plan, Making Space for Nature (2010) and stakeholder input.


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Agriculture

Priority action: Improve the delivery ofenvironmental outcomes from agriculturalland management practices, whilst increasingfood production

2.13 Over 70% of England is farmed andtherefore agricultural land managementpractices are one of the most importantinuences on our biodiversity and ecosystemservices. Agriculture shapes the landscapeswe value, and contributes signicantlyto the UK economy. Farmers and landmanagers play a vital role, not only as foodsuppliers, but also as the stewards of ourcountryside. Their cooperation is crucial inachieving our ambitions for biodiversity. Weacknowledge that potential tensions existbetween improving the environment andincreasing food production and this requiresall interested parties to work together.

We will carry out a review of advice andincentives for farmers and land managers,to create a more integrated, streamlinedand efcient approach that is clearer forfarmers and land managers and yieldsbetter environmental results.

We will bring together government,industry and environmental partners to

reconcile how we will achieve our goals ofimproving the environment and increasingfood production. We will publish ourconclusions within the next twelvemonths.

We will work with our delivery partnersand stakeholders to develop and test anapproach to Environmental Stewardshipthat increases its focus on outcomes,including encouraging more collaborativeworking to achieve landscape-scale actionand the possibility of allowing greaterexibility within agreements in howoutcomes are achieved.

We will seek to maximise the contributionwhich Environmental Stewardship andthe Woodland Grant Scheme maketowards our overarching objective topromote multiple benets from ecologicalrestoration at a landscape scale, includingthrough Nature Improvement Areas.Funding for Higher Level Stewardship(HLS) will grow by over 80% between2010 and 2014.

Priority action: Reform the CommonAgricultural Policy to achieve greaterenvironmental benets

The future role of the CommonAgricultural Policy (CAP) from 2014 to2020 is key to achieving our ambitionsfor enhancing environmental outcomes intandem with food production. Successivereforms of the CAP have given it a greaterfocus on the achievement of publicbenets, such as environmental outcomesand we want to see an acceleration ofthis process. Expenditure in a signicantlysmaller CAP Budget should tacklethe key objectives of encouraging acompetitive, sustainable EU agriculturesector, reducing reliance on subsidies andfocusing resources on the provision ofenvironmental public goods.

Dyers greenweed and resting cattle, County: Hampshire,Photographer: Chris Gomersall


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Forestry

Priority action: Bring a greater proportionof our existing woodlands into sustainablemanagement and expand the area ofwoodland in England

2.14 Woodlands are one of our richest habitats,containing a very wide diversity of wildlife.Woodlands cover 10% of England, of whicharound half is priority woodland habitat (i.e.

ancient and native woodland).

2.15 Active management of woodland canprevent and address the most widespreadand serious problems affecting ecologicalcondition, for example, shadiness and highdeer populations causing a loss of shrub-layer and ground cover. It can also deliverother benets, for example, woodfuel andtimber and recreation and leisure.

2.16 Our woodland resource is highly fragmented.Small, isolated patches of ancient woodlandare particularly vulnerable to climate changeand other pressures. Many species typicalof ancient woodland are slow to colonisenew areas and only move slowly across thelandscape. Enlarging and buffering ancientwoods is therefore often a more immediatepriority than attempting to create large-scalenetworks and corridors.

We have appointed an Independent Panelon Forestry to advise the Secretary ofState on forestry policy and the role of theForestry Commission, and have asked thepanel to provide advice on the appropriatelevel of ambition for woodland creation andmore active management, including howwoodland biodiversity should be conserved.

We are committed to providing appropriateprotection to ancient woodlands andto more restoration of plantations onancient woodland sites (in recognition oftheir particular value). We have asked theIndependent Panel on Forestry for adviceon the restoration of open habitats andplantations on ancient woodland sites.

The Forestry Commission and NaturalEngland will consider the role thatEnvironmental Stewardship can provide

to support farmers in conserving otherwoody habitats, such as eld trees,parkland, hedges and patches of scrubscattered through the landscape, whichare vital habitat for woodland wildlife.

Planning and development

Priority action: Through reforms of theplanning system, take a strategic approachto planning for nature within and acrosslocal areas. This approach will guidedevelopment to the best locations, encouragegreener design and enable development toenhance natural networks. We will retainthe protection and improvement of thenatural environment as core objectives of theplanning system

2.17 Although affecting a much smallerproportion of the land each year thanagriculture, development (including forurbanisation, infrastructure and industrialuse) can also drive ecosystem and biodiversitychange as a result of a range of directeffects, such as land take, and indirect

26

Child looking at heath spotted orchids, County: Devon,Photographer: Paul Glendell


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effects, such as fragmentation of habitatsand degradation, for example, due to waterabstraction or pollution.

2.18 The Government expects the planningsystem to deliver the homes, business,infrastructure and thriving local placesthat the country needs, while protectingand enhancing the natural and historicenvironment. Planning has a key role insecuring a sustainable future. However thecurrent system is costly and bureaucratic withexcessive central control, preventing localcommunities from shaping developmentin their neighbourhoods. It is also failingto achieve the kind of integrated andinformed decision-making needed to supportsustainable land use. We must enablecommunities to achieve lasting growth in away that meets all of their needs: economic,social and environmental.

2.19 The Natural Environment White paper setsout our approach on planning and thenatural environment. Key points relevant tothis strategy are:

We will retain protection andimprovement of the natural environmentas core objectives for local planning anddevelopment management. The planning

system will continue to facilitate coherentand resilient ecological networks inassociation with local partners and reectthe value of natural systems.

We want the planning system tocontribute to our objective of no netloss of biodiversity; to encourage localauthorities to promote multi-functionaldevelopment so that we get the mostfrom land; and to protect our best andmost versatile agricultural land.

The Government will consult extensivelyon a draft of the National PlanningPolicy Framework, and has already

invited comments on its content andreceived responses from a wide range ofenvironmental and other interests.

Priority action: Establish a new, voluntaryapproach to biodiversity offsets and test ourapproach in pilot areas

We will support biodiversity offsettingpilots through a two-year test phase,until spring 2014. Natural England willwork with pilot areas, providing advice,support and quality assurance. The aimis to develop a body of information andevidence, so that the Government candecide whether to support greater use ofbiodiversity offsetting in England, and, ifso, how to use it most effectively.

Marbled white buttery, County: Hampshire, Photographer: Chris Gomersall

Water management

Priority action: Align measures to protectthe water environment with action forbiodiversity, including through the riverbasin planning approach under the EU WaterFramework Directive

2.20 There are opportunities for seeking more

integrated delivery of environmentaloutcomes through aligning watermanagement with action on biodiversity.


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2.21 Water is highly relevant to conservation ofbiodiversity both in terms of the quality andquantity of water that is available to supportthe survival of water dependent speciesand wetland habitats. The Government iscommitted to protecting water ecosystemsto achieve good ecological status through ariver basin planning approach, under the EUWater Framework Directive. We will reducewater pollution, building on action under

regulations such as the Nitrates Directiveand the Urban Waste Water TreatmentDirective, which control some causes ofwater pollution. We need to increase the rateof progress towards good ecological statusby working at catchment level to involveinterested parties and address the pollutionsources that are causing water bodies to fail.

We will develop a strategy to identifyand address the most signicant diffusesources of water pollution from non-agricultural sources. We will reduce theimpact of land management on waterby ensuring pollution and ood risk isaddressed at source, through targeted risk-based enforcement of existing regulatoryinstruments, and beyond this by identifyingwhere land can be managed to delivermultiple benets, including improving waterquality, ood alleviation and biodiversity.

We will increase the proportion of waterbodies in Good Ecological Status from26% now to 32% by 2015, workingthrough 11 river basin managementplans; we will then get the majority of ourwater bodies to GES as soon as possible,and get as many of our water bodiesas possible to GES by 2027. The riverbasin management plans tackle many

pressures including point and diffusesources of pollution arising from activitieson land and in water, non-native species,habitat connectivity and unsustainableabstraction.

We are establishing ten catchment-levelpartnerships to develop and implementplans for creating and maintaining healthywater bodies. We will also supportadditional groups who wish to take a leadin trialling a catchment approach. We willthen use the lessons learned from triallingthe catchment approach in pilot areas,to develop new guidance on river basinmanagement planning from 2015to 2021.

The Environment Agency and NaturalEngland will work together with farmersto encourage the inclusion of EntryLevel options under the EnvironmentalStewardship scheme where there arediffuse pollution problems and to ensurethey are located appropriately.

We will provide funding of 92 million

over the next four years 2011/12 to2014/15 to clean up our rivers.

We will continue the Catchment SensitiveFarming (CSF) Initiative with a programmebudget of 18 million for 2011-12.

Priority action: Continue to promoteapproaches to ood and erosion managementwhich conserve the natural environment andimprove biodiversity

We will encourage research and innovativepractices which help us understand howwe can more effectively reduce the riskof ooding and erosion to people andproperty through working with naturalprocesses.

Priority action: Reform the water abstractionregime. The new regime will provide clearersignals to abstractors to make the necessaryinvestments to meet water needs and protectecosystem functioning. We will also takesteps to tackle the legacy of unsustainableabstraction more efciently

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2.22 This will involve continuing to prioritisereducing impacts on the most important sitesfor biodiversity, such as Natura 2000 sitesand SSSIs. The forthcoming Water WhitePaper will set out further details.

Management of the marine environment

Priority action: Develop 10 Marine Planswhich integrate economic, social andenvironmental considerations, and whichwill guide decision-makers when making anydecision that affects, or might affect, a marinearea. This action in England is part of the UKvision for clean, healthy, safe, productive andbiologically diverse oceans and seas

2.23 Our seas are subject to competing demands,pollution and other damage, and yetthe ecosystem services they provide areinvaluable (e.g. regulation of climate change,ood risk and water quality and culturalservices such as recreation). The previoussystem for management has been consideredto be ad hoc, inconsistent, incoherent andnot able to fully consider the cumulativeimpact the decisions we took had on theenvironment. We need to manage our seasstrategically and holistically through thenew comprehensive marine planning systemdeveloped under the Marine and CoastalAccess Act 2009.

The Marine Plans being developed byMarine Management Organisation willguide developers about where they arelikely to be able to carry out activities, orwhere conditions or restrictions may beplaced on what they do. Marine Planswill also encourage an understanding ofthe marine environment and the activitiestaking place in each area.

The Marine Policy Statement (MPS)provides the framework for the marineplanning system. It facilitates andsupports the formulation of Marine

Plans, ensuring that marine resources areused in a sustainable way providing acoherent approach to management of thedemands and pressures on our seas withconsideration of cumulative effects. TheMPS provides the policy context, withinwhich national and sub-national MarinePlans will be developed, implemented,monitored, amended and will ensureappropriate consistency in marineplanning across the UK marine area.

The rst two Marine Plans (East ofEngland Inshore and Offshore marineplan areas) will be completed in 2013.The Marine Management Organisationwill have a complete system of 10 MarinePlans in place for the whole of the Englishmarine area by 2022.

Algae in rock pool, Site of Special Scientic Interest: Lundy, County:Devon, Photographer: Paul Glendell

Marine litter is also an issue. It can affectimportant marine species and place anadditional pressure on the viability ofalready stressed sheries. We know thishappens across the world, but we do notfully understand the scale of the impacts.We will identify any additional measuresnecessary to move us towards achievingGood Environmental Status, ensuringthese are in place by 2016. By 2014, our


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We will identify additional measuresneeded to achieve Good EnvironmentalStatus, and put these in place by 2016.

By 2014, our marine monitoringprogrammes will be helping to delivera better understanding of how currentmarine and terrestrial measures to addresslitter, contribute to managingthe problem.

Air pollution

Priority action: Reduce air pollution impactson biodiversity through approaches atnational, UK, EU and international levelstargeted at the sectors which are the sourceof the relevant pollutants (nitrogen oxides,ozone, sulphur dioxide, ammonia)

2.26 Pollution presents a wide range of pressuresand risks to the natural environment,damaging our biodiversity and ecosystems. Inaddition to water pollution, covered above,the impacts of air pollution on plant speciesare detectable throughout the countryside.Some air pollutants (such as oxides ofnitrogen, ammonia and ozone) travel greatdistances and cause harmful effects far fromtheir source, so action is needed at domestic,EU and international levels.

2.27 The legislative framework enables action totackle some major sources of pollution andthere have been major gains in reducing theimpact of air pollution over recent decades.However, many sensitive ecosystems are stillexposed to acidity and nutrient enrichment(eutrophication) at a level which risksdamage (i.e. exceeding critical loads). Thereis a need to do more.

2.28 Current climate change mitigation plans

are expected to deliver reductions in airpollution by 2020 and beyond. We alsoexpect negotiations on a revised UNECEGothenburg Protocol to conclude in 2011and for this to set new emission ceilings for

key air pollutants for 2020. A key aim forthe EU is to widen ratication of any revisedprotocol so as to reduce transboundaryair pollution and the damaging effects onbiodiversity and ecosystems.

We will implement existing and plannedpolicies to reduce UK emissions. As aresult of this action the proportion ofsensitive ecosystems which exceed the

critical load for acidity is projected to fallto 59% in England by 2020 (from 67% in2006-08) and the proportion exceedingthe critical load for eutrophication, fallingto 94% in England (from 97% in 2006-08). The magnitude of those exceedanceswill also reduce, further lowering the riskof impacts on biodiversity.

Defra will continue to work with theDepartment of Transport to exploremeans of further reducing emissions fromtransport sources, including shipping.

We will use the farming IntegratedAdvice Pilot to explore the effectivenessof providing guidance to the agriculturalsector and we will explore theopportunities offered by reform of theCommon Agricultural Policy to providemechanisms to encourage emission

reductions. We will work collaboratively with the

agricultural sector (responsible for 89%of UK ammonia emissions) to increasenitrogen use efciency though the NitratesAction Plan and Integrated Advice Pilotand the agricultural industrys GreenhouseGas Action Plan. These plans will alsoreduce greenhouse gas emissions, andimprove air and water quality.


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Invasive non-native species

Priority action: Continue to implement theInvasive Non-Native Species FrameworkStrategy for Great Britain

2.29 Invasive non-native species have an impact onnative biodiversity in a number of ways, suchas displacing or preying upon native species,dominating habitats or by introducing newdiseases or parasites. Their impacts can take

decades to become apparent but, by their verynature, once established they are likely to causelong term effects.

2.30 Appreciation of the impacts of invasivenon-native species has grown signicantly.They are currently costing Britain at least1.7billion per annum in damage andmanagement costs 30 and it is estimatedthat the European equivalent gure exceeds12billion 31 . Evidence 32 indicates thatthe number of non-native species beingintroduced to Europe is increasing and sothe cost is likely to continue to increase if theproblem is not addressed. Climate changemay increase the problem.

We will continue to develop the followingkey areas:

the evidence base to supportproportionate and effective decision-making;

an inclusive approach to surveillance anddetection of threats;

our ability to deliver rapid responses tonew threats;

our relationship with stakeholder and keyinterest groups, such as garden centres, toinuence the right kind of behaviours;

stimulating and supporting civil societyengagement to help embed a widerrecognition that human behaviours arethe key cause of this issue and therefore akey part of the solution.

We will work with other member states todevelop the EU Strategy on Invasive AlienSpecies. This EU Strategy needs to buildthe right connections between existing EUregimes, for example, the EU Plant andAnimal Health regimes.

In the marine context, we will consider theneed for additional measures to control theintroduction and spread of marine invasivenon-native species (in addition to thosemeasures which are already being takenforward) as part of our programme ofmeasures for achieving GoodEnvironmental Status.

32

Volunteer actively engaged in rural community/voluntary work. Crown Copyright

30 The Economic Cost of Invasive Non-Native Species on Great Britain - F. Williams, R. Eschen, A. Harris, D. Djeddour, C. Pratt, R.S. Shaw, S. Varia,J. Lamontagne-Godwin, S.E. Thomas, S.T. Murphy; CAB/001/09 November 2010.

31 Kettunen, M., Genovesi, P., Gollasch, S., Pagad, S., Starnger, U. ten Brink, P. & Shine, C. 2008. Technical support to EU strategy on invasive species (IAS)- Assessment of the impacts of IAS in Europe and the EU (nal module report for the European Commission). Institute for European Environmental Policy(IEEP), Brussels, Belgium. 44 pp. + Annexes.

32 European Environment Agency State of the environment report 1/2007 - Europes environment The fourth assessment, Chapter 4 Biodiversity.


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Improving our knowledge2.31 In England we are fortunate in having widely

available information on the status and trendsin components of biodiversity, with much ofthat information collected by volunteers. Thereremain gaps in our knowledge. We knowmore about species and habitats on protectedsites than outside them; more about populargroups such as birds and higher plants than

cryptic ones such as fungi and lichens; andmore about species and habitats than aboutgenetic diversity.

2.32 We have identied many of the pressuresthat are driving biodiversity loss but somepres

Biodiversity 2020 - A strategy for England's Wildlife and Ecosystem Services.pdf

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