Western Isles Biodiversity
Scottish Biodiversity Strategy
The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Scotland’s Biodiversity: It’s In Your Hands was published by the Scottish Executive in May 2004. The Strategy sets out a 25-year framework for action to conserve and enhance Scotland’s biodiversity.
Local authorities are key agencies actively involved in supporting biodiversity in Scotland, both directly and through their range of services. Local authorities are also covered by the Biodiversity Duty on all public bodies to “further the conservation of biodiversity” in carrying out their functions.
Biodiversity Duty
In 2004 the Scottish Parliament passed a new law, the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. The Act has created a duty on public bodies “in exercising any functions, to further the conservation of biodiversity as far as is consistent with the proper exercise of those functions.”
The Comhairle’s Management Team has registered the importance of the biodiversity duty, agreed to deal with this duty corporately and supported the process of integrating biodiversity management corporately within existing Comhairle plans, strategies and initiatives and it was agreed that this could be done through the Comhairle’s internal Quality of Life Group.
The Scottish Executive, in association with SNH and CoSLA, has developed web based guidance on the delivering the Biodiversity Duty which can be viewed on the Biodiversity Scotland website.
The guidance provides advice to local authorities and other public bodies on the best way of embedding biodiversity conservation within mainstream policy and service delivery.
The guidance sets out in simple and straight forward ways the steps that councils and other public bodies could take to comply with the new biodiversity duty. The Comhairle has agreed to follow the 4 step process set out in the Scottish Executive guidance.
Biodiversity Policy Statement
The development of a Biodiversity Policy Statement is one of the initial steps in the biodiversity duty process. The biodiversity policy statement lays the foundations for delivering the biodiversity duty and is the driver for the Comhairle’s contribution to biodiversity conservation.
All aspects of the Comhairle’s operations have a potential impact on biodiversity from direct effects such as purchasing, facilities management, travel plans, grounds maintenance to the indirect effects of the Comhairle’s functions, including its plans and policies. The biodiversity policy reflects the Comhairle’s recognition of the range of these impacts, and sets out a framework for reducing negative impacts and maximising benefits to biodiversity.
The Comhairle’s Biodiversity Policy Statement was approved on 21 June 2007.
Biodiversity Policy Statement (PDF 110k)
The Comhairle’s Quality of Life Group will be co-ordinating the development of a Biodiversity Duty Delivery Plan for the next 3 year reporting period 2008-2010. This will be a detailed plan for delivery of the remaining steps in the biodiversity duty process and will identify Comhairle contacts with responsibility for delivery of individual objectives and targets. A draft Biodiversity Duty Delivery Plan will be presented to Comhairle Members for approval at a later date.
Biodiversity Strategy Report
The Comhairle has prepared a report on it’s key achievements for each objective listed in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy that have benefited biodiversity in the period 2004-2007.
CNES Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Report April 2007 (PDF 70k)
Ministers are required under legislation (the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004) to report to the Parliament every 3 years on implementation of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. The first report for the period 2004-2007 will be presented to Parliament by December 2007.
