UK Biodiversity Partnership Conference

1. UK Biodiversity Partnership Conference Biodiversity policy developments in England Dr Sarah Webster Biodiversity Programme, Defra

2. How have we done? Need to celebrate our successes to date: • Over 94% SSSIs in favourable or improving condition • Otters in nearly every English county • 75 male bitterns were recorded in 2008 – a nearly six-fold increase compared with 1997 But, more to do: • 19 out of 44 of Priority Habitats still declining • Much to be proud of but what we’ve achieved isn’t enough and we need to do better..

3. Coalition Programme commitments • Introduce measures to protect wildlife and promote green spaces and wildlife corridors in order to halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity • Launch a national tree planting campaign • Maintain the Green Belt, SSSIs and other environmental protections and create a new designation to protect green areas of particular importance to communities • Give councils new powers to stop ‘garden grabbing’ • Radically reform the planning system

4. Defra’s Structural Reform /Business Plan “The publication of these plans will bring about a fundamental change... replacing the old top-down systems of targets and central micromanagement with democratic accountability” (PM’s written statement to Parliament) One of the three coalition priorities for Defra is: • Help enhance the environment and biodiversity to improve quality of life: Enhance and protect the natural environment, including biodiversity and the marine environment, by reducing pollution and preventing habitat loss and degradation

5. Defra’s Structural Reform/Business Plan • Launch campaign to increase tree-planting - December 2010 • Develop, with DCLG, proposals for a new designation, to protect green areas of particular importance to local communities – March 2011 • Publish Natural Environment White paper setting out measures to protect wildlife, promote green spaces and wildlife corridors; value natural capital complementing national accounts; and produce an analysis of the UK’s natural asset base (NEA) - Spring 2011 • Publish new England Biodiversity Strategy alongside the NEWP - Spring 2011 • Assess the scope for actions to offset the impact of development on biodiversity

6. Localism Localism Bill included in CLG’s business plan for 2010The components of localism are: • Remove top-down burdens • Grant the right to do things differently • Increase transparency • Strengthen democratic accountability • Reduce central control over resources • Diversify suppliers of services

7. Big Society “ The Big Society is about a huge culture change, where people don’t always turn to officials or government for answers to the problems they face, but instead feel both free and powerful enough to help themselves and their own communities” David Cameron

8. Natural Environment White Paper • Part of the Coalition Government’s commitment to be the ‘Greenest Government Ever’ • First Natural Environment White Paper for 20 years • Launched discussion document in July 2010 • Consultation closed end October- 15,000 responses received • Summary of responses will be published in December • NEWP to be published in Spring 2011

9. Making Space For Nature Review • Chaired by Professor Sir John Lawton and published in September • Whether England’s collection of wildlife sites represents a coherent and resilient ecological network capable of responding to the challenges of climate change (looked at + 2OC) and other pressures • Whether a more inter-connected network would be more effective, with prioritised recommendations, including how Government and other organisations could work together to deliver them • Scope included terrestrial, freshwater and coasts (but not marine); looked forward to 2050 • http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/biodiversity/documents/201009space-for-nature.pdf

10. Making Space for Nature Review What we need to do: “MORE, BIGGER, BETTER, AND JOINED” • Improve the quality of current sites by better habitat management • Increase the size of current wildlife sites • Create new sites • Enhance connections between, or join up, sites, either through physical corridors , or through ‘stepping stones’ • Reduce the pressures on wildlife by improving the wider environment, including buffering wildlife sites Ranking: Better management of existing sites > Bigger sites > More sites > Enhance connectivity > New corridors

11. A new England Biodiversity Strategy in 2011 • Will take forward the global agreements made at Nagoya • Emphasis on placing proper value on nature’s services • National Ecosystem Assessment important evidence • “Lawton” agenda, biodiversity offsets • Build on past successes and aim to accelerate the recovery of priority habitats and species. • Streamlined bureaucracy, with NE as lead delivery body. • Partnerships will remain essential.

12. Thank you… Thank you for your ongoing help and support! sarah.webster@defra.gsi.gov.uk