UK Conservation
The UK’s natural environment and its
biodiversity provides a vital and valuable role in supporting the
basic natural services we all depend on, such as food, fresh water
and clean air. For example, bees pollinate our crops and the
crops in turn provide us with food. Nature conservation aims
to maintain and enrich our biodiversity, and to sustain these
natural services.
Nature conservation in the UK is driven
by a wide range of policies, legislation and agreements, all
delivered by a range of bodies, from the statutory, voluntary,
academic and business sectors, which work together to conserve the
environment and its biodiversity. In 1994, the UK became the
first country to produce a national biodiversity action plan (the
UK BAP), as part of its commitment to the Convention on Biological
Diversity. Since then, devolution has led the four countries
of the UK – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales – to
produce their own biodiversity conservation strategies.
JNCC plays an important role in helping to co-ordinate
conservation action and research at a UK level. Additionally,
in July 2012, JNCC and Defra, on behalf of the Four Countries’
Biodiversity Group, published the ‘UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework’, which
aimed to set out the common purpose and shared priorities of the
four countries and the UK. This important document has been
endorsed by the environment ministers from all four countries.
Beyond the UK Biodiversity Framework, JNCC’s involvement in
nature conservation at a UK level ranges from the publication of
annual updates of the UK Biodiversity Indicators suite (last update
May 2012), to work which assists in the protection of rare and
threatened UK habitats and species, the designation of protected
sites and the support of UK legislation.
UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework
Together with Defra, JNCC published the ‘UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework’ on 17 July
2012, on behalf of the Four Countries’ Biodiversity Group, which
includes representatives from each of the devolved
administrations.
The biodiversity framework has been developed in response to two
major drivers: the publication of the Convention on Biological
Diversity’s (CBD’s) Strategic Plan for Biodiversity
2011-2020 and its five strategic goals and 20 ‘Aichi targets’,
following the CBD meeting held in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010;
and the launch of the new EU Biodiversity Strategy (EUBS) in May
2011.
The framework is designed to show how the work of the four UK
countries joins up with work at a UK level to achieve the ‘Aichi
targets’ and the aims of the EU Biodiversity Strategy. It
highlights where work in the country biodiversity strategies
contributes to international obligations, and the activities
required at a UK level to complement these strategies. The
development of the framework reflects a revised direction for
nature conservation, towards an approach which aims to consider the
management of the environment as a whole, and to acknowledge and
take into account the value of nature in decision-making.
For more information about the ‘UK Post-2010
Biodiversity Framework’>>>
UK Biodiversity Indicators
Indicators summarise complex data into more simple, standardised
and communicable figures. Within the UK, lots of information
about biodiversity is collected, across a wide range of species and
habitats, and a suite of biodiversity indicators is used to
communicate this information to a range of audiences, including the
general public, policy makers and government officials.
A set of biodiversity indicators for the UK was first published
in June 2007, and has been published annually ever since – most
recently on 29 May 2012. The indicators show changes in
various aspects of biodiversity, such as the population size of
important species or the area of land managed for wildlife.
The UK Biodiversity Indicators have been developed with input
from government, statutory agencies, non-governmental organisations
and academic institutes. The publication of the indicators is
compiled on behalf of the Biodiversity Indicators Steering Group by
JNCC and Defra, and is overseen by government statisticians.
For more information about the UK Biodiversity
Indicators>>>
UK Habitats and Species
The UK has a wealth of habitats and species, some of which are
of worldwide importance. JNCC supports habitat and species
conservation through advice, and the development of surveillance
and monitoring initiatives in the wider countryside. Through
surveillance and monitoring, the status and trends of species and
habitats, and the pressures that affect them, can be
recorded. The information gathered can be used to help
identify problems, target conservation action where it is most
needed, and to measure the success of conservation effort.
For
more information about UK habitats and species>>>
UK Protected sites
The UK has many different types of protected area, from those
established for nature conservation only, to those which serve a
range of purposes such as National Parks. Assisting in the
designation of protected areas in the UK is an important part of
the delivery of JNCC’s requirement to conserve and enhance
habitats, earth science features and species. JNCC acts on
behalf of the statutory conservation agencies and associated
government departments by collecting information on designated
sites for nature conservation in the UK, and also assists in the
interpretation of criteria for site selection and in developing
guidelines to aid the process.
For more
information about UK protected sites>>>
UK Legislation
Laws and regulations to conserve biodiversity
or to regulate how it is used have their origins at global,
European Union, national and sub-national level. At a UK
level, nature conservation policy is a devolved function, and there
is some divergence in approaches to legislation between the four
countries.
The major legislation relating to nature
conservation in Great Britain is the Wildlife and Countryside Act
1981 (as amended). As part of the act, JNCC co-ordinates a
statutory five-yearly review of Schedules 5 and 8 (protected wild
animals and plants respectively).
For more
information about UK legislation>>>