Chairman’s Introduction

During 2009/10, JNCC continued to make a significant contribution to domestic, European and wider international nature conservation through its unique role in providing the evidence base for policy to UK and devolved governments.

In line with JNCC’s strategy, agreed in 2009, we focused our resources on those issues where we have a distinctive role and where we can add value to activities undertaken by others. A crucial part of our work involved acting as an informed link between national, European and global decision-making and implementation bodies. In this way we supported devolved implementation of environmental policy within the UK, and also helped the UK make an effective contribution to nature conservation beyond our shores, including those of the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories.

Conservation is, more than ever, a collaborative affair, and JNCC’s great strength is our ability to build strong collaborative partnerships with the country nature conservation bodies, Defra, devolved administrations, other statutory organisations and partners in the third sector. During 2009/10, we forged new partnerships and enhanced existing ones, and in this way demonstrated our commitment to maximising value for money, especially in developing, maintaining and providing access to a sound evidence base.

Our work programme for 2009/10 was ambitious, reflecting the wide-ranging priorities of UK and devolved governments. However, the fact that 42 of the 44 key performance indicators were fully or substantially achieved by the end of the year indicates the success we achieved across a wide front. Our strong track record in delivery puts JNCC in a good position to meet the many challenges that governments will rightly expect us to face in 2010/11 and beyond.