Annual Report and Accounts for year ending 31 March 2012
(2012)
JNCC
JNCC's Annual Report and Accounts for year ending 31 March 2012
Annual Report and Accounts for year ending 31 March 2012
Chair’s and Chief Executive’s foreword
JNCC’s role is to provide evidence, information and advice on
UK-wide and international nature conservation. We provide advice,
in particular, to our principal funding and sponsoring bodies: the
UK Government (chiefly through the Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs – Defra), the Scottish Government, the Welsh
Government and the Department of the Environment in Northern
Ireland.
In 2011/12 our work was directed towards achievement
of our three inter-related strategic goals:
- Decisions affecting the natural environment are informed by a
sound UK, EU and global evidence base.
- The UK government and devolved administrations meet their
international obligations and achieve favourable outcomes for
biodiversity in the UK, its Overseas Territoriesand
internationally.
- The UK’s offshore marine waters are healthy, clean and
biologically diverse.
These goals can be achieved only through collaboration and
co-ordination – principles that are inherent in JNCC’s constitution
and modus operandi. In 2011/12 we strengthened and widened
our existing partnerships with UK and devolved administrations,
other statutory bodies, and non-governmental organisations. We are
very grateful to our many partners for the essential contributions
they have made in improving the quality of our work over the past
year.
Our achievements during 2011/12 illustrate the breadth
and diversity of our work:
- Through partnerships with a range of organisations (enabling us
to harness the efforts of thousands of volunteers across the UK),
we published updated status and trend information for hundreds of
terrestrial, freshwater and marine species, including birds,
mammals, butterflies and ladybirds.
- We worked closely with Defra and the academic community to
support the establishment of the Intergovernmental Platform for
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), an international body
being established with the aim of strengthening the science-policy
interface for biodiversity.
- We played the lead role in drafting a new UK Biodiversity
Framework, which will complement the country
environment/biodiversity strategies within the UK.
- We supported over 20 small-scale projects and strategic
initiatives that will underpin long-term capacity building in the
UK’s Overseas Territories, including managing ‘environmental
mainstreaming’ pilot projects in the British Virgin Islands and
Falkland Islands for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
- In support of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive, we
steered the development of a draft set of UK targets and indicators
relating to biodiversity and ecosystem protection.
- To contribute to the objectives of the Habitats Directive we
provided formal recommendations to the Scottish Government on five
draft Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in offshore waters
around Scotland, and undertook public consultation on three
possible SACs in offshore waters around England.
- We made substantial progress towards advising Defra on the
identification of Marine Conservation Zones (to be finalised by
July 2012 in partnership with Natural England), and advising the
Scottish Government on marine protected areas (to be finalised by
November 2012 in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage and
Marine Scotland). Working in partnership with the Centre for
Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) we undertook
surveys to improve the evidence base for potential sites in
offshore waters.
- We responded to 763 requests for statutory advice on offshore
industries (including oil and gas, renewables and aggregates).
- We continued to enhance value for money by streamlining
back-office functions and investing in species surveillance
programmes that will achieve efficiencies in data handling.
2011/12 was a challenging year in many respects, and 2012/13
will bring equal challenges. Our business plan for 2012/13 sets out
an ambitious work programme that builds on the achievements of
2011/12 and previous years. In its delivery we will continue to
work closely with all our partners, remaining flexible and
responsive to the evolving requirements of governments throughout
the UK.
Dr P Bridgewater (Chair)
Mr MJM Yeo (Chief Executive)
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ISBN 9780102978117
Please cite as: JNCC, (2012), Annual Report and Accounts for year ending 31 March 2012, Printed in the UK by The Stationery Office Limited on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office, ISBN 9780102978117