Changes to the UK Biodiversity Action Plan – implications for developers
The UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) was published in 1994 as part of the UK response to the Convention on Biological Diversity signed in Rio in 1992. In 2007, the UK List of Priority Species and Habitats was fully revised taking into account emerging priorities, conservation successes, and the large amount of new information that has been gathered over the past decade.
The Governments of all four UK administrations have now adopted the recommendations of experts and published the UK list of priority species and habitats. The revised list contains 1149 species and 65 habitats that have been listed as priorities for conservation action under the UK BAP. The framework for conserving biodiversity is laid out in a new publication ‘Conserving Biodiversity - The UK Approach’ (Defra 2007), which aims to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010.
What is the significance for developers? The competent authorities have a statutory obligation under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (NERC) 2006 and under policy guidance in PPS 9 to make material consideration to biodiversity conservation in the determination of all types of planning applications. Planners therefore now require relevant information from wildlife surveys and details on proposed mitigation for BAP priority species and habitats (as well as for legally protected species) in order to assess the effects on biodiversity of a proposed development.
To see what is on the UK List of Priority Species and Habitats online, click on the following link http://www.ukbap.org.uk/.