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| Biodiversity | ||||||||
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What is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity means the ‘variety of life’ on earth, essentially all genetic biological diversity. It encompasses all living things, including human beings, and not just species that are rare or threatened. |
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Biodiversity Action Plans or BAPs are plans to conserve or enhance biodiversity. The term may be used to describe the whole process by which this happens, or sometimes a document that sets out how this is to be achieved. For example, as part of its response to Article 6 of the Convention on Biological Diversity agreed at the Rio Summit in 1992, the UK Government published The UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) in 1994. This plan is coordinated by the UK Biodiversity Group and its overall aim is to conserve and enhance biodiversity within the UK, whilst also contributing to efforts at a global level.
The UK BAP cascades down into specific, action plans for priority species and key habitats, via Species Action Plans (SAPs) and Habitat Action Plans (HAPs). There are currently 391 SAPs and 45 HAPs ongoing in the UK.
In addition, all local authorities implement Local Biodiversity Action Plans (LBAPs), working with the relevant Wildlife Trusts, to assist species and habitat conservation in their regional area. There are over 130 LBAP’s throughout the UK. For example, the Cambridgeshire County Council LBAP includes localised rare species such as the Black Hairstreak Butterfly as well as more common animals and plants that inhabit the region, be it within the Fens or in more urbanised areas. This commitment forms part of the national strategy.
How does the UK BAP relate to agriculture?
There are many species for which farmland or the surrounding natural environment is their main or sole habitat range, for example:
| Stone curlews are designated to be a UK BAP species requiring protection. Within the plan there is a commitment to increase their numbers to a target figure of 200 pairs by 2000 and 300 pairs by 2010. Thanks to the protection and enhancement of key breeding and habitat sites by farmers and the RSPB, that target is within sight with the current figure standing at more than 250 breeding pairs. | |
| Similarly, with respect to farmland habitats: | |
| A UK BAP exists to get 15,000 hectares of land surrounding mainly cereal fields into environmental management to enhance the biodiversity of farmland, under the term 'cereal field margins' by 2010. As previously reported, thanks to a concerted effort by farmers, wildlife advisors and agri-environment funding, this target has also already been met. | |
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