Biodiversity 2020:

A strategy for England’s wildlife
and ecosystem services

Contents

Foreword by the Secretary of State for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs

02

Executive Summary04

Chapter 1:

Our ambition

08

Defining success – the vision and mission – and what
outcomes we want to achieve over the next ten years

08

Priorities for action – the strategy to 202017

• a more integrated large-scale approach to conservationon land and at sea

17• putting people at the heart of biodiversity policy

21• reducing environmental pressures24• improving our knowledge

33

Delivering the strategy and measuring progress

35

Explaining the components of the supporting andenabling framework for delivery of the strategy

35

Annex A:

Summary of priorities and key actions

39

Annex B:

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Strategic
Plan ‘Aichi’ targets

41

Table showing linkages between the strategy’s
priorities/actions and (i) the strategy’s outcomes,(ii) the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)‘Aichi’ targets and (iii) EU Strategy themes

43

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

Annex C:1

Foreword

Foreword by the Secretary ofState for Environment, Foodand Rural Affairs
In October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, over 190 countries around the world reached an historic global
agreement to take urgent action to halt the loss of biodiversity. This agreement recognised just how
important our wildlife and ecosystems are for sustaining a healthy planet and for delivering essential
benefits for people.
I was firmly committed to ensuring we reached an ambitious global agreement at Nagoya and I am
equally committed to ensuring that we now play our part in delivering these commitments throughaction at home.
Biodiversity is key to the survival of life on Earth. Its loss deprives future generations of irreplaceable
genetic information and compromises sustainability.
Our recent National Ecosystem Assessment also shows just how much nature provides for us in thiscountry. For example, the enormous value of inland wetlands to water quality, the value of pollination toagriculture, the health benefits of experiencing nature and, not least, how nature and wildlife enrich all
our lives.
This strategy will guide our conservation efforts in England over the next decade, including setting ourambition to halt overall loss of England’s biodiversity by 2020. In the longer term, our ambition is to
move progressively from a position of net biodiversity loss to net gain.
In our recent Natural Environment White Paper we responded to Sir John Lawton’s call for a more
integrated landscape-scale approach. We need to build a wider network of places across England
which enable wildlife to thrive and natural processes to be sustained, alongside other land uses such as
farming. This will help nature to better withstand future pressures such as climate change – and set ourcontinuing conservation efforts for particular important species into a wider context.
Achieving our aims will be a big challenge. Government will play an important role but can’t deliver
this strategy alone. Our conservation charities, supported by millions of members of the public andvolunteers, already make a vital contribution in protecting biodiversity. Equally, farmers and landowners
have a central role to play as the stewards of England’s countryside.

2

We fully recognise the importance of people in helping to arrest the loss of species. We must ensurethat the value of nature’s services is better understood and enhance people’s personal connection withwildlife and nature. Ultimately, conservation efforts can only truly succeed with society’s support.
This strategy provides the national framework for action to help us collectively achieve our goals.
We need to work together, in partnership, to put this into practice, for the sake of England’s wildlife,
but also for ourselves and for future generations.

The Rt Hon. Caroline Spelman MP

3

Executive Summary

1.

2.

Biodiversity is the variety of all life on Earth.
It includes all species of animals and plants– everything that is alive on our planet.
Biodiversity is important for its own sake,and human survival depends upon it.
The groundbreaking UK National Ecosystem
Assessment (NEA) published in June 20111
provides a comprehensive account of how
the natural world, including its biodiversity,
provides us with services that are criticalto our wellbeing and economic prosperity.
However, the NEA also showed that nature isconsistently undervalued in decision-making
and that many of the services we get fromnature are in decline. Over 40% of priority
habitats and 30% of priority species were
declining in the most recent analysis.

3.

Our challenge is to halt this decline – for the
benefit of this and future generations.

4.

In October 2010, over 190 countries signed
an historic global agreement in Nagoya,Japan to take urgent and effective action
to halt the alarming global declines inbiodiversity2. This agreement recognised just
how important it is to look after the natural
world. It established a new global vision forbiodiversity, including a set of strategic goals
and targets to drive action.

5.

In June 2011, the Government published
The Natural Choice – the first Natural
Environment White Paper for 20 years3. This
responds to the global commitments madeat Nagoya. It outlines the Government’s
vision for the natural environment, shifting
the emphasis from piecemeal conservation
action towards a more integrated landscapescale approach. It also sets out how we

can better value the natural environment indecision-making and thereby unlock growthin the green economy and reconnect people
with nature.
6.

Also in June 2011, EU Member States
endorsed the European Commission’s EU
Biodiversity Strategy4 which has a particularfocus on EU-level action. The EU Biodiversity
Strategy will be used as a framework by
Member States, along with the global
Nagoya agreement, to inform their own
national plans.

7.

This new, ambitious biodiversity strategy for
England builds on the Natural Environment
White Paper and provides a comprehensive
picture of how we are implementing ourinternational and EU commitments. It sets
out the strategic direction for biodiversity
policy for the next decade on land (including
rivers and lakes)5 and at sea. It builds on the
successful work that has gone before, butalso seeks to deliver a real step change.

8.

The mission for this strategy, for the next
decade, is:to halt overall biodiversity loss, support
healthy well-functioning ecosystems andestablish coherent ecological networks, withmore and better places for nature for the
benefit of wildlife and people.

9.

We have developed a set of high-level
outcomes to show what achieving thisoverarching objective by 2020 will mean inpractice. These outcomes are set out in moredetail in Chapter 1, which describes ourambition in greater detail.

1

UK National Ecosystem Assessment, http://uknea.unep-wcmc.org, (2011)2

Convention on Biological Diversity, COP Decision X/2, Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 (2010)

3

Natural Environment White Paper, HM Government, http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/natural/whitepaper/ (2011)4

Our life insurance, our natural capital: an EU biodiversity strategy to 2020, European Commission (2011)

5

Throughout this strategy, references to action on land should be taken to include freshwater environments.

410. We will deliver these outcomes throughaction in four areas6:• a more integrated large-scale approach toconservation on land and at sea• putting people at the heart of biodiversity
policy• reducing environmental pressures• improving our knowledge
11. This is a Government strategy. However, itcannot be delivered by government alone.
Conserving biodiversity in England has longdepended on partnership, involving statutory,
voluntary, academic and business sectors,
and the public. To harness this collective
effort, we will enable the establishment ofLocal Nature Partnerships across England –supported by a £1m fund in 2011/12.

14. Effectively establishing coherent and resilient
ecological networks on land and at sea
requires a shift in emphasis, away frompiecemeal conservation actions and towards
a more effective, more integrated, landscapescale approach.
15. Actions we will take include:• Funding a competition to support thecreation of Nature Improvement Areas8 in
twelve initial areas, providing £7.5 million
in the period 2011 to 2015. Lessons learnt
will help us extend this approach.
• Increasing the proportion of Sites ofSpecial Scientific Interest (SSSIs) infavourable condition.

12. Together, we will take forward action in thefour priority areas.

• Establishing a well managed, ecologicallycoherent network of Marine Protected
Areas (MPAs). By the end of 2016 thiswill contain in excess of 25% of English
waters.

A more integrated large-scale approachto conservation on land and at sea• Agreeing a programme of targeted action
with partners for the recovery of priority
species.

13. The independent review of England’s wildlife
sites and ecological network, chaired byProfessor Sir John Lawton7, concluded that
England’s collection of wildlife areas (bothlegally protected areas and others) does not
currently represent a coherent and resilient
ecological network capable of responding
to the challenges of climate change andother pressures. The review concluded that
establishing such a network would effectively
conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services,delivering many benefits to people, while
also making efficient use of scarce land andresources.

Putting people at the heart of policy
16. It is crucial to engage more people inbiodiversity issues so that they personallyvalue biodiversity and know what they
can do to help. Civil society organisations
play a front line role, directly engaging andenthusing the public about biodiversity. We
will work with them to engage more people
and empower them to make a difference.

6

These four priority areas are broadly aligned to the strategic goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity Strategic Plan 2011-2020, adjusted to fit thepriorities in England.

7

Making Space for Nature: a review of England’s wildlife sites and ecological network (2010)8

Reflecting the Making Space for Nature recommendation for ‘Ecological Restoration Zones’.

517. Actions we will take include:• Working with key stakeholders to consider
how the nature conservation sector canengage the public even more effectively
in future and how government might
support this.
• Getting more children learning outdoors,
removing barriers and increasing schools’
abilities to teach outdoors.
• Establishing a new green areas
designation, empowering communities
to protect local environments that areimportant to them.
• Helping people ‘do the right thing’, athome, when shopping, or as volunteers.
For example, we will provide funding
to support the Big Wildlife Garden
scheme and launch a new phase of
the MuckIn4Life campaign, offering
volunteering opportunities to improve
the quality of life in towns, cities and thecountryside.
18. We also need to take better account of
how much nature does for us. Biodiversity
provides a range of benefits to people,
but these are often not taken into accountin decision-making. This is often because
biodiversity benefits are outside the market
economy, meaning that they are unpriced
and therefore too easily ignored in financial
decisions. This strategy therefore draws on
the Natural Environment White Paper, andaims to ensure that the value of biodiversity
is reflected in decision-making in the public
and private sector. Developing new andinnovative financing mechanisms to direct
more funding towards the achievement of
biodiversity outcomes will be a key partof this.

6

Reducing environmental pressures
19. We need to ensure biodiversity is taken into
account by decision-makers within sectors
which have the greatest direct influenceon our biodiversity, and we need to reduce
direct pressures on our biodiversity. The
approach will vary from sector to sector,
covering a variety of uses of land and sea.
20. We have identified the key sectors we will
work with and the actions we will take.
These include:• Agriculture – We will improve thedelivery of environmental outcomes fromagricultural land management practices,
whilst increasing food production by, forexample, reviewing how we use advice
and incentives, and how we use agrienvironment schemes.
• Forestry – We will bring a greater
proportion of our existing woodlands into
sustainable management and expand thearea of woodland in England.
• Planning and Development – Throughreforms of the planning system, we willtake a strategic approach to planning fornature. We will retain the protection andimprovement of the natural environment
as core objectives of the planning system.
We will pilot biodiversity offsetting, toassess its potential to deliver planningpolicy more effectively.
• Water Management – We willprotect water ecosystems, including
habitats and species, through a river
basin planning approach. We will also
promote approaches to flood and erosion
management which conserve the naturalenvironment and improve biodiversity.

• Marine Management – We willdevelop 10 Marine Plans which integrate
economic, social and environmental
considerations• Fisheries – We will ensure fisheries
management supports wider
environmental objectives, including theachievement of Good Environmental
Status under the Marine Strategy
Framework Directive.
21. We will also tackle the problems of air
pollution9 and invasive non-native species.

Improving our knowledge
22. A good evidence base is an essential elementof delivering the strategy effectively. It will
help us make sure we are doing the rightthing in the right place, and using ourresources effectively, focusing on actionthat will have the most impact. In England
we are fortunate in having widely available
information on the status and trends inbiodiversity, with much of that informationcollected by volunteers – an example of how
important the wide biodiversity partnershipis to the delivery of this strategy. The UK isalso the first country to have undertaken acomplete assessment of the benefits thatnature provides, through the innovative NEA.
23. However, there remain gaps in our
knowledge. Also, evidence is only helpful
if it is accessible. So as part of delivering
this strategy we need to improve access toknowledge through sharing of data and clear
communication of evidence – putting power
into the hands of people to act and holdothers to account.

9

24. Actions we will take include:• Investing almost £5 million over the
next three years in England to directly
support national and local organisations,and groups that co-ordinate volunteer
recording and to contribute to the work of
the National Biodiversity Network.
• Investing a further £1.2 million to support
data sharing, creating a new fund forbiodiversity recording in the voluntary
sector and, in partnership with volunteer
groups, develop new and innovative
approaches to biodiversity recording.
• Launching three area-based pilot studies
to trial new strategic approaches towildlife recording, data sharing andinterpretation services to better meet both
local and national needs, working withlocal partnerships and local centres ofexpertise.
• Following the NEA, we will support afurther phase of ground-breaking research
to identify the mix of future actions most
likely to secure best overall value from ourecosystems, for nature and for people. It
will also develop practical tools to assist
decision-makers.

Monitoring and Reporting
25. We will develop and publish a set ofindicators to assess delivery of this ambitious
strategy for our biodiversity.

Water pollution is covered in the section on water management.

7

Chapter 1: Ambition

White cliffs of Dover.

1.1 Biodiversity is important for its own sakeand has its own intrinsic value. A number ofground-breaking studies such as the National
Ecosystems Assessment (NEA) have shown
this value also goes further. It is the building
block of our ‘ecosystems’. These provide us
with a wide range of goods and services that
support our economic and social wellbeing.
These include essentials such as food, fresh
water and clean air, but also less obvious
services such as protection from natural
disasters, regulation of our climate, andpurification of our water or pollination of ourcrops. Biodiversity also provides important
cultural services, enriching our lives.
1.2 These goods and services are significant –for example the NEA demonstrated that
our coastal wetlands can be valued atproviding £1.5 billion annually in benefits
through buffering the effects of storms
and managing flooding. Historically suchvalues have been taken for granted, but thiscannot continue. This is why Government
is committed to doing more to reflect thetrue economic value of biodiversity and its
constituent ecosystems in our decisions
and policies.
8

Bittern (Botaurus stellaris), photograph by Michael Hammett.
© Natural EnglandKey Messages from the National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA)The UK is the first country to have undertaken a complete assessment of the benefits which natureprovides; how they have changed over the past; the prospects for the future; and their value to our society.
Some of the key messages of the NEA are set out below:• The natural world, its biodiversity and its constituent ecosystems are critically important to ourwellbeing and economic prosperity, but are consistently undervalued in conventional economic
analyses and decision-making.
• Ecosystems and ecosystem services, and the ways people benefit from them, have changed
markedly in the past 60 years, driven by changes in society.
• The UK’s ecosystems are currently delivering some services well, but others are still in long-term
decline. 30% of the services we get from UK’s ecosystems are in decline.
• Population growth and climate change are likely to increase pressures on ecosystem services infuture.
• Actions taken and decisions made now will have consequences far into the future for ecosystems,
ecosystem services and human wellbeing. It is important that these are understood, so that we canmake the best possible choices for present and future generations.
• We need to move towards a more integrated, rather than conventional sectoral approach to
ecosystem management.
Although there is much more to learn about how valuable different aspects of biodiversity are to the deliveryof ecosystem services, the NEA concludes that we have both the evidence of the benefits of managing ourecosystems more sustainably and enough information to start doing so.
1.3 Despite its importance, biodiversity is under
threat. Although there have been someconservation successes in recent years andthere are signs that losses are slowing, overall
the picture in England remains one of decline.
1.4 The NEA and the major independent review
of England’s ecological network Making
Space for Nature demonstrated that our
biodiversity and natural infrastructure isfragmented. These findings have been
supported by Defra’s own biodiversity
indicators for England. The indicators10 show
a mixed picture – more had been done toprotect wildlife: the area of protected sites inEngland had increased; more land was being
managed for biodiversity in woodland andagri-environment schemes; the condition ofprotected sites had improved; and people
were spending more time on conservation
volunteering. However, despite this positive
action, many of the pressures on wildlife, forexample from pollution, climate change andinvasive species, were still increasing or at best
had not diminished. Although some species,
such as populations of widespread bats, haveshown recovery in recent years, many species,
such as birds, butterflies and plants, andhabitats, particularly in the wider countryside,
show long term declines. Over 40% of priority
habitats and 30% of priority species11 werestill declining in the most recent analysis12.
Eight priority species were lost entirely fromthe UK between 2002 and 2008.

10 As updated in January 2011
11 References to “priority” species and habitats refers to those species and habitats identified as being of principal importance in England, Section 41 of the
Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.
12 UK Biodiversity Action Plan highlights report, 2008 reporting round.

91.5 In October 2010, an historic global
agreement was reached to take urgent andeffective action to halt the alarming global
declines in biodiversity. This provides a new
global vision and direction for biodiversity
policy, in response to the widespreadrecognition that efforts to protect andenhance biodiversity need to be significantly
increased. As part of that agreement,
countries are expected to revise their own
national strategies and plans for biodiversity
to take account of the new global
framework.

Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets
At the Nagoya UN Biodiversity Summit in October 2010, 192 countries and the European Union agreed toan ambitious conservation plan to protect global biodiversity. This new ‘Strategic Plan’ provides a flexible
framework for all 193 Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity to drive action on biodiversity by
all Parties. It established a new global vision for biodiversity – a world of “living in harmony with nature”
where:• ‘By 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystemservices, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people.’
Parties also agreed a shorter term ambition to:• ‘Take effective and urgent action to halt the loss of biodiversity in order to ensure that by 2020
ecosystems are resilient and continue to provide essential services, thereby securing the planet‘s varietyof life, and contributing to human wellbeing, and poverty eradication..‘To deliver this ambition, Parties agreed on a set of strategic goals and targets (the ‘Aichi’ targets) to drive
action on biodiversity. These are set out in Annex B.

European Union Biodiversity
In March 2010, the EU agreed to an EU vision and 2020 mission for biodiversity:• By 2050, European Union biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides – its natural capital – areprotected, valued and appropriately restored for biodiversity’s intrinsic value and for their essential
contribution to human wellbeing and economic prosperity, and so that catastrophic changes caused by
the loss of biodiversity are avoided.
• Halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, and restore
them insofar as is feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss.
The European Commission has adopted a new EU Biodiversity strategy to help meet this goal. The strategy
provides a framework for action over the next decade and covers the following key areas:
1. Conserving and restoring nature
2. Maintaining and enhancing ecosystems and their services
3. Ensuring the sustainability of agriculture, forestry and fisheries
4. Combating invasive alien species
5. Addressing the global biodiversity crisis

101.6 We set out in the Natural Environment
White Paper that the Government wants
this to be the first generation to leave thenatural environment of England in a better
state than it was inherited. Part of this ismoving progressively from a position of net
biodiversity loss to net gain, by supporting
healthy, well-functioning ecosystems andcoherent ecological networks.
1.7 The Natural Environment White Paper
was the first step in revising our national
strategy in line with the commitments madeat Nagoya. It outlines Government’s vision
for the natural environment and the shift
in emphasis from piecemeal conservation
action towards a more effective, innovativeand integrated landscape-scale approachto conservation. It also includes a rangeof measures for reconnecting people withnature and growing a green economy. Thisbiodiversity strategy builds on the Natural
Environment White Paper, sets out how ourinternational commitments on biodiversity
translate into action in England and the cooperation required between government andpartners to realise these.
1.8 This is a government strategy. However, itcannot be delivered by government alone.
To deliver the step change we want, we need
continued engagement from the biodiversity
partnership, and also a strengthening andfurther development of what it is able to do.

The Biodiversity Partnership
Our approach to conserving biodiversity in England has long depended on partnership, involving
statutory, voluntary, academic and business sectors, and it is clear that action on biodiversity presents
an excellent example of the Big Society. This wide ‘biodiversity partnership’ is absolutely central toconservation efforts in England, for example, being instrumental in successes such as recovery of theotter, bittern and stone curlew.
A huge number of individuals and organisations already make an absolutely vital contribution to
the conservation and enhancement of our biodiversity. Nature conservation charities are engaged in
activities such as managing land, engaging the public and leveraging in resources. Many have led theway in developing the landscape-scale approach which is central to this strategy.
Farmers and other land managers also play a crucial role in sensitively managing the environment –over 70% of land in England is farmed. A host of others also contribute in myriad ways, right down toindividuals managing their gardens in a wildlife-friendly way.
1.9 We have developed ambitious yet achievablegoals for 2020 and 2050 – intended toprovide better, more, bigger and joined sites
for nature, as recommended by the Making
Space for Nature review, to enable us tohalt overall biodiversity loss. The outcomes– set out below – also draw on the suite ofinternational targets agreed in Nagoya as
part of the Convention on Biological Diversity
strategic plan for 2011-2020 (see Annex B
for more details). Achieving these outcomes

will require a co-ordinated set of actions –many of which will deliver for more than
one outcome. For example, action to reducepressures on biodiversity may be targeted athabitats but be beneficial for priority species.
Similarly, improvements in our evidence basewill support delivery of all four outcomes.
This is set out further in Chapter 2 which wehave grouped in 4 areas for action.

11

Detailed status of priority species in England, 2008
(n = 390)(includes species in grouped plans)

Lost (since
BAPpublication)2%

Declining(continuing/
accelerating)10%

Stable33%

Lost (per BAP
publication)
6%
Declining(continuing/
accelerating)8%

Unknown/noclear trend
10%

Increasing
11%

Unknown/noclear trend
25%

Fluctuatingprobably
declining
9%

Declining(slowing)
6%

Detailed status of priority habitats, 2008

Increasing
21%

Fluctuatingprobably
7%

Declining(slowing)
26%

Stable26%

A Vision for England
By 2050 our land and seas will be rich in wildlife, our biodiversity will be valued, conserved, restored,
managed sustainably and be more resilient and able to adapt to change, providing essential services anddelivering benefits for everyone.
2020 Mission
Our mission is to halt overall biodiversity loss, support healthy well-functioning ecosystems and establish
coherent ecological networks, with more and better places for nature for the benefit of wildlife and people.
Outcome 1 – Habitats and ecosystems on land (including freshwater environments)
By 2020 we will have put in place measures so that biodiversity is maintained and enhanced, further
degradation has been halted and where possible, restoration is underway, helping deliver more resilient andcoherent ecological networks, healthy and well-functioning ecosystems, which deliver multiple benefits forwildlife and people, including:• 1A. Better wildlife habitats with 90% of priority habitats in favourable or recovering condition and at
least 50% of SSSIs in favourable condition, while maintaining at least 95% in favourable or recovering
condition;• 1B. More, bigger and less fragmented areas for wildlife, with no net loss of priority habitat and anincrease in the overall extent of priority habitats by at least 200,000 ha;• 1C. By 2020, at least 17% of land and inland water, especially areas of particular importancefor biodiversity and ecosystem services, conserved through effective, integrated and joined up
approaches to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services including through management of ourexisting systems of protected areas and the establishment of nature improvement areas;• 1D. Restoring at least 15% of degraded ecosystems as a contribution to climate change mitigation
and adaptation.
12

Rationale:
Although we have made some progress, biodiversity continues to decline13. The independent review ofEngland’s wildlife sites and ecological network, Making Space for Nature chaired by Professor Sir John
Lawton, concluded that England’s collection of wildlife areas (both legally protected areas and others) does
not currently represent a coherent and resilient ecological network that would be capable of responding
to the challenges of climate change and other pressures. The review concluded that establishing such a
network would effectively conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services, delivering many benefits to people,
while also making efficient use of scarce land and resources. It recommended that priorities in Englandshould include better, more, bigger and joined sites for nature. Ecological networks are considered to be aneffective means to conserve ecosystems and wildlife in environments, such as England, that have become
fragmented by human activities. Some work on ecological restoration is already underway14, but we needto extend this approach much more widely15.
Outcome 2 – Marine habitats, ecosystems and fisheries
By 2020 we will have put in place measures so that biodiversity is maintained, further degradation has
been halted and where possible, restoration is underway, helping deliver good environmental status
and our vision of clean, healthy, safe productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. This will be
underpinned by the following:• 2A. By the end of 2016 in excess of 25% of English waters will be contained in a well-managed
Marine Protected Area network that helps deliver ecological coherence by conserving representative
marine habitats;• 2B. By 2020 we will be managing and harvesting fish sustainably;• 2C. By 2022 we will have marine plans in place covering the whole of England’s marine area,
ensuring the sustainable development of our seas, integrating economic growth, social need andecosystem management.
Rationale:
A more integrated approach is also needed to conserve biodiversity at sea. We have already made some
progress towards our vision of clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse seas, with recent
improvements in the state of some fish communities in most regions, but climate change will add to thepressures from human activities and there is a need to ensure resilience of biological communities througheffective conservation measures. There is a need to conserve and where appropriate or feasible restore
our marine habitats, take steps to alleviate pressures on threatened species and ensure that the way wemanage our marine environment is based on an ecosystem approach. This will not only build resilience inour marine environment, but also contribute to the sustainable use of its resources.

13 Evidence includes UKBAP 2008 reporting round, Defra’s suite of indicators for the previous England Biodiversity Strategy, Natural England’s State of the
Natural Environment report 2008.
14 For example, the Wildlife Trusts’ Living Landscapes, RSPB’s Futurescapes, and the eight Integrated Biodiversity Delivery Area pilots (ref ThinkBIG, England
Biodiversity Group 2011, www.naturalengland.org.uk)
15 Outcomes 1C and 1D also reflect particular Nagoya commitments.

13Outcome 3 – Species
By 2020, we will see an overall improvement in the status of our wildlife and will have prevented
further human-induced extinctions of known threatened species.
Rationale
The strategy’s integrated landscape-scale approach to improve ecological networks is the core means
to conserve our wildlife. But this approach will not be sufficient to achieve the recovery of all priority
species and so, in some cases, it will need to be complemented by specific tailored action. The cirlbunting, freshwater pearl mussel and fen raft spider are all examples of species requiring special help
if they are to recover and thrive again in England. Marine species which may require specific action
include dolphins, porpoises and whales, sharks, skates and rays (elasmobranchs) and seabirds.
Conserving and enhancing biodiversity is not just an issue for wild species. It also applies to cultivatedplants and farmed animals as well as to their wild relatives. England is relatively rich in wild relativesof crops, landraces of cereal, vegetable and fruit crops, and traditional orchard trees. There are also
over two hundred native breeds of farm animals which are often associated with traditional land
management required to conserve important habitats. The great genetic diversity which these provide
can make an important contribution to the ecosystem provisioning service of food security by offering
genes that are important for future crop or livestock breeding.
Outcome 4 – People
By 2020, significantly more people will be engaged in biodiversity issues, aware of its value and taking
positive action.
Rationale:
Public understanding and opinion on the value of biodiversity has strong implications for theacceptance and adoption of conservation measures.
Many people in England are already very supportive of conservation efforts and make an important
contribution through a variety of activities, for example, through management of their land,
environmental volunteering or simple activities such as feeding birds in the garden. We need to buildon this so that society better understands and more strongly supports the need for a step change inour conservation efforts, and more people choose to play a positive part. For this reason, earlier in2011 the United Nations General Assembly declared the period 2011-2020 to be “the United Nations
Decade on Biodiversity”.
People value the natural world in many different ways and for different reasons. These include valuing
it for its own sake (sometimes called its ‘intrinsic’ or ‘existence’ value), because it makes our streetsand gardens more attractive, or because people enjoy experiencing nature-rich green places forrecreation, whether a walk in a park or in relatively wild places such as National Parks. Others enjoy
bird watching, or activities such as angling or wildfowling. Evidence supports what many people feel14

instinctively – that regular opportunities to experience natural environments have quantifiable positive
impacts on our mental and physical health16. A host of other ecosystem services are also becoming
better understood. All can motivate people to take or support positive action for biodiversity.
The level of direct contact with nature is a factor in influencing attitudes towards it17 suggestingthat the more we can stimulate interest in and access to nature, the more people will be willing tocontribute to its protection and enhancement. We also need to build a greater understanding of
indirect effects, such as biodiversity loss overseas resulting from imported goods and services, so thatpeople and business are more aware and actively engaged to reduce this impact.
Although biodiversity provides a range of benefits to people, these are often outside the market
economy, meaning that they are unpriced and therefore too easily ignored in financial decisions18.
We need to better take account of the values of biodiversity in decision-making. There is potential toexpand and establish new markets and financing approaches for nature’s services.

North Wessex Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).
© Crown Copyright

Rural countryside – people looking out at the views from Box Hill.
© Crown Copyright

16 For example, the National Ecosystem Assessment and the Marmot review, Fair Society, Healthy Lives (2010), cover the positive impact that nature andgreen space have on mental and physical health.
17 Attitudes and Behaviours towards the Natural Environment among the general public in the UK: A Review of Existing Evidence, COI report for
Defra (2008)
18 National Ecosystem Assessment

15

Climate Change
1.10 To date, climate change has had a relatively
small impact on the UK’s biodiversity andecosystems, though it has, for example,
affected species ranges, population sizes,
timing of biological events such as flowering,and increased sea levels. However, further
climate change is unavoidable because ofprevious emissions and both the direct andindirect impacts are expected to become amore significant and increasing pressure overthe coming decades.
1.11 This strategy therefore has to be set in thecontext of a possible 2-4°C increase inmean summer temperatures in the longer
term19, milder winters, changes in rainfall
distribution and seasonality, more extremesof weather and sea level rise20. The effects ofthese changes on biodiversity are uncertain
and may occur as sudden and unexpected
step changes. However, we do know that in
the longer term, over a fifth (22%) of priority
habitats are at high risk of direct impacts21,
including montane habitats, grazing marsh,saltmarsh and lakes. Marine ecosystems arelikely to be particularly seriously affected,

Roadside verge, with rich flora, County: Herefordshire,
Photographer: Peter Wakely

including as a result of ocean acidification
due to rising CO2 levels. The indirect effects
of climate change, including adaptation
action by other sectors that are key to land
and water management, could have asignificant impact in the short term and may
bring positive or negative consequences forbiodiversity and the delivery of ecosystemservices.
1.12 We do know that managing our biodiversity
is important to both ‘mitigation’ (addressing
the causes of climate change by removing
greenhouse gases from the atmosphere)and ‘adaptation’ (helping to reduce theimpacts of climate change). All of this posesa challenge to the way we try to conserve
biodiversity and this strategy is designed tohelp increase resilience to climate change
and other pressures. As we implement thestrategy over the next ten years, we will keep
under active review our response to, and ourincreasing understanding of, the implicationsof climate change.

Walkers enjoying a Cornish valley at spring time.© Crown Copyright

19 UK Climate Predictions (UKCP09): central estimate for change in mean summer temperature in south east England in the 2080s under a medium
emissions scenario is 3.9C, but could be between 2.0C (10% probability i.e. highly unlikely to be less than) and 6.5C (90% probability i.e. highly unlikely
to be more than).
20 UKCP09
21 Mitchell, et al, England Biodiversity Strategy – towards adaptation to climate change, final report to Defra for contract CR0327, (2007)

16

Chapter 2: Priorities for action – the strategy
to 2020
2.1 Government will play a leading role indelivering the vision, mission and intended
outcomes. We have developed four priority
areas for action by Government, its agencies,
the wider biodiversity partnership andothers to achieve our ambitions, including
addressing the pressures outlined in thelast chapter:• a more integrated large-scale approach toconservation on land and at sea22• putting people at the heart of biodiversity
policy23• reducing environmental pressures24• improving our knowledge25

A more integrated large-scale approachto conservation on land and at sea
2.4 In order to halt overall biodiversity loss,
support healthy well-functioning ecosystems
and establish coherent ecological networks,
with more and better places for nature forthe benefit of wildlife and people, we needto establish more coherent and resilient
ecological networks on land and at sea.
Targeted action is also needed in respect ofsome priority species whose conservation is
not delivered through these wider habitatand ecosystem measures, and also toconserve agricultural genetic diversity incultivated plants, farmed animals andwild relatives.

2.2 These four priority areas are based on thefive strategic goals of the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD) Strategic Plan
2011-2020, but re-cast and re-ordered tobetter fit the priorities here in England. Our
approach will be informed by the list ofpriority species and habitats in England26.
Much of the action proposed will contributeto more than one of the outcomes outlinedin the previous chapter.
2.3 The strategy will be taken forward in a way
which is compatible with Government’s otherpriorities. We do not intend to introduce
unnecessary burdens or regulations; rather
our aim is for the outcomes and priorities
to be used as a focus and driver for action
by partners under this strategy. We want toinspire action at all levels by all partners.
Arrowhead/industry, Site of Special Scientific Interest: Huddersfield Narrow
Canal, County: West Yorkshire, Photographer: Peter Wakely

22 Broadly reflects CBD Strategic Plan strategic goals C (improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity) and D(enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem services)
23 Broadly reflects CBD Strategic Plan strategic goal A (address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across governmentand society)24 Broadly reflects CBD Strategic Plan strategic goal B (reducing the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use)
25 Broadly reflects CBD Strategic Plan strategic goal E (enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management andcapacity building)
26 Species and habitats identified as being of principal importance in England, Section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.

17

What is a ‘coherent and resilient ecological network’?
(this is explained in a land, rather than marine, context drawn from Making Space for Nature)
What we mean by an ecological network
Much of England’s wildlife is now restricted to wildlife sites, which consist largely of semi-natural habitats.
However, surviving in small, isolated sites is difficult for many species, especially in the longer term andgiven climate change.
We want a large number of high quality sites which contain the range and area of habitats that species
require. We also want ecological connections that allow species, or their genes, to move between thesesites. For many species, habitat does not have to be a continuous, physical connection for them to disperse.
An ecological network is this network of high quality sites, protected by buffer zones, and connected bywildlife corridors and smaller, but still wildlife-rich, “stepping-stone” sites.
The ecological networks for different species work at varying scales: some species need a large area, othersa much smaller area. An ecological network for England therefore consists of a range of networks.
What we mean by coherent and resilient
A coherent ecological network is one that has all the elements necessary to achieve its overall objectives;the components are complementary and mutually reinforcing so that the value of the whole network isgreater than the sum of its parts.
A resilient ecological network is one that can absorb, resist or recover from disturbances and damage
caused by natural influences and human activities (including climate change), while continuing to meet its
overall objectives of supporting biodiversity and providing ecosystem services.
Components of an ecological network
Ecological networks generally have five components.
• Core areas of high nature conservation value which contain rare or important habitats or
ecosystem services. They include protected wildlife sites and other semi-natural areas of highecological quality.
• Corridors and ‘stepping stones’ enabling species to move between core areas. These can bemade up of a number of small sites acting as ‘stepping stones’ or a mosaic of habitats that allows
species to move and supports ecosystem functions.
• Restoration areas, where strategies are put in place to create high value areas (the ‘core areas’ of
the future), restoring ecological functions and wildlife.
• Buffer zones, that protect core areas, restoration areas, and ‘stepping stones’ from adverse
impacts in the wider environment.
• Sustainable use areas, areas of surrounding land that are managed in a sustainable and wildlife
friendly way.

18

Priority action: Establish more coherent andresilient ecological networks on land thatsafeguard ecosystem services for the benefit ofwildlife and people
2.5 The Making Space for Nature review
summarised what needs to be done toestablish a more coherent and resilient
network in 4 words, which describe ourambitions under this priority: better, bigger,
more and joined.
• Better: we will improve the qualityof priority habitat both within andoutside protected sites, including
where appropriate, by improving theheterogeneity and structural diversity ofhabitats which in turn will provide suitableniches for a wider range of species andenhance resilience to climate and otherenvironmental change. The Making Space
for Nature review concluded that thefirst priority is to protect and enhance
the quality of existing priority habitat. It
is much harder, more expensive and notalways possible to re-create habitat than it
is to look after what we currently have.

Bolt Tail, Bolberry Down – gorse, Site of Special Scientific Interest: Slapton
Ley, National Nature Reserve: Slapton Ley, County: Devon, Photographer:Peter Wakely• Bigger: we will increase the size ofremaining areas of priority habitat whereappropriate• More: we will create new areas of priority
habitat where appropriate• Joined: we will enhance ecologicalconnections between, or join up, existingareas of priority habitat, increasing
opportunity for wildlife to move aroundthe landscape by making use of ‘steppingstones’, ‘corridors’ and other features
2.6 To achieve this, we will take and encouragea more spatially-based approach, focussed
on places, and landscape-scale action.
Approaches aimed at establishing ecologicalnetworks should join up with other activities
and achieve multiple benefits for biodiversity
and people where possible.
• We will learn from the experience oforganisations and partnerships thathave already adopted a landscape-scale
approach to ecological restoration, suchas the Wildlife Trusts’ Living Landscapes,
RSPB’s Futurescapes, and the eight
Integrated Biodiversity Delivery Areapilots27. National Parks and AONBs
have potential to be exemplars of goodpractice. We will encourage adoption of
integrated, landscape-scale approaches.
This approach will also help achieve
multiple outcomes, including conserving
geodiversity and enhancing landscapes in
our towns and countryside.
• We will enable partnerships of local
authorities, local communities andland managers, the private sector andconservation organisations to establish
new Nature Improvement Areas(NIAs), based on a local assessment ofopportunities for restoring and connecting

27 ThinkBIG, England Biodiversity Group (2011), www.naturalengland.org.uk

19

nature on a significant scale. We want
to see Nature Improvement Areas
wherever the opportunities or benefits
are greatest, driven by the knowledge
and vision of local partnerships. Working
within the framework of the National
Policy Statements and the Government’splanning reforms, local authorities will
be able to use local planning to support
Nature Improvement Areas, including
identifying them in their local plans
where they choose, while not deterring
sustainable development.
• We are funding a competition to support
the creation of Nature Improvement
Areas in twelve initial areas, providing£7.5 million in the period 2011 to 2015.
Lessons learnt will help us extend thisapproach.
• Natural England and other partners will
ensure that management of SSSIs andother habitats takes better account of therequirements of a wider range of species.
Natural England will consider the impact
of climate change and other long-term
processes on the existing SSSI network
through its Notification Strategy, which
will also identify gaps in the present
coverage of priority habitats and species
within the SSSI series.
• We will encourage local authorities totake a more active and positive role inthe management of Local Sites, including
through reporting data on such sites in
the Government’s new Single Data List.
• We will work with transport agencies andkey delivery partners to create coherent
and resilient ecological networks inthe natural areas at the edges of ourstrategic roads and railways, which
cover approximately 60,000 hectares.
The Government will host a forum withenvironmental stakeholders to inform20

future priorities for the enhancement ofthese green corridors.
• To aid an integrated approach, theGovernment’s environmental bodies arereforming the way they work together, so
their decisions can better reflect the fullrange of environmental objectives, and sothey can provide more coherent advice on
the natural environment to local partners.
Priority action: Establish and effectively
manage an ecologically coherent networkof marine protected areas which covers inexcess of 25% of English waters by the endof 2016, and which contributes to the UK’s
achievement of Good Environmental Statusunder the Marine Strategy Framework
Directive• A key element of our approach will be
the establishment of a well-managed,
ecologically coherent network of Marine
Protected Areas (MPAs). The Marine
Strategy Framework Directive recognises theimportant role that Marine Protected Areas
will play in helping to protect biodiversity
and requires Member States to put in placespatial protection measures contributing tocoherent and representative networks ofMarine Protected Areas.
• By the end of 2016 in excess of 25% ofEnglish waters will be contained in a wellmanaged Marine Protected Area network.
This will help with the delivery of ecologicalcoherence, help conserve and protect
rare and threatened species and habitats,and ensure valuable marine ecosystems
are resilient to future change, including
climate change. It will contribute to a
UK and international network. The new
marine planning system created under the
Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 is
explained more fully in the section on marine
management.

Priority action: Take targeted action for
the recovery of priority species, whose
conservation is not delivered through wider
habitat-based and ecosystem measures• We, through Natural England, will agree aprioritised programme with our partners,
allocating responsibilities for recovery action
for the species. Greatest priority will be given
to species at most risk of extinction, andthose for which England has a particularinternational responsibility, for example,
species that are endemic or which arethreatened at European or global scales. We
will work with a range of public bodies andauthorities to encourage community action,
including by supporting communities in‘adopting’ locally-relevant species.
• We will ensure that relevant species are given
sufficient protection, for example, throughthe quinquennial review of schedules 5 and
8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981,
and also in the marine environment, forexample, tackling bycatch through fisheries
measures.
• We will reduce wildlife crime by working
through the Partnership for Action Against
Wildlife Crime (PAW) and by contributing tofunding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit
for a further two years, from 1 April 2011.
We have confirmed new UK wildlife crimepriorities for them to target over this period.

• For elasmobranch (shark, skate andray) species, our shark, skate and ray
conservation plan clearly lays out how wewill work to secure our overarching aim ofmanaging elasmobranch stocks sustainably
so that depleted stocks recover and thatthose faring better are fished sustainably.
Priority action: Ensure that ‘agricultural’genetic diversity is conserved and enhanced
wherever appropriate• We will raise awareness of existing genetic
diversity within cultivated plants, farmed
animals and their wild relatives, and its
importance for food security and renewablesupplies of plant materials.
• We will encourage responsible management
and conservation of our genetic diversity
resource by relevant stakeholders.
• We will incorporate the sustainable
maintenance of genetic diversity into key
relevant policies and programmes, including
incentive measures, protective arrangements
and integrated ecosystem landscape-scale
approaches.
• We will update the UK’s inventory of farmanimal genetic resources, establishing as
far as possible efficient identification andmonitoring systems for genetic diversity andmaintaining existing ex situ collections (suchas the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale
and the Pea Collection at the John Innes
Centre at Norwich).

• We will strive to ensure that cetacean
bycatch is reduced to the lowest levelpossible, and is always below the 1.7% best
population estimate that indicates that it is
not adversely affecting populations.

Putting people at the heart ofbiodiversity policy• On the principal threat of bycatch we haveworked, and will continue to work, withthe fishing industry to develop an effective
and safe acoustic deterrent, as this has
been identified as the most effective way of
mitigating bycatch in our fisheries.

Priority action: Work with the biodiversity
partnership to engage significantly more
people in biodiversity issues, increaseawareness of the value of biodiversity andincrease the number of people taking
positive action
21

2.7 People are at the heart of this biodiversity
strategy and involving the wider public is
an important consideration across many of
the conservation actions set out under the
strategy, not just those with the primary
aim of public engagement. Civil society
organisations play a critical front line role
directly engaging and enthusing the public
about biodiversity and the wider naturalenvironment such as geodiversity, and thispriority is a call for renewed and expanded
action. Government will contribute primarily
by helping facilitate the sector in this roleand creating the conditions whereby people
are empowered to make a difference.
• We will establish a working group involving
key stakeholders as part of the strategy’s
governance structure, tasked with a remit toconsider how the sector can address this key
action more effectively in future and how
government might provide support. This
work will inform the strategy’s delivery plan.
Through the working group, we will build
a partnership approach to addressing thischallenge whilst also coming up with moredetailed action on particular key issues.
In addition to better engaging society ingeneral, we envisage the working group willneed to consider engagement with priority
groups and sectors, such as those identified
in the section on reducing environmentalpressures, which have particular influence
over biodiversity. It will also need to consider
issues such as opportunities for synergies
and greater collaboration by the partnership,
and also how greater community
engagement can be supported.
2.8 Government’s wider decentralisation andlocalism agenda will assist by empowering
local communities to have more influence
over local decisions which affect them. The
Natural Environment White Paper sets out arange of relevant key reforms, including:22• Improving public health locally, by making
high quality green space available toeveryone;• Action to get more children learning
outdoors, removing barriers andincreasing schools’ abilities to teachoutdoors. The Natural Connections
initiative provides an example of Natural
England and the nature conservation
sector coming together to try to become
more effective in engaging schools
through a collaborative approach;• A new green areas designation,
empowering communities to protect local
environments that are important to them;• Help for everyone to ‘do the right thing’,
at home, when shopping, as volunteers.
For example, we will provide funding
to support the Big Wildlife Garden
scheme and launch a new phase of
the MuckIn4Life campaign, offering
volunteering opportunities to improve
the quality of life in towns, cities and thecountryside;• Help for public bodies to fulfil their duty
under the Natural Environment and Rural
Communities Act 2006 to take accountof biodiversity, by developing tools
and guidance for them to use, and byraising the profile of this duty with Parish
Councils.
Priority action: Promote taking better accountof the values of biodiversity in public andprivate sector decision-making, including
by providing tools to help consider a wider
range of ecosystem services
2.9 In February 2011, we published our
new strategy Mainstreaming sustainable
development – The Government’s vision
and what this means in practice. Thisset out our approach for mainstreaming
sustainable development which seeks toembed sustainable development into policy.
Government has also agreed the Greening
Government Commitments to drive
sustainability and efficiency in the way wemanage our operations and procurement,
including a commitment to be open andtransparent on the steps taken to address
biodiversity and natural environment. The
Natural Environment White Paper sets out awide range of further relevant action to takethis forward on a wider natural environment
basis. Key reforms include:• The consideration of nature’s value inall relevant Impact Assessments. Later in2011 we will publish new supplementary
guidance to the Treasury’s Green Book foruse by all Government Departments on
valuing the natural environment
in appraisals.
• A new independent Natural CapitalCommittee, to advise Government andput the value of England’s natural capitalat the heart of our economic thinking.
• Inclusion of natural capital in our national
accounts alongside GDP, to capture
nature’s value in how we measure
economic progress. Further research will
be undertaken to do this, building on the
results of the NEA.
• Actions to support the creation of newmarkets for green goods and services,
expanding the opportunities for
UK business.
• New support and guidance for businesses,
to promote responsible use of natural
capital. For example, we will support a
new international coalition of businesses
and business organisations to follow up
the “TEEB for Business” report to help
businesses to understand and address
their environmental impacts.

• The inauguration of a network of 50
Natural Value Ambassadors to engage
key decision-makers and opinion formers
using the latest evidence and materials
available.
In the marine environment:• Identification of possible Marine
Conservation Zones (MCZs) under the
Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009is being led by individuals, businesses,
communities and organisations throughfour regional MCZ projects. Throughthese projects, local stakeholders will
have a genuine opportunity to shapewhere MCZs are located, their objectives,and management, encouraging local
responsibility and pride – a feeling ofaffiliation and stewardship for their marine
environment.
• For MCZs and sites designated underEuropean Directives the Government
envisages that Inshore Fisheries andConservation Authorities (IFCAs) and theMarine Management Organisation will
work closely with local interest groups todevelop management measures to ensure
they achieve their objectives. We will also
explore the scope for local bodies andinterest groups to have a role in owning
voluntary management measures wherethese are appropriate and the monitoringand surveillance of these sites including
carrying out surveys and related activities.
• For the wider marine environment, the
new Marine Planning system introduced
under the Act provides everyone with aninterest, the opportunity to have a voice
in how the marine area is managed. This
engagement will help raise awareness ofthe marine environment.

23

Priority action: Develop new and innovative
financing mechanisms to direct more funding
towards the achievement of biodiversity
outcomes
2.10 We need to consider how we might develop
new and innovative financing mechanisms.
One way of achieving this is throughvoluntary schemes where payments, called‘payments for ecosystem services’, are madeto compensate for actions undertaken todeliver enhancements in nature’s services.
The Natural Environment White Paper setsout Government’s role in enabling andfacilitating these voluntary schemes toharness their potential for protecting andenhancing nature’s services and commits toaction including:• Publishing an action plan in 2012 toexpand schemes in which the providerof nature’s services is paid by thebeneficiaries, after undertaking a full
assessment of the challenges and barriers.
• Introducing a new research fund targetedat these schemes and publishing a bestpractice guide for designing them. Pilots
will also be encouraged to develop acrossa broad spectrum of nature’s services andbeneficiaries.

Reducing environmental pressures
Integrate consideration of biodiversity within
the sectors which have the greatest potential
for direct influence, and reduce direct pressures
2.11 In seeking to achieve the strategy’s
outcomes, our approach needs to set out arange of positive action to improve the statusof biodiversity but also action to reduce
direct and indirect pressures on biodiversity,
particularly in those sectors that have thegreatest potential impacts on biodiversity.
Using a range of evidence, including the
National Ecosystem Assessment28, we haveidentified the key sectors we will work with,and the pressures we will address.
2.12 This section sets out the key actions we willtake relating to each sector. Many of thesecommitments are also set out in the Natural
Environment White Paper. We will respondto further priorities that may arise over the
lifetime of this strategy by updating therolling delivery plan.
Sectors:• Agriculture• Forestry• More broadly, the setting up of a businessled Ecosystem Markets Taskforce to review
the opportunities for UK business fromexpanding green goods, services, products,
investment vehicles and markets which
value and protect nature’s services. It willreport back to Government in 2012-13.

• Planning and Development• We will continue to work with partners
to help the biodiversity sector make themost of existing sources of funding, which
will continue to be highly important tosupport the strategy’s priorities.

• Air Pollution• Water Management• Marine Management• Fisheries
Direct pressures:• Invasive Non-Native species

28 Informed by a range of evidence including the National Ecosystem Assessment, Natural England’s State of the Natural Environment report 2008, UKBAP
2008 reporting round, Convention on Biological Diversity strategic plan, Making Space for Nature (2010) and stakeholder input.

24Agriculture
Priority action: Improve the delivery ofenvironmental outcomes from agriculturalland management practices, whilst increasing
food production
2.13 Over 70% of England is farmed andtherefore agricultural land management
practices are one of the most important
influences on our biodiversity and ecosystemservices. Agriculture shapes the landscapes
we value, and contributes significantly
to the UK economy. Farmers and land
managers play a vital role, not only as foodsuppliers, but also as the stewards of ourcountryside. Their cooperation is crucial inachieving our ambitions for biodiversity. We
acknowledge that potential tensions exist
between improving the environment andincreasing food production and this requires
all interested parties to work together.
• We will carry out a review of advice andincentives for farmers and land managers,
to create a more integrated, streamlined
and efficient approach that is clearer for
farmers and land managers and yields
better environmental results.
• We will bring together government,
industry and environmental partners toreconcile how we will achieve our goals of
improving the environment and increasing
food production. We will publish ourconclusions within the next twelve
months.
• We will work with our delivery partners
and stakeholders to develop and test an
approach to Environmental Stewardshipthat increases its focus on outcomes,
including encouraging more collaborative
working to achieve landscape-scale action
and the possibility of allowing greater
flexibility within agreements in how
outcomes are achieved.

• We will seek to maximise the contribution
which Environmental Stewardship andthe Woodland Grant Scheme maketowards our overarching objective topromote multiple benefits from ecologicalrestoration at a landscape scale, including
through Nature Improvement Areas.
Funding for Higher Level Stewardship(HLS) will grow by over 80% between
2010 and 2014.
Priority action: Reform the Common
Agricultural Policy to achieve greater
environmental benefits• The future role of the Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP) from 2014 to2020 is key to achieving our ambitions
for enhancing environmental outcomes intandem with food production. Successive
reforms of the CAP have given it a greater
focus on the achievement of publicbenefits, such as environmental outcomes
and we want to see an acceleration ofthis process. Expenditure in a significantly
smaller CAP Budget should tackle
the key objectives of encouraging acompetitive, sustainable EU agriculture
sector, reducing reliance on subsidies andfocusing resources on the provision ofenvironmental public goods.

Dyer’s greenweed and resting cattle, County: Hampshire,
Photographer: Chris Gomersall

25

Forestry
Priority action: Bring a greater proportionof our existing woodlands into sustainable
management and expand the area ofwoodland in England2.14 Woodlands are one of our richest habitats,
containing a very wide diversity of wildlife.
Woodlands cover 10% of England, of whicharound half is ‘priority woodland habitat’ (i.e.
ancient and native woodland).
2.15 Active management of woodland canprevent and address the most widespreadand serious problems affecting ecologicalcondition, for example, shadiness and highdeer populations causing a loss of shrublayer and ground cover. It can also deliver
other benefits, for example, woodfuel andtimber and recreation and leisure.
2.16 Our woodland resource is highly fragmented.
Small, isolated patches of ancient woodland
are particularly vulnerable to climate change
and other pressures. Many species typicalof ancient woodland are slow to colonise
new areas and only move slowly across thelandscape. Enlarging and buffering ancientwoods is therefore often a more immediatepriority than attempting to create large-scale
networks and corridors.

Child looking at heath spotted orchids, County: Devon,
Photographer: Paul Glendell

26• We have appointed an Independent Panelon Forestry to advise the Secretary ofState on forestry policy and the role of theForestry Commission, and have asked thepanel to provide advice on the appropriate
level of ambition for woodland creation andmore active management, including how
woodland biodiversity should be conserved.
• We are committed to providing appropriate
protection to ancient woodlands andto more restoration of plantations onancient woodland sites (in recognition of
their particular value). We have asked theIndependent Panel on Forestry for advice
on the restoration of open habitats andplantations on ancient woodland sites.
• The Forestry Commission and Natural
England will consider the role thatEnvironmental Stewardship can provide
to support farmers in conserving other‘woody habitats’, such as field trees,parkland, hedges and patches of scrub
scattered through the landscape, which
are vital habitat for woodland wildlife.
Planning and development
Priority action: Through reforms of theplanning system, take a strategic approachto planning for nature within and acrosslocal areas. This approach will guidedevelopment to the best locations, encourage
greener design and enable development toenhance natural networks. We will retain
the protection and improvement of thenatural environment as core objectives of theplanning system
2.17 Although affecting a much smaller
proportion of the land each year thanagriculture, development (including for
urbanisation, infrastructure and industrialuse) can also drive ecosystem and biodiversity
change as a result of a range of direct
effects, such as land take, and indirecteffects, such as fragmentation of habitats
and degradation, for example, due to water
abstraction or pollution.

invited comments on its content andreceived responses from a wide range ofenvironmental and other interests.

2.18 The Government expects the planningsystem to deliver the homes, business,
infrastructure and thriving local places
that the country needs, while protecting
and enhancing the natural and historic
environment. Planning has a key role insecuring a sustainable future. However thecurrent system is costly and bureaucratic withexcessive central control, preventing local
communities from shaping developmentin their neighbourhoods. It is also failingto achieve the kind of integrated andinformed decision-making needed to support
sustainable land use. We must enablecommunities to achieve lasting growth in a
way that meets all of their needs: economic,
social and environmental.

Priority action: Establish a new, voluntary
approach to biodiversity offsets and test ourapproach in pilot areas• We will support biodiversity offsetting
pilots through a two-year test phase,
until spring 2014. Natural England will
work with pilot areas, providing advice,support and quality assurance. The aim
is to develop a body of information andevidence, so that the Government can
decide whether to support greater use of
biodiversity offsetting in England, and, if
so, how to use it most effectively.

2.19 The Natural Environment White paper setsout our approach on planning and thenatural environment. Key points relevant tothis strategy are:
• We will retain protection andimprovement of the natural environment
as core objectives for local planning anddevelopment management. The planningsystem will continue to facilitate coherent
and resilient ecological networks inassociation with local partners and reflect
the value of natural systems.
• We want the planning system tocontribute to our objective of no net
loss of biodiversity; to encourage local
authorities to promote multi-functional
development so that we get the mostfrom land; and to protect our best andmost versatile agricultural land.
• The Government will consult extensively
on a draft of the National Planning
Policy Framework, and has alreadyMarbled white butterfly, County: Hampshire, Photographer: Chris Gomersall

Water management
Priority action: Align measures to protect
the water environment with action forbiodiversity, including through the river
basin planning approach under the EU Water
Framework Directive
2.20 There are opportunities for seeking more
integrated delivery of environmental
outcomes through aligning water
management with action on biodiversity.

27

2.21 Water is highly relevant to conservation of
biodiversity both in terms of the quality andquantity of water that is available to support
the survival of water dependent species
and wetland habitats. The Government iscommitted to protecting water ecosystems
to achieve good ecological status through ariver basin planning approach, under the EU
Water Framework Directive. We will reducewater pollution, building on action underregulations such as the Nitrates Directive
and the Urban Waste Water Treatment
Directive, which control some causes ofwater pollution. We need to increase the rateof progress towards good ecological status
by working at catchment level to involve
interested parties and address the pollution
sources that are causing water bodies to fail.
• We will develop a strategy to identify
and address the most significant diffuse
sources of water pollution from nonagricultural sources. We will reduce theimpact of land management on waterby ensuring pollution and flood risk isaddressed at source, through targeted riskbased enforcement of existing regulatory
instruments, and beyond this by identifying
where land can be managed to deliver
multiple benefits, including improving water
quality, flood alleviation and biodiversity.
• We will increase the proportion of water
bodies in Good Ecological Status from
26% now to 32% by 2015, working
through 11 river basin management
plans; we will then get the majority of ourwater bodies to GES as soon as possible,and get as many of our water bodies
as possible to GES by 2027. The river
basin management plans tackle manypressures including point and diffuse
sources of pollution arising from activities
on land and in water, non-native species,
habitat connectivity and unsustainable
abstraction.
28• We are establishing ten catchment-level
partnerships to develop and implement
plans for creating and maintaining healthywater bodies. We will also support
additional groups who wish to take a leadin trialling a catchment approach. We willthen use the lessons learned from triallingthe catchment approach in pilot areas,
to develop new guidance on river basin
management planning from 2015
to 2021.
• The Environment Agency and Natural
England will work together with farmers
to encourage the inclusion of Entry
Level options under the Environmental
Stewardship scheme where there are
diffuse pollution problems and to ensure
they are located appropriately.
• We will provide funding of £92 million
over the next four years 2011/12 to
2014/15 to clean up our rivers.
• We will continue the Catchment Sensitive
Farming (CSF) Initiative with a programmebudget of £18 million for 2011-12.
Priority action: Continue to promote
approaches to flood and erosion management
which conserve the natural environment andimprove biodiversity• We will encourage research and innovative
practices which help us understand how
we can more effectively reduce the riskof flooding and erosion to people andproperty through working with naturalprocesses.
Priority action: Reform the water abstraction
regime. The new regime will provide clearer
signals to abstractors to make the necessary
investments to meet water needs and protect
ecosystem functioning. We will also takesteps to tackle the legacy of unsustainable
abstraction more efficiently

2.22 This will involve continuing to prioritise
reducing impacts on the most important sites
for biodiversity, such as Natura 2000 sites
and SSSIs. The forthcoming Water White
Paper will set out further details.
Management of the marine environment
Priority action: Develop 10 Marine Plans
which integrate economic, social andenvironmental considerations, and which
will guide decision-makers when making any
decision that affects, or might affect, a marine
area. This action in England is part of the UK
vision for ‘clean, healthy, safe, productive andbiologically diverse oceans and seas’
2.23 Our seas are subject to competing demands,
pollution and other damage, and yet
the ecosystem services they provide areinvaluable (e.g. regulation of climate change,
flood risk and water quality and cultural
services such as recreation). The previous
system for management has been considered
to be ad hoc, inconsistent, incoherent andnot able to fully consider the cumulative
impact the decisions we took had on theenvironment. We need to manage our seas
strategically and holistically through the
new comprehensive marine planning systemdeveloped under the Marine and Coastal
Access Act 2009.
• The Marine Plans being developed by
Marine Management Organisation will
guide developers about where they arelikely to be able to carry out activities, orwhere conditions or restrictions may beplaced on what they do. Marine Plans
will also encourage an understanding of
the marine environment and the activities
taking place in each area.
• The Marine Policy Statement (MPS)
provides the framework for the marine
planning system. It facilitates andsupports the formulation of Marine

Plans, ensuring that marine resources areused in a sustainable way providing a
coherent approach to management of thedemands and pressures on our seas withconsideration of cumulative effects. The
MPS provides the policy context, within
which national and sub-national Marine
Plans will be developed, implemented,
monitored, amended and will ensure
appropriate consistency in marine
planning across the UK marine area.
• The first two Marine Plans (East of
England Inshore and Offshore marine
plan areas) will be completed in 2013.
The Marine Management Organisation
will have a complete system of 10 Marine
Plans in place for the whole of the English
marine area by 2022.

Algae in rock pool, Site of Special Scientific Interest: Lundy, County:
Devon, Photographer: Paul Glendell• Marine litter is also an issue. It can affectimportant marine species and place anadditional pressure on the viability ofalready stressed fisheries. We know thishappens across the world, but we do not
fully understand the scale of the impacts.
We will identify any additional measuresnecessary to move us towards achieving
Good Environmental Status, ensuring
these are in place by 2016. By 2014, our29marine monitoring programmes will be
helping to deliver a better understandingof how current marine and terrestrial
measures to address litter, contribute to
managing the problem.
Fisheries
Priority action: Implement actions andreforms to ensure fisheries management
directly supports the achievement of wider
environmental objectives, including theachievement of Good Environmental Statusunder the Marine Strategy Framework
Directive
2.24 There is some way to go before theexploitation of the majority of commercial
fish stocks is at safe levels, but there havebeen some improvements, probably in themain because of a general reduction infishing effort. However, a number of species
are suffering sharp declines, particularly
sharks and rays, which are especiallyvulnerable to fishing pressure.
2.25 Overall, the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)
has failed to deliver healthy stocks, withover-fishing widespread across EU stocks
and an economically fragile fishing industry.
The nature of the CFP regime, with detailed,‘one-size fits all’ decisions being taken at thevery highest level, has meant that decisions
have not been responsive to the needs ofspecific fisheries or wider environmental
policies. Fisheries clearly therefore presentrisks for marine biodiversity – and it isimportant that this is addressed throughfuture fisheries management.
• We will seek to reform the Common
Fisheries Policy (CFP) to enable individual
Member States to manage marine
resources more effectively through better

integration of fisheries management withother marine policies, and to put in place
any additional fisheries management
measures necessary to achieve the wider
conservation objectives of the Marine
Strategy Framework Directive.
• We will seek changes to the CFP thatenable Member States to develop andimplement measures to manage marine
ecosystems beyond the 6 nm limit in amore straightforward way. We want a
simplified and decentralised decisionmaking framework that allows those
closest to a fishery to take decisions on
appropriate management measures.
• We will trial a new approach to fishingquotas that could help minimise discards,
and a reformed CFP that prioritises
tackling this problem.
• Consulting on the English fishing fleetin Spring 2011, aiming to improve
environmental, economic and social
sustainability.
• We will support Inshore Fisheries andConservation Authorities (IFCAs),
providing an additional £3m each year
over the next 4 years to help them achieve
their aims of ensuring healthy seas,sustainable inshore fisheries and a viableindustry.
• We will support the development ofcompetitive and sustainable aquaculture29
industries. The English aquaculture sector
has the potential for growth and thegovernment has acted as a facilitator,
drawing together key interests to develop
their Aquaculture Plan for England.

29 Aquaculture is the process of farming or culturing aquatic organisms, and has the potential to make an increased contribution to food security30• We will identify additional measuresneeded to achieve Good Environmental
Status, and put these in place by 2016.
• By 2014, our marine monitoring
programmes will be helping to deliver
a better understanding of how current
marine and terrestrial measures to address
litter, contribute to managing
the problem.
Air pollution
Priority action: Reduce air pollution impacts
on biodiversity through approaches atnational, UK, EU and international levels
targeted at the sectors which are the sourceof the relevant pollutants (nitrogen oxides,
ozone, sulphur dioxide, ammonia)
2.26 Pollution presents a wide range of pressuresand risks to the natural environment,
damaging our biodiversity and ecosystems. In
addition to water pollution, covered above,
the impacts of air pollution on plant species
are detectable throughout the countryside.
Some air pollutants (such as oxides ofnitrogen, ammonia and ozone) travel great
distances and cause harmful effects far fromtheir source, so action is needed at domestic,
EU and international levels.
2.27 The legislative framework enables action to
tackle some major sources of pollution andthere have been major gains in reducing theimpact of air pollution over recent decades.
However, many sensitive ecosystems are still
exposed to acidity and nutrient enrichment(eutrophication) at a level which risks
damage (i.e. exceeding critical loads). Thereis a need to do more.
2.28 Current climate change mitigation plans
are expected to deliver reductions in air
pollution by 2020 and beyond. We also
expect negotiations on a revised UNECE
Gothenburg Protocol to conclude in 2011
and for this to set new emission ceilings for

key air pollutants for 2020. A key aim for
the EU is to widen ratification of any revised
protocol so as to reduce transboundary
air pollution and the damaging effects on
biodiversity and ecosystems.
• We will implement existing and planned
policies to reduce UK emissions. As aresult of this action the proportion ofsensitive ecosystems which exceed thecritical load for acidity is projected to fallto 59% in England by 2020 (from 67% in
2006-08) and the proportion exceeding
the critical load for eutrophication, fallingto 94% in England (from 97% in 200608). The magnitude of those exceedances
will also reduce, further lowering the riskof impacts on biodiversity.
• Defra will continue to work with the
Department of Transport to explore
means of further reducing emissions fromtransport sources, including shipping.
• We will use the farming Integrated
Advice Pilot to explore the effectivenessof providing guidance to the agricultural
sector and we will explore theopportunities offered by reform of theCommon Agricultural Policy to provide
mechanisms to encourage emission
reductions.
• We will work collaboratively with theagricultural sector (responsible for 89%
of UK ammonia emissions) to increase
nitrogen use efficiency though the Nitrates
Action Plan and Integrated Advice Pilot
and the agricultural industry’s Greenhouse
Gas Action Plan. These plans will also
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, andimprove air and water quality.

31

Invasive non-native species
Priority action: Continue to implement theInvasive Non-Native Species Framework
Strategy for Great Britain
2.29 Invasive non-native species have an impact onnative biodiversity in a number of ways, suchas displacing or preying upon native species,
dominating habitats or by introducing new
diseases or parasites. Their impacts can takedecades to become apparent but, by their very
nature, once established they are likely to cause
long term effects.
2.30 Appreciation of the impacts of invasive
non-native species has grown significantly.
They are currently costing Britain at least£1.7billion per annum in damage andmanagement costs30 and it is estimatedthat the European equivalent figure exceeds€12billion31. Evidence32 indicates thatthe number of non-native species being
introduced to Europe is increasing and so
the cost is likely to continue to increase if the
problem is not addressed. Climate change
may increase the problem.

– stimulating and supporting civil society
engagement to help embed a wider
recognition that human behaviours are
the key cause of this issue and therefore a
key part of the solution.
• We will work with other member states todevelop the EU Strategy on Invasive Alien
Species. This EU Strategy needs to build
the right connections between existing EU
regimes, for example, the EU Plant andAnimal Health regimes.
• In the marine context, we will consider theneed for additional measures to control the
introduction and spread of marine invasive
non-native species (in addition to thosemeasures which are already being taken
forward) as part of our programme of
measures for achieving Good
Environmental Status.

• We will continue to develop the following
key areas:– the evidence base – to support
proportionate and effective decisionmaking;– an inclusive approach to surveillance anddetection of threats;

Volunteer actively engaged in rural community/voluntary work.
© Crown Copyright– our ability to deliver rapid responses to
new threats;– our relationship with stakeholder and key
interest groups, such as garden centres, toinfluence the right kind of behaviours;
30 The Economic Cost of Invasive Non-Native Species on Great Britain - F. Williams, R. Eschen, A. Harris, D. Djeddour, C. Pratt, R.S. Shaw, S. Varia,
J. Lamontagne-Godwin, S.E. Thomas, S.T. Murphy; CAB/001/09 November 2010.
31 Kettunen, M., Genovesi, P., Gollasch, S., Pagad, S., Starfinger, U. ten Brink, P. & Shine, C. 2008. Technical support to EU strategy on invasive species (IAS)- Assessment of the impacts of IAS in Europe and the EU (final module report for the European Commission). Institute for European Environmental Policy(IEEP), Brussels, Belgium. 44 pp. + Annexes.
32 European Environment Agency – State of the environment report 1/2007 - “Europe’s environment — The fourth assessment”, Chapter 4 – Biodiversity.

32

Improving our knowledge
2.31 In England we are fortunate in having widely
available information on the status and trends
in components of biodiversity, with much ofthat information collected by volunteers. Thereremain gaps in our knowledge. We know
more about species and habitats on protectedsites than outside them; more about ‘popular’
groups such as birds and higher plants than‘cryptic’ ones such as fungi and lichens; andmore about species and habitats than about
genetic diversity.
2.32 We have identified many of the pressuresthat are driving biodiversity loss but somepressures are better understood than others
and we know more about their impacts onsome species and habitats than on others.
We are developing our understanding of
the impacts of climate change and starting
to understand the likely impact of emerging
or future potential threats, such as energy
infrastructure, geoengineering, geneticallymodified organisms and disease, but eventhose that are more widely researched are
constantly changing and the evidence baseneeds to keep up with this change.
2.33 We are also starting to better understandthe consequences of biodiversity changeon the services or benefits to society – howbiodiversity change affects the water or
carbon cycle or the pollination of important
crops. The NEA tells us much about thebenefits of key species and habitats andabout their equivalent economic value,
but there is still a great deal we do notunderstand in terms of the relationshipbetween components of biodiversity and theprovision of ecosystem services.
2.34 Above all, we need evidence to guide ourdecisions, from issues of national policy to
choices about individual site management
and we need to continue to develop andtest solutions to address biodiversity loss andengage people, natural resource managers
and business.
2.35 Continued investment in research anddevelopment is essential to better
understand why biodiversity is changing, theconsequences of these changes, to predictlikely future change, and to design and test
approaches to managing our biodiversity.
We also need to better understand the link
between biodiversity and ecosystem services,and develop approaches to biodiversity
conservation that deliver multiple benefits.
2.36 Monitoring and surveillance to track
biodiversity change allows us assess
the effectiveness of biodiversity policy.
Monitoring plays a critical role in alerting
society to changes in the health of ourenvironment.
2.37 To deliver this strategy, data, information
and advice need to be accessible to the fullrange of people and organisations that havea role to play in delivering this strategy. We
will make sure this happens by taking action
in two further areas. Firstly, improved data
sharing to achieve better prioritised decisionmaking locally and nationally. Secondly,
clear communication of the evidence
so that policy makers and wider society canunderstand the importance of biodiversity anduse it to take action for conservation.
Research and development:
Priority action: Work collaboratively across
Defra and the relevant agencies to direct
research investment within Government
to areas of highest priority to deliver theoutcomes and priorities set out in thisstrategy, and in partnership with the ResearchCouncils and other organisations in the UK
and Europe to build the evidence base33

Monitoring and surveillance
Priority action: Put robust, reliable and moreco-ordinated arrangements in place, tomonitor changes in the state of biodiversity
and also the flow of benefits and services it
provides us, to ensure that we can assess theoutcomes of this strategy
Improved data sharing and clear communicationof evidence
Priority action: Improve public access tobiodiversity data and other environmental
information – putting power into the handsof people to act and hold others to account.
Also communicate progress towards theoutcomes and priorities of this strategy
and make available information to support
decision-making at a range of scales to help
others contribute to the outcomes (moredetail is set out in chapter 3)• We will update the Defra strategy forinvestment in research and development toaddress the priorities identified in this strategy.
• We will continue to support surveillance
schemes undertaken by the voluntary andacademic sectors and working with thevoluntary recording community to develop
new approaches to further increase the valueof the volunteer schemes for assessment
and decision-making. Defra’s agencies plan
to invest almost £5 million over the next
three years in England to support national
and local organisations and groups thatcoordinate volunteer recording and tocontribute to the work of the National
Biodiversity Network. In addition, we will
invest a further £1.2 million to support data
sharing, create a new fund for biodiversity
recording in the voluntary sector and,in partnership with volunteer groups,
develop new and innovative approaches tobiodiversity recording.
34• We will set out clearly the data andinformation needed to support national
and local decision-making and to meetinternational commitments to monitor andassess the status of biodiversity. We will
launch three area-based pilot studies totrial new strategic approaches to wildlife
recording, data sharing and interpretation
services that better meet both local
and national needs, working with local
partnerships and local centres of expertise.
• We will support the development of
web-based applications that enable local
partnerships, voluntary groups and agencies
to share information about the actions they
are taking to conserve biodiversity. This
will encourage more joined-up working,and allow people and groups to see how
they locally contribute to national andinternational plans and programmes.
• Our environmental agencies are reforming
the way they work together, to provide
more coherent advice and support to local
partners. In support of this, Natural Englandis producing maps that show how national
character areas, water catchments, and local
authority boundaries relate to each other.
Building on this, we will pool and share ourinformation to help everyone prioritise actionin areas with the greatest environmental risks
or opportunities.
• The NEA has brought new insights and weare committed to growing this knowledge
base. We will support a further phase ofground-breaking research. It will identify themix of future actions most likely to secure
best overall value from our ecosystems, fornature and for people. It will also develop
practical tools to assist decision-makers inapplying the lessons of the NEA.

Chapter 3: Delivering the strategy andmeasuring success

3.1 This strategy:• is a call to action to a widebiodiversity partnership to work
together to achieve the strategy’s
aims. Government and its agencies willplay a leading role delivering the strategy,
but cannot achieve success alone. The
wider partnership of stakeholders andsociety, that has already played a hugely
important role, is essential for success.
• provides a supporting and enabling
framework for action across Englandby partners at all levels. It is intended
to help guide, inform, empower andsupport action for biodiversity, settingout national objectives and priorities
to be achieved and identifying
how partners can best contribute.
The strategy is designed to deliver its
outcomes, while allowing partners andlocal areas freedom to choose how theymight contribute and how to best deliveraccording to their local circumstances.

Key elements of the framework

Government is taking action in these areas.
These priorities are also intended as a call toaction to all partners. They can also be usedby grant-giving bodies to help determine
how well funding bids will contribute tonationally-identified priorities.
The delivery plan
3.4

Defra, on behalf of HM Government, will be
accountable for overall delivery of the strategy.
Natural England will be the lead statutory bodyfor delivery on the ground, though with many
partners assisting with this.

3.5 We will develop a delivery plan33 inpartnership with key stakeholders. This
plan will be used by government and nongovernment partners to set out, and monitor,
the details of actions taken to deliver the
strategy on the ground. It will be a rollingdelivery plan, looking three years ahead,so that it can be flexible and respond tochanging circumstances. Natural England willplay a lead role in this work.
Governance of the strategy

3.2 The overarching long-term vision, the 2020
mission and the framework of desired
outcomes (in chapter 1) inform delivery
action by partners at all levels, including
grant-giving bodies, enabling everyone
to clearly understand what the national
priorities are.

3.6 We will establish a streamlined, fit for
purpose governance structure for managing,coordinating and reporting on the deliveryof the biodiversity strategy in England. The
governance structure will provide clear
accountability for delivery. Ministers will meetwith key civil society organisations annually totake stock of progress. A steering group will
be chaired by Defra with participation from thewider biodiversity partnership. Natural England
will lead a delivery group for the strategy.

Priorities to be addressed to 2020

Support for local delivery

3.3 The strategy sets out the approach tobiodiversity conservation and the priority
areas for action during 2011-2020 (inchapter 2, summarised in Annex A).

3.7 Local action for biodiversity essential toachieve our objectives.

Long-term vision, 2020 mission and nationalframework of desired outcomes

33 Initial plan expected to be in place within 6 months of publication of the strategy.

35• In the Natural Environment White Paper,
we proposed the establishment of Local
Nature Partnerships to strengthen action
at the right scale.
• Partnerships which fulfil the broad vision
set in the White Paper will be recognised byGovernment and its environmental bodies.
We will host an annual Ministerial event at
which partnerships can come together toshare best practice, discuss implementation
issues and celebrate success.
• The Government will provide support
to both new and existing partnerships
wishing to adopt this integrated, ecosystemapproach, delivering at a landscape scale.
We will provide a one-off fund in 2011/12
and 2012/13 worth a total of £1 million to
help national and local partners develop
Local Nature Partnerships. Our agencies will
work together to support local delivery andengage with these partnerships, alongsideother integrated landscape-scale initiatives.
• Our agencies, Natural England, theEnvironment Agency and the Forestry
Commission, will support this bydelivering more joined-up advice andengagement for local areas, including tolocal authorities and developers. Wherethe environmental opportunities and risks
are greatest they will offer local areas
streamlined support through the “Single
Voice” initiative.
Measuring Success
3.8 Biodiversity is complex and constantly in flux,and cannot therefore be adequately assessedby a single measure.
3.9 The Government’s 2020 ambition is to halt
overall biodiversity loss. Halting biodiversity
loss is shorthand, that signifies halting overall
declines in the extent, condition, distribution
and abundance of important habitats andspecies, and the ecosystem services they

provide, accepting that flux means there will
be some losses and gains.
3.10 This takes account of the fact that, in somecases, biodiversity losses may be inevitable, forexample, due to unavoidable climate change.
Any such losses should be offset by gains inother important species and habitats, not by
replacing the rare and threatened with thecommonplace, but by ensuring the naturalenvironment remains diverse and continues toprovide essential services. Similarly, to achieve
no net loss of priority habitat (as in Outcome
1B) we aim for no net loss of any individual
priority habitat type, though pragmaticallyunavoidable losses in one type could bebalanced by gains in others.
3.11 We will develop and publish a set of indicators
chosen to assess delivery of the strategy.
They will be limited in number so that they
are easily understood, easy to use and costeffective. Our strategy is outcome-focused
and we will primarily use state indicators
to measure progress towards the desired
outcomes of the strategy. We will also use
a small number of response and pressure
indicators to show progress with priority
actions and steps taken to address the threats
to biodiversity.
3.12 Defra already publishes a set of England
Biodiversity Indicators34, which were recently
reviewed to ensure that they were based on
the best available data sources. Our strategy
addresses new challenges and pressureson biodiversity and the adoption of a new
global framework. Nonetheless, manyof the current indicators remain relevantto the strategy. We will therefore refine
and improve them rather than develop acompletely new set. The indicators will bealigned with frameworks being developed
at the UK, European and global levels sothat we can report on progress in England
towards internationally agreed targets, withminimum additional effort.

34 www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/environment/biodiversity/england-biodiversity-indicators/

36

3.13 The key areas that we expect to need tomeasure are listed in the table below. These
are organised according to the four priority
areas of the strategy, and cross-referenced
to the strategy headline outcomes and theinternationally agreed Aichi targets. The
table also summarises the availability of dataand existing indicators which can be used tomeasure progress. We have identified some
gaps where further development will beneeded.

Table: Measuring progress against priority areas and outcomes
Availabilityof data andindicators

Related EBS
headlineoutcomes35

RelatedCBD ‘Aichi’targets36

Extent and condition of selected
habitats

Data available. Some
indicator development
required.

1, 2

5, 15

Extent and condition of protectedsites

Data and indicators
available.

1, 2

5, 10, 11

Habitat connectivity.

Data available. Some
indicator development
required1

5, 11

Status of priority species

Data available. Some
indicator development
required

3

12Trends in abundance and distributionof selected species (birds, butterflies,
bats and plants)

Data and indicators
available

1, 2, 35, 7, 12

Status of habitats and species
providing essential services (e.g.
water quality, water regulation,
carbon capture, pollination andpublic enjoyment)

Data available Some
indicators available andsome development
required

1, 2

14, 153

13Strategy
Possible elements topriority areas measure

A moreintegrated
large-scale
approach toconservation onland and at sea

Genetic diversity in native breeds ofData available. Some
farm animals and cultivated varieties of indicator development
agricultural and horticultural crops.
required

35 1 = habitats and ecosystems; 2 = marine; 3 = threatened species; 4 = people
36 All Aichi targets covered apart from 16 = ABS, 17 = NBSAPs and 18 = traditional knowledge

37

Awareness, understanding andsupport for biodiversity conservation.

Putting people
at the heartof biodiversity
policyReducing
environmentalpressures

Improving ourknowledge

Data and indicators
available

4

1

Taking personal action for biodiversity Data and indicators
available.

4

1, 20

Valuation and accounting forbiodiversity

Data and indicatorrequire development37

Integrating biodiversity considerations
into local decision-making

Data available. Some
indicator development
requiredInnovative financial mechanisms.

Data and indicatorrequire development38

3, 20

Sustainable consumption

Data and indicatorrequire development.

4

Expenditure on domestic andinternational biodiversity

Data and indicators
available.

20

Trends in pressures on biodiversity(climate change impacts, pollution,
invasive species)

Data available. Some
indicators available andsome development
required.

8, 9, 10Integration of biodiversity into key
production sectors (agriculture,
forestry, fisheries)

Data and indicators
available.

Availability of biodiversity data andinformation for decision-making

Data available. Some
indicator development
required39.

3.14 We will produce an indicators discussion
paper in summer 2011, alongside this strategy.
Following this, we will publish an interim setof indicators in Spring 2012, as part of the UK
report to the Convention on Biological Diversity
on progress with revision of national strategies.

1

1, 2, 3

1, 2

4, 6, 7,
10, 11, 12
19This work will be undertaken alongside the review
of indicators set out in the Natural Environment
White Paper.

37 Indicators may not be appropriate. Progress could be assessed by other means.
38 Indicators may not be appropriate. Progress could be assessed by other means.
39 Indicators may not be appropriate. Progress could be assessed by other means.

382Annex A: Summary of priorities and key actions

Theme 1. A more integrated large-scale
approach to conservation on land andat seaPriority action 1.1: Establish more coherent
and resilient ecological networks on land thatsafeguard ecosystem services for the benefit ofwildlife and people
Priority action 1.2: Establish and effectively
manage an ecologically coherent network ofmarine protected areas which covers in excess
of 25% of English waters by the end of 2016,
and which contributes to the UK’s achievementof Good Environmental Status under the Marine
Strategy Framework Directive
Priority action 1.3: Take targeted action for therecovery of priority species, whose conservation
is not delivered through wider habitat-based andecosystem measures
Priority action 1.4: Ensure that ‘agricultural’genetic diversity is conserved and enhanced
wherever appropriate

Theme 2. Putting people at the heart ofbiodiversity policy
Priority action 2.1: Work with the biodiversity
partnership to engage significantly more people inbiodiversity issues, increase awareness of the valueof biodiversity and increase the number of people
taking positive action
Priority action 2.2: Promote taking better accountof the values of biodiversity in public and private
sector decision-making, including by providing
tools to help consider a wider range of ecosystemservices
Priority action 2.3: Develop new and innovative
financing mechanisms to direct more funding
towards the achievement of biodiversity outcomes

Theme 3. Reducing environmentalpressures
Integrate consideration of biodiversity within the
sectors which have the greatest potential for direct
influence, and reduce direct pressures
Agriculture
Priority action 3.1: Improve the delivery ofenvironmental outcomes from agricultural land
management practices, whilst increasing foodproduction
Priority action 3.2: Reform the Common
Agricultural Policy to achieve greater
environmental benefits
Forestry
Priority action 3.3: Bring a greater proportionof our existing woodlands into sustainable
management and expand the area of woodland in
EnglandPlanning and development
Priority action 3.4: Through reforms of theplanning system, take a strategic approach toplanning for nature within and across local areas.
This approach will guide development to the best
locations, encourage greener design and enable
development to enhance natural networks. We
will retain the protection and improvement of
the natural environment as core objectives of theplanning system
Priority action 3.5: Establish a new, voluntary
approach to biodiversity offsets and test ourapproach in pilot areas
Water management
Priority action 3.6: Align measures to protect thewater environment with action for biodiversity,
including through the river basin planningapproach under the EU Water Framework Directive

39

Priority action 3.7: Continue to promote
approaches to flood and erosion management
which conserve the natural environment andimprove biodiversity
Priority action 3.8: Reform the water abstraction
regime. The new regime will provide clearer signals
to abstractors to make the necessary investments
to meet water needs and protect ecosystem
functioning. We will also take steps to tackle
the legacy of unsustainable abstraction more
efficiently
Management of the marine environment
Priority action 3.9: Develop 10 Marine Plans which
integrate economic, social and environmental
considerations, and which will guide decisionmakers when making any decision that affects, ormight affect, a marine area. This action in Englandis part of the UK vision for ‘clean, healthy, safe,
productive and biologically diverse oceans andseas’
Fisheries
Priority action 3.10: Implement actions andreforms to ensure fisheries management directly
supports the achievement of wider environmental
objectives, including the achievement of Good
Environmental Status under the Marine Strategy
Framework Directive
Air pollution
Priority action 3.11: Reduce air pollution impacts
on biodiversity through approaches at national,
UK, EU and international levels targeted at thesectors which are the source of the relevant
pollutants (nitrogen oxides, ozone, sulphur
dioxide, ammonia)
Invasive non-native species
Priority action 3.12: Continue to implement theInvasive Non-Native Species Framework Strategy
for Great Britain

40

Theme 4. Improving our knowledge
Research and development:
Priority action 4.1: Work collaboratively across
Defra and the relevant agencies to direct research
investment within Government to areas of highest
priority to deliver the outcomes and priorities set
out in this strategy, and in partnership with the
Research Councils and other organisations in the
UK and Europe to build the evidence baseMonitoring and surveillance
Priority action 4.2: Put robust, reliable and moreco-ordinated arrangements in place, to monitorchanges in the state of biodiversity and also theflow of benefits and services it provides us, toensure that we can assess the outcomes of thisstrategy
Improved data sharing and clear
communication of evidence
Priority action 4.3: Improve public access tobiodiversity data and other environmental
information – putting power into the hands ofpeople to act and hold others to account. Also
communicate progress towards the outcomesand priorities of this strategy and make available
information to support decision-making at a
range of scales to help others contribute to theoutcomes (more detail is set out in chapter 3)

Annex B: Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Strategic Plan ‘AICHI’ targets
The CBD Strategic Plan adopted in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010 includes 20 headline targets for2020 (the ‘Aichi’ targets). These targets provide a flexible framework to inform the establishment of
national plans, taking into account national circumstances and priorities. Countries do not necessarilyneed to develop a national target for each and every global target. The England Strategy has therefore
been developed to address our national priorities, in an England-context, but with reference to thisflexible international framework.
CBD Strategic Plan ‘Aichi’ targets
Strategic goal A (address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming
biodiversity across government and society)Target 1: By 2020, at the latest, people are aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they cantake to conserve and use it sustainably.
Target 2: By 2020, at the latest, biodiversity values have been integrated into national and local
development and poverty reduction strategies and planning processes and are being incorporated into
national accounting, as appropriate, and reporting systems.
Target 3: By 2020, at the latest, incentives, including subsidies, harmful to biodiversity are eliminated,phased out or reformed in order to minimise or avoid negative impacts, and positive incentives for theconservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are developed and applied, consistent and in harmony
with the Convention and other relevant international obligations, taking into account national socioeconomic conditions.
Target 4: By 2020, at the latest, Governments, business and stakeholders at all levels have taken steps
to achieve or have implemented plans for sustainable production and consumption and have kept the
impacts of use of natural resources well within safe ecological limits.
Target 5: By 2020, the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved andwhere feasible brought close to zero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced.
Strategic goal B (reducing the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use)
Target 6: By 2020 all fish and invertebrate stocks and aquatic plants are managed and harvested
sustainably, legally and applying ecosystem-based approaches, so that overfishing is avoided, recovery
plans and measures are in place for all depleted species, fisheries have no significant adverse impacts
on threatened species and vulnerable ecosystems and the impacts of fisheries on stocks, species andecosystems are within safe ecological limits.
Target 7: By 2020 areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry are managed sustainably, ensuringconservation of biodiversity.
Target 8: By 2020, pollution, including from excess nutrients, has been brought to levels that are not
detrimental to ecosystem function and biodiversity.
Target 9: By 2020, invasive alien species and pathways are identified and prioritised, priority species
are controlled or eradicated, and measures are in place to manage pathways to prevent theirintroduction and establishment.
Target 10: By 2015, the multiple anthropogenic pressures on coral reefs, and other vulnerable
ecosystems impacted by climate change or ocean acidification are minimised, so as to maintain theirintegrity and functioning.
41

Strategic goal C (improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species andgenetic diversity)
Target 11: By 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water, and 10 per cent of coastal
and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, areconserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected
systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into
the wider landscape and seascapes.
Target 12: By 2020 the extinction of known threatened species has been prevented and theirconservation status, particularly of those most in decline, has been improved and sustained.
Target 13: By 2020, the genetic diversity of cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals
and of wild relatives, including other socio-economically as well as culturally valuable species, ismaintained, and strategies have been developed and implemented for minimising genetic erosion andsafeguarding their genetic diversity.
Strategic goal D (enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem services)
Target 14: By 2020, ecosystems that provide essential services, including services related to water, andcontribute to health, livelihoods and wellbeing, are restored and safeguarded, taking into account theneeds of women, indigenous and local communities, and the poor and vulnerable.
Target 15: By 2020, ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks has
been enhanced, through conservation and restoration, including restoration of at least 15 per centof degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation and tocombating desertification.
Target 16: By 2015, the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharingof Benefits Arising from their Utilisation is in force and operational, consistent with national legislation.
Strategic goal E (enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge
management and capacity building)
Target 17: By 2015 each Party has developed, adopted as a policy instrument, and has commenced
implementing an effective, participatory and updated national biodiversity strategy and action plan.
Target 18: By 2020, the traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local
communities relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and their customary
use of biological resources, are respected, subject to national legislation and relevant international
obligations, and fully integrated and reflected in the implementation of the Convention with the fulland effective participation of indigenous and local communities, at all relevant levels.
Target 19: By 2020, knowledge, the science base and technologies relating to biodiversity, its values,
functioning, status and trends, and the consequences of its loss, are improved, widely shared andtransferred and applied.
Target 20: By 2020, at the latest, the mobilisation of financial resources for effectively implementing
the Strategic Plan 2011-2020 from all sources and in accordance with the consolidated and agreed
process in the Strategy for Resource Mobilisation should increase substantially from the current levels.
This target will be subject to changes contingent to resources needs assessments to be developed andreported by Parties.
42

X

X

Develop new and innovative financing mechanisms to direct more
funding towards the achievement of biodiversity outcomes

(X)

X

(X)

X

Promote taking better account of the values of biodiversity inpublic and private sector decision-making, including by providing
tools to help consider a wider range of ecosystem services.

Work with the biodiversity partnership to engage significantly
more people in biodiversity issues, increase awareness of the valueof biodiversity and increase the number of people taking positive
actionPutting people at the heart of biodiversity policy

Ensure that ‘agricultural’ genetic diversity is conserved andenhanced wherever appropriate

Take targeted action for the recovery of priority species, whose
conservation is not delivered through wider habitat-based andecosystem measures

Establish and effectively manage an ecologically coherent networkof marine protected areas which covers in excess of 25% of English
waters by the end of 2016, and which contributes to the UK’s
achievement of Good Environmental Status under the Marine Strategy
Framework Directive

X

X

X

(X)

X

X

X

X

(X)

X

X

(X)

X

X

(X)

X

(X)

X

2C

X

X

(X)

X

X

X

3

X

X

X

4

CBD

20

1, 2, 3, 4,

1, 4

Broadly reflects
strategic
goal A13

6, 12

7,10, 11, 12, 14,
15

5, 7, 10, 11, 12,
14, 15

X

1D 2A 2B

Establish more coherent and resilient ecological networks onland that safeguard ecosystem services for the benefit of wildlife
and people.

1C
Broadly reflects
strategic goals
C and D

1A 1B

Outcomes

A more integrated large-scale approach to conservation onland and at sea

Key Actions

1, 2, 5

1, 2, 5

3

1

1, 2, 3

1, 2, 3EU*This table provides an indication of how the strategy’s priorities and key actions contribute to achieving the strategy’s outcomes(see chapter 2) and also how they link to the CBD ‘Aichi’ targets (see Annex B for a full list) and themes of the EU Biodiversity
Strategy (see * below the table for a list). Many areas could be interconnected in a multitude of ways and so this table focuses on
key linkages only and is intended to give a summary overview rather than definitive analysis of all potential links.

Annex C: Table showing linkages between the strategy’s priorities/key
actions and (i) the strategy’s outcomes, (ii) the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) ‘Aichi’ targets and (iii) EU Strategy themes

43

44
X

X

X

X

Align measures to protect the water environment with action forbiodiversity, including through the river basin planning approach
under the EU Water Framework Directive

Continue to promote approaches to flood and erosion
management which conserve the natural environment and improve X
biodiversity

Reform the water abstraction regime. The new regime will provide
clearer signals to abstractors to make the necessary investments tomeet water needs and protect ecosystem functioning. We will also
take steps to tackle the legacy of unsustainable abstraction more
efficiently

Implement actions and reforms to ensure fisheries management
directly supports the achievement of wider environmental
objectives, including the achievement of Good Environmental
Status under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

Develop 10 Marine Plans which integrate economic, social andenvironmental considerations, and which will guide decision-makerwhen making any decision that affects, or might affect, a marine
area. This action in England is part of the UK vision for ‘clean,healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas’X

Establish a new, voluntary approach to biodiversity offsets and test
our approach in pilot areas.

X

X

Through reforms of the planning system, take a strategic approachto planning for nature within and across local areas. This approach
will guide development to the best locations, encourage greener
design and enable development to enhance natural networks.
We will retain the protection and improvement of the naturalenvironment as core objectives of the planning system.

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X
X

3, 4, 6, 7, 11,
12, 144, 5, 6, 7, 8 9,
10, 11, 12, 14,
15

4, 5, 11, 12, 14,
15

4, 5, 11, 12, 14,
15

4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11,
144, 5, 11, 12, 14

4, 5, 11, 12,14

3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11,
12, 14, 15

3

X

X

Bring a greater proportion of our existing woodlands into
sustainable management and expand the area of woodland in
England

X

X

X

Reform the Common Agricultural Policy to achieve greater
environmental benefitsX

1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8,
10, 11, 12, 13,
14, 15

X

X

Improve the delivery of environmental outcomes from agriculturalland management practices, whilst increasing food production
X

Broadly reflects
strategic goal B

Reducing environmental pressures

1, 2, 3

1, 2, 4

1, 2

1, 2

1, 2, 6

1, 2

1, 2

1, 2, 3

3

1, 2, 3

45

X

X

Monitoring and surveillance: Put robust, reliable and more coordinated arrangements in place, to monitor changes in the stateof biodiversity and also the flow of benefits and services it provides
us, to ensure that we can assess the outcomes of this strategy

Improved data sharing and clear communication of evidence:
Improve public access to biodiversity data and other environmental
information – putting power into the hands of people to act andhold others to account. Also communicate progress towards
the outcomes and priorities of this strategy and make available
information to support decision-making at a range of scales tohelp others contribute to the outcomes (more detail is set out inchapter 3).

6. Contributions from other environmental policies and initiative

5. Addressing the global biodiversity crisis

4. Combating invasive alien species

3. Ensuring the sustainability of agriculture, forestry and fisheries

2. Maintaining and enhancing ecosystems and their services

1. Conserving and restoring nature*The European Commission’s EU Biodiversity Strategy contains six themes.

X

Research and development: Work collaboratively across Defra
and the relevant agencies to direct research investment within
Government to areas of highest priority to deliver the outcomesand priorities set out in this strategy, and in partnership with the
Research Councils and other organisations in the UK and Europe tobuild the evidence base

Improving our knowledge

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Continue to implement the Invasive Non-Native Species Framework
X
Strategy for Great Britain
X

X

X

Reduce air pollution impacts on biodiversity through approaches
at national, UK, EU and international levels targeted at the sectors
which are the source of the relevant pollutants (nitrogen oxides,
ozone, sulphur dioxide, ammonia)

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

19, plus all othertargets

19, plus all othertargets

19, plus all othertargets

Broadly reflects
strategic goal E

1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12

4, 8

All
themesAll
themesAll
themes

1, 2, 5

1, 2, 6

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR
Telephone: 020 7238 6000
Website: www.defra.gov.uk© Crown copyright 2011
PB13583