LINKS BETWEEN LEAD PARTNERS AND LOCAL BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLANS

The UK BAP is implemented by national steering groups (coordinated by lead partners) and by local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) partnerships. Local Biodiversity Action Plans exist to help achieve the targets for UK BAP priority species and habitats and to identify and deliver targets for locally distinct wildlife. They also play a major part in raising awareness of the need for conservation among the general public, educational establishments and the private sector, which is critical if the UK BAP process is to be sustainable. Local conservation action, engagement in public awareness, education and developing partnerships are vital actions that form a major part of the work of Local Biodiversity Action Plans and form an essential complement to the UK action plans. Local Biodiversity Action Plans are often organised at the county or unitary authority level, although they also exist for national parks and for other administrative areas such as districts.

• Local Biodiversity Action Plans have produced over 2500 action plans for habitats and species.
• 257 (66%) UK BAP priority species and 41 (91%) UK BAP priority habitats are included in at least one Local Biodiversity Action Plan.
• A higher proportion of UK BAP priority vertebrates and vascular plants are covered by Local Biodiversity Action Plans than insects and lower plants (Figure 1). Many of the priority species in these latter taxa are not well suited to Local Biodiversity Action Plan action because they are highly restricted in range, are pelagic marine species or require specialist conservation measures. Click here for more details.
• Local Biodiversity Partnerships have also prepared action plans for over 1200 species and habitats that have local significance and resonance. Many of these are also species of conservation concern at a national or UK level, such as the chough, tawny owl, Atlantic salmon, black poplar and bog orchid.

UK and Local Biodiversity Action Plans share common goals but often work independently of each other. A major challenge for the UK BAP process is to improve the integration between these levels of implementation. Beginning to meet this challenge was a major aim of the 2002 reporting round. As a consequence of data received during the reporting round, information has been sent to all Lead Partners and Local Biodiversity Action Plan officers, raising awareness of relevant action and exchanging contact information where it was flagged as desirable.

• 83% of Lead Partners felt that Local Biodiversity Action Plans were at least slightly important in delivering their targets (3% critical, 40% important, 40% slightly important and 17% unimportant). Figure 2 shows the breakdown for species and habitats and it is noticeable that in general Lead Partners for habitats felt Local Biodiversity Action Plans were more important in delivering their targets than those for species.
• The 64 (17%) Lead Partners that considered Local Biodiversity Action Plans unimportant for attaining UK targets were in most cases leads for marine species or species with highly restricted ranges. Click here for more information
• Although over 80% of Lead Partners believed Local Biodiversity Action Plans have at least a slightly important role in achieving the UK BAP targets, 60% of all Lead Partners reported little or no contact with the Local Biodiversity Action Plan officers (Figure 3)
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• In three cases where Lead Partners believed Local Biodiversity Action Plans to be critical for the delivery of plan targets, there had been little or no contact. These were the plans for coastal saltmarsh, mudflats and the diving beetle Bidessus minutissimus. As a result of this reporting round, relevant contact information has now been exchanged with these groups.

In most cases there has been little or no bilateral contact between Local Biodiversity Action Plans and Lead Partners. Given the amount of work involved to achieve close working between every Local Biodiversity Action Plan and every relevant Lead Partner, this is perhaps not surprising. There is, however, a clear need to improve integration of Local Biodiversity Action Plan and Lead Partner work, for example, through using new technologies. Nonetheless, there have been some impressive examples of collaboration. The results below were the responses of Local Biodiversity Action Plan officers when they were asked what level of contact had occurred with any Lead Partners.

• Where contact had occurred, it was most commonly indirect. However, 75 officers (64% of those responding to the question) reported having had direct contact with at least one Lead Partner (either through direct advice, reciprocal attendance at meetings, or collaborative projects). See Figure 4.
• 20 Local Biodiversity Action Plans (17% of those responding to the question) are involved in collaborative projects with at least one Lead Partner. Examples include the Bedfordshire and Luton LBAP partnership, which has been working with the Lead Partner to restore their lowland calcareous grassland resource, and the Bioamrywiaeth yn Eryri partnership in Snowdonia National Park where the local partnership is developing collaborative projects with Lead Partners to conserve water voles, otters and great-crested newts.