Item no *EDINBVRGH* Report no THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL Edinburgh Local Biodiversity Action Plan Phase 3 2010-2015 Planning Committee 3 December 2009 1 Purpose of report 1.1 To report to Committee on the review of the Edinburgh Local Biodiversity Action Plan, and seek approval for the resulting Edinburgh Local Biodiversity ' Action Plan Phase 3, 2010-2015. 2 Summary 2.1 The Council has a duty to further the conservation of biodiversity under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. This is achieved through the Edinburgh Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP). Production of the Edinburgh LBAP is a key action in the Edinburgh Partnership Single Outcome Agreement 2009-2012. The current Edinburgh LBAP details action taken for the period 2004-2009. Over the last six months the Edinburgh Biodiversity Partnership has reviewed achievements from this phase of the LBAP, and outlined the work required for the next five year phase. This work is now complete and the appended document details the action to be taken for 201 0-2015. 2.2 A number of actions within Phase 3 of the plan will be the responsibility of Services for Communities. Therefore it is recommended that the report is referred to the Transport, Infrastructure and Environment Committee for information. 3 Main report 3.1 The Edinburgh LBAP was launched in March 2000 as a new initiative to conserve and enhance Edinburgh's natural heritage. The plan was prepared by a partnership of many organisations actively engaged in the conservation of natural heritage. It put forward an ambitious programme of actions to: conserve and enhance natural habitats within the city; address the decline in biodiversity, particularly of priority species; raise awareness of biodiversity issues in the public consciousness. 1 3.2 At the time of launch, the first Edinburgh LBAP was an early example of this type of conservation planning in Scotland. Now most local authority areas in Scotland have active Local Biodiversity Partnerships (LBPs) and a published LBAP for their area. It is a recognised UK-wide mechanism for local delivery by partnership working. The shared experience of the different LBPs is accessible through the LBAP Scotland Network, which is co-ordinated by Scottish Biodiversity Forum staff working for the Scottish Government. The sharing of knowledge, best practice and project work through the network has helped to inform this review process. 3.3 The second phase of the Edinburgh LBAP was approved by the Planning Committee and the Executive in Summer 2004 and launched in November 2004. It described aims and objectives covering the period 2004 - 2009. The second phase was developed in accordance with the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and the Scottish Executive Biodiversity Strategy, “Scotland’s Biodiversity - It’s In Your Hands”, launched in May 2004. The production of an LBAP forms a major component of the Council’s compliance with the requirements of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. 3.4 Delivery of the LBAP 2004-2009 has progressed well, and has been reported annually to Committee. Where appropriate, areas for action in the second LBAP have been rolled over into the new plan for further progression. The revised plan also contains some new topics which are relevant to biodiversity conservation, such as climate change. It contains a new section outlining the work to be carried out within the City of Edinburgh Council to meet the statutory duty to further the conservation of biodiversity (Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004). In summary, the LBAP contains action plans for: the Scottish Biodiversity Duty; Habitats; Priority species; Invasive non-native species; Geodiversity. 3.5 The Scottish Biodiversity Duty applies to all parts of the Council. This LBAP aims to promote the Biodiversity Duty within the Council and to coordinate action across different Council departments. It also applies to other public bodies and where appropriate the Edinburgh Biodiversity Partnership will seek to engage with other public bodies to promote the Scottish Biodiversity Duty. 3.6 Habitats have been grouped under broad Habitat Action Plans (e.9. Lowland & Urban) to align with the Scottish Biodiversity Forum’s working groups. The planning and delivery of each Habitat Action Plan is coordinated by a sub- group within the Edinburgh Biodiversity partnership 3.7 Priority species have been classified in three different ways, according to their ecology and status: Associated with a Habitat Action Plan, where a species benefits from the broad protection and management of a priority habitat (e.g. a recommendation in the Freshwater and Wetlands Action Plan to leave an 2 uncut riverbank buffer 2m wide which will benefit protected species such as Water Voles); Targeted action for the species included within a Habitat Action Plan (e.g. one action within the Lowland & Urban Habitat Action Plan is to carry out an Urban Sparrowhawk Study) Separate Species Action Plans required for species either sufficiently endangered to warrant priority action or not confined to one habitat type, (e.g. Swifts, Otters, Badgers, Bats). 3.8 Invasive non-native species are a significant threat to native biodiversity. Recent work to control invasive species has focussed on three main plant species, and the LBAP aims to deliver co-ordinated action to increase effectiveness. 3.9 Geodiversity (‘geological diversity’) forms an important part of our natural heritage, this LBAP aims to protect important geodiversity sites and raise awareness of them to the public. 3.10 Climate change is likely to have a significant future impact on biodiversity. Changes to the distribution of species and habitats are expected to occur, with some species moving north into Scotland and some species being lost. Changing weather patterns are likely to have a significant negative impact on some species and their life cycles. A new section outlining the likely impacts is included in the revised LBAP. Individual Habitat Action Plans outline work which may help to mitigate climate change, such as reversing habitat f rag mentation . 3.1 1 A consultation process with all stakeholders in the wider Partnership, including members of the public already involved in the LBAP process, has been undertaken over the last six months to review and update the LBAP Phase 3 2010-2015. The plan has been updated following this process, coordinated by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Biodiversity Officers, and a programme of action has been compiled to cover the next five year cycle. The Partnership comprises voluntary groups, individuals, conservation organisations, City of Edinburgh Council departments and statutory agencies (see Appendix 1, section 4.2 for details). Through the work of the Partnership, many organisations and individuals have been actively involved in advising, planning and commenting on the new plan. The Edinburgh Biodiversity Partnership Steering Group and various sub-groups have each convened several times over the six month period to develop the content of the LBAP. The meetings were well attended, which reflects the high level of ongoing involvement, commitment and interest within the wider environmental community. 3.12 The LBAP process and work of the Partnership has key outcomes for Planning within City of Edinburgh Council, not least the data on the distribution and extent of protected and priority species across the city, much of which is made available by the work of volunteer specialists and recorders. This data informs decision making in Planning and ensures that the Council complies with appropriate species protection legislation by taking steps to avoid or mitigate effects on protected species where they occur. The LBAP also contains details of ongoing work to protect and enhance our priority habitats and species during development. 3 3.13 We aim to launch the new plan in March 2010, with design and publication work to be completed over the winter months. A limited number of hard copies will be available and the published plan will be available on the Council website. 3.14 2010 is the United Nations’ International Year of Biodiversity. The launch of the Edinburgh LBAP Phase 3 and first year of activities will make links with this international initiative to emphasise the ’think global, act local’ message and increase media exposure of the positive works being undertaken by the Edinburgh Biodiversity Partnership. 4 Financial Implications 4.1 All financial implications are contained within existing budgets. 5 Environmental Impact 5.1 There are no adverse environmental impacts arising from this report. The purpose of the Edinburgh LBAP is to steer work to conserve and enhance the natural heritage within the Edinburgh area. Correspondingly the environmental impact is positive. 6 Conclusions 6.1 The appended document details the work to be carried out in Edinburgh over the next five years. Action undertaken by the City of Edinburgh Council and the wider Edinburgh Biodiversity Partnership are critical to successful conservation of biodiversity in Edinburgh, and to ensuring that City of Edinburgh Council meets its duty as defined in the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. 7 Recommendations 7.1 It is recommended that the Committee: a) approves the Edinburgh Local Biodiversity Action Plan 2010-2015; and b) refers the report to the Transport, Infrastructure and Environment Committee for its information. Dave Anderson Director of City Development 4 Appendices 1. Edinburgh Local Biodiversity Action Plan 2010-2015 ContactltellEmail Malcolm