ROUTE MAP towards developing a Biosphere for the Fens Report for Wildlife Trust BCN & Fens Biosphere Working Group Report from Cambridgeshire ACRE – July 2018 Company limited by guarantee No. 3690881 • Registered charity No. 1074032 • Registered office: 72 Market Street, Ely, CB7 4LS • VAT Registration No. 838 5035 17 ROUTE MAP towards developing a Biosphere for the Fens Report for Wildlife Trust BCN & Fens Biosphere Working Group - Key output of: ‘Cambridgeshire Fens Biosphere Scoping Exercise – Researcher Consultancy Services’, Cambridgeshire ACRE on behalf of Wildlife Trust BCN - Part of and feeding into: Heritage Lottery funded project RH-16-07016, ‘Developing the concept of Biosphere Reserve status for the Cambridgeshire Fens’ Report Status: FINAL Last updated: V3.0: 23/07/2018; V3.2: 17/09/2018 Main author: Mark Nokkert, Cambridgeshire ACRE We are indebted to the Heritage Lottery Fund and all the players of the National Lottery for making this project possible. 2 Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 1.1 Biosphere idea instigated through WTBCN/ Great Fen’s Living Landscape ambitions ................................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Formation of the Fens Biosphere Working Group ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Heritage Lottery funding obtained to explore feasibility of UNESCO Biosphere for Fens area .................................................................................................................... 11 1.4 Outcomes of overarching HLF project ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 1.5 Delivery of the HLF project: how this is structured ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 1.6 Consultancy work by Cambridgeshire ACRE – developing a Routemap ........................................................................................................................................................ 14 2 About UNESCO Biosphere Reserves...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 2.1 What makes an area a Biosphere Reserve? ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 2.2 What does a Biosphere Reserve focus on? .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 20 3 Requirements to achieve Biosphere reserve status ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 23 3.1 The process: How to achieve Biosphere reserve designation status ............................................................................................................................................................. 23 3.2 Key criteria for designation ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 26 3.3 The nomination form ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 28 4 Why a Fens Biosphere? ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 32 4.1 Potential benefits ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 32 4.2 Why would the Fens make a great Biosphere? ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 33 5 Is there an alternative to a Biosphere? - Comparative analysis of alternatives to Biosphere Reserve status ..................................................................................................... 38 6 What is happening out there? Information gained about what other BRs are doing .......................................................................................................................................... 40 3 7 Obtaining more details: Interviews with selected BRs ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 42 7.1 Development of a questionnaire to guide interviews ................................................................................................................................................................................... 42 7.2 Interviews held with current, past and candidate BRs .................................................................................................................................................................................. 43 7.3 Key learning points from interviews with other BRs – Appraisal of key benefits, opportunities, challenges and risks. ............................................................................... 44 8 Route Map towards a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 48 8.1 Key areas for development phase: key challenges ahead ............................................................................................................................................................................. 48 8.2 Main challenges ahead: what needs working out during circa 2 year ‘development phase’........................................................................................................................ 52 9 Summary and key recommendations ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 78 10 Next steps for Fens Biosphere Working Group ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 82 10.1 Resources needed to make a future UNESCO Biosphere Reserve nomination application ........................................................................................................................ 82 10.2 Where could the funding for the development phase come from? ............................................................................................................................................................ 82 10.3 What to do until start of development phase? ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 87 10.4 Outline timeline towards nomination.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 89 Appendix 1: Further information – key online information sources on BRs ........................................................................................................................................................... 91 Appendix 2: Comparative analysis of alternatives to Biosphere Reserve status ..................................................................................................................................................... 94 Appendix