OFFICIAL Consultation: Call for evidence on Post-Leg Scrutiny of Biodiversity Duty on Public Bodies Response by: Glasgow City Council Response prepared by: Rachel Smith Landscape Design & Development Manager Land and Environmental Services Glasgow City Council 231 George St Glasgow G1 1RX Phone: 0141 287 5196 ___________________________________________________________________ How well do you believe public bodies understand the biodiversity and reporting duties placed upon them? Many Local Authority reports are comprehensive and detailed while smaller public bodies’ reports may be sparse and non-specific or refer to sustainability projects rather than biodiversity projects directly. This may relate to lack of understanding or lack of resource. Do you believe that public bodies are adequately resourced to comply with the biodiversity and reporting duties? Many Local Authority reports are comprehensive and detailed while smaller public bodies’ reports may be sparse and non-specific or refer to sustainability projects rather than biodiversity projects directly. This may relate to lack of understanding or lack of resource. There is a wide difference in the extent and scope to which public bodies report on their biodiversity duty as part of their 3 year monitoring reporting. This may be because biodiversity resources in terms of dedicated Biodiversity Officers, Ecologists and Countryside Rangers vary greatly between public bodies, or the function of preparing the report is given to an officer whose remit is quite different. There appears to be no minimum standard and quality control process. Do you think the requirement to report on the biodiversity duty leads to effective actions for improving and conserving biodiversity by public bodies? The requirement to report on the biodiversity duty is useful as the reporting captures progress and action from Local Biodiversity Action Plans (for Local Authorities) and may stimulate other smaller public bodies to prepare a Biodiversity Plan. The monitoring of delivery on actions and ability to implement projects/actions may not be as effective, if they are under-resourced or reported on by staff who are not close enough to the process, or where overall co-ordination of the process is missing. I enclose a link to committee documents which illustrate the links between reporting and effective action taken by Glasgow City Council https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/councillorsandcommittees/submissiondocuments.asp?submissio nid=86757 Are there any changes that could improve the actions taken by public bodies in respect of the biodiversity and reporting duties? Setting a standardised monitoring report template to be used by all public bodies could help stream line actions and help determine aims and objectives for public bodies, especially those that do not have a Local Biodiversity Action Plan. OFFICIAL .