what does the biodiversity duty mean for public bodies?

Public bodies can show successful implementation of the Duty if:

• Biodiversity is integrated throughout all policies and activities.
• Staff understand how biodiversity issues relate to their own decisions.
• The organisation supports local biodiversity initiatives, such as Suffolk Biodiversity Partnership, Suffolk Biological Records Centre and the County Wildlife Site system.
• Biodiversity is protected and enhanced in line with statutory nature conservation obligations.
• The organisation has access to professional ecological expertise and up-to-date biodiversity information.
• The organisation reports on progress towards achieving national and local biodiversity targets.

To see what this means in practice, go to:

• Practical ideas for Parish Councils
• Local policies and strategies
• Education, advice and awareness
• Ownership and management of land and buildings
• Planning, infrastructure and development

More detailed information is available from the Wildlife Trusts’ leaflet ‘Local Authority Services and Biodiversity – Your Statutory Obligations’. The leaflet can be downloaded from the Wildlife Trusts website.

“Staff must understand how biodiversity issues relate
to their own decisions.”