UK Context

Concern over the world-wide loss of animal and plant species and genetic resources is not new. In the UK, initiatives to protect and enhance our biological heritage - 'nature conservation' - have been going on in earnest since the Second World War, with the designation of a system of protected sites and areas such as SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) and National Parks. Comprehensive information about protected sites across England is available from the English Nature website, Nature on the Map. The web site provides instant and easy access to up-to-date maps.

Managing biodiversity is essentially conservation in a new and more targeted guise. It has become a hot topic since 1992, when the UK Prime Minister and 179 other Heads of State or Governments signed the Convention on Biological Diversity at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

The UK Biodiversity Action Plan

The Convention on Biological Diversity was one of several major initiatives stemming from the Summit, which together form an International Agreement on sustainable development. Signatories recognised that action must be taken to halt the global loss of animal and plant species, and genetic resources, and that each country has the primary responsibility to conserve and enhance biodiversity within its own jurisdiction. Under Article 6, signatories agreed to develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and to integrate biodiversity considerations into all activities. The UK Government's first step towards this is the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP), published in 1994. As a result of this, the UK now has a strategy for conserving and enhancing biological diversity within the UK, including costed action plans for our most threatened and declining species and habitats.

UK Biodiversity Partnership

The UK Biodiversity Partnership was formed in August 2002, replacing the UK Biodiversity Group, in response to recommendations to the Government from the UK Biodiversity Group. It established a new partnership with the aim to deliver Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs) at the UK level. Membership to the UK Biodiversity Partnership is open to any organisation which has an interest in the biodiversity action planning process and in developing policy on biodiversity. The partnership held its first full conference in May 2003 and the next annual meeting is scheduled for June 2004. Its work is guided and supported by the UK Biodiversity Partnership Standing Committee which facilitates the exchange of information among the Country Biodiversity Groups.

UK Biodiversity Strategies

Devolution in the UK means that the different countries within the UK have acquired responsibility for taking the UKBAP forward. The England Biodiversity Strategy (EBS) is the principle means through which the government in England will integrate biodiversity into policies and programmes. The Strategy contains a section specifically aimed at encouraging businesses to contribute positively to the UKBAP. The Scottish Biodiversity Forum is in the process of preparing a draft Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and is consulting with different sectors of society, including businesses.

The following pages provide more information about business and biodiversity in the UK

England
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
UK Biodiversity Plans
UK Local Biodiversity Plans

Photo Credit: David Harper, lillies