CORPORATE BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN

Biodiversity is key to quality of life in Hampshire. A healthy environment, rich in wildlife, is central to economic prosperity and the attractiveness of the county as a place to visit, live and work. Hampshire is exceptionally rich in wildlife, has a remarkably varied landscape, a diversity of habitats unparalleled in the South East and the greatest diversity of species of any county in England. In the past much of Hampshire's biodiversity has been lost through development and changes to land management practices, therefore it is important to ensure future development is sustainable, that land is managed to maintain and enhance biodiversity and that nature is accessible to everyone.

The County Council has a national reputation for its work in conserving biodiversity, and for the first time a complete overview of its work on this important topic has been prepared, entitled "Conserving Nature for the Community: Corporate Biodiversity Action Plan 2005-2008". The Plan is a comprehensive document which contributes to delivering the County Council's Sustainable Development programme. It addresses new legislation and evolving responsibilities for sustaining biodiversity including those established under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act, the Rural Strategy and the draft Planning Policy Statement on Biodiversity from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The Plan has three main aims:

· to increase the County Council's contribution to conserving and enhancing Hampshire's biodiversity;

· to take opportunities to enhance biodiversity in delivering services such as education and social welfare; and

· raise public and staff awareness of biodiversity

During its preparation, extensive consultation with County Council departments was undertaken to ensure commitment to the wide range of actions set out in the Plan, the actions being directly linked to the objectives of the Biodiversity Action Plan for Hampshire, the England Biodiversity Strategy and European Commission objectives set out in the Malahide (Biodiversity) and Aalborg (Sustainable Development) commitments.

Cabinet approved the Corporate Biodiversity Action Plan on 28 February 2005; a decision which supports Aim 2 of the Corporate Strategy (Stewardship of the environment) by improving the County Council's performance in conserving and enhancing biodiversity and implementation of the objectives of the Corporate Sustainable Development Strategy. In approving the Plan, the Cabinet requested that a copy of the document be sent to the Government Office of the South East, the South East England Regional Assembly and the South East England Development agency to encourage these organisations to include this Plan in their consideration of quality of life in the South East Plan; to the New Forest National Park Authority to inform its future work and that the County Councils' Network be asked to refer the Plan to their Rural Task Group to look at the problems affecting rural areas of the country.