The Biodiversity Plan

A biodiversity plan or strategy should formally set out how your institution will maintain and improve biodiversity on campus. It is essential if you are serious about taking action. A formal plan helps ensure that:

The institution is committed;
There is funding and staff allocated for the long term;
There are fewer conflicts with other priorities or projects;
The ecological significance of features is known so that adequate protection can be given; and that
There is continual enhancement of biodiversity over time.

Consult local and national resources and groups to determine the habitats and species that are of particular importance in your area and to link with existing plans and priorities.

The statutory list of priority habitats and species in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should be the starting point. These have been developed from the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, which was succeeded by the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework in 2012. Local Biodiversity Action Plans are still in place on a regional level and provide a valuable reference source. Also make contact with your local Wildlife Trust and any other local conservation and ecology groups. If possible, spend some time visiting local wildlife sites to learn about their approach and priorities.

Survey the biodiversity on your site. Describe the positive and negative factors that are affecting it now and that may affect it in the future.

Obtain or create suitable base maps that indicate the main features of the site.
Get expert input where needed to help identify plants, birds and animals.
Check for existing records, which may be in-house or held by the local Wildlife Trust or a biological records centre.
Note the most significant management activities on campus by talking to relevant staff and by observing operations.
Get details of any campus developments proposed by your institution.

Assess the significance of the features found and the threats and opportunities to them, prioritising themes, species and areas for action. Use the survey and the information you have gathered to identify:

Species and habitats of particular importance or interest that should be safeguarded or that require specific action;
Wider values for the site including its landscape and amenity use e.g. attractive views, popular walking and outdoor eating areas;
Areas with the potential to become more important for biodiversity by changing the management regime or through habitat creation;
Initiatives for particular species that could be undertaken e.g. providing nesting/roosting sites or food plants;
Beneficial management practices that should be encouraged e.g. cutting and trimming regimes or tree planting policies;
Management practices that have a detrimental impact and could be changed e.g. inappropriate use of herbicides and uniform short mowing; and
Areas earmarked for development.

Set clear, measurable targets that specifically describe what you want to achieve and when e.g. 30% of the present short turf to be managed as a wildflower meadow by 2017.

Ensure that your targets take into account:

Ecological priorities;
Funding and staff availability; and
The timing of related management activities.

Specify the actions needed to achieve the targets. For example agreeing changes to management practices such as grass cutting, hedge trimming and the species that are selected for planting and introducing projects and work programmes that benefit biodiversity.

Agree new responsibilities for staff. For example, staff working in landscaping may, with the necessary consultation, have biodiversity related objectives written into their job descriptions.

Obtain the financial resources to ensure that the plan is funded adequately. Costs will include the capital and material costs of projects and the funding for awareness raising and training for staff.

Develop indicators and monitor action. Indicators should be easy to record and effective. You may want to include two types of indicators.

Biodiversity and environmental indicators e.g. population size of priority species on site; area of priority habitat of good quality, or condition of the habitat.
Management indicators – the activities that have taken place and measures of their success e.g. number of surveys undertaken, number of staff and student presentations.

Specify action to be taken in emergencies/non-compliance. Procedures for dealing with any failures, non-compliance, accidents and emergency situations should be stated.

Get institutional commitment to the plan. For your plan to be effective make sure that:

Senior managers approve and sign up to it;
Everyone who might be affected is kept informed;
It gets wide publicity; and
It is reviewed regularly.

Implement the plan. Assemble the resources needed and begin to put the plan into operation.

Review the plan regularly.

Record progress against your targets and actions.
Set new targets and actions as you make progress.
Check changes in national and local biodiversity objectives.
Review monitoring procedure to ensure objectives are being achieved.
Commission new surveys as needed.
Get regular input from estates, environmental managers and academic staff.

Adopt standards for continuous improvement. Including biodiversity objectives, targets and strategies within management systems that you operate is fundamental for continuous improvement. You could consider adopting the Biodiversity Benchmark. This provides independent verification in the planning and implementation of land management practices and a range of benefits including recognition and reputation.

In this section…

The Biodiversity Plan

Connect

Stay Informed