There is a link at the bottom of this page showing locations for the known areas with nature importance The Biodiversity Duty Local Authorities have a Biodiversity Duty: 'You should be able to show your duty to have regard for conserving biodiversity if you have identified ways to integrate biodiversity in the planning system'
Think Global Act Local
In this way we can start to build up the jigsaw of wildlife sites and fill in the missing pieces. We can also keep a list of areas and species and measure their health.
Those Public Bodies with a formal Biodiverity Duty need to be held to account. Many years ago Brighton & Hove City Council had an ecologist. Now they obtain information from the County Ecologist who knows little about our local sites. The clearest current example of this is watching the decline in Stanmer Park's wildlife features. There were no comments or recommendations about the Parkland Habitat, or associated veteran trees and lichens. Local Wildlife Sites In 2013 there was a public consultation over Local Wildlife Sites and 116 LWSs were agreed from a list of about 250 suggested sites. The County Ecologist reviewed this list of agreed sites, without wider consultation, and deleted half of them at a click of a mouse! Now, only 52 LWSs remain according to the BHCC City Plan. The decline in our Council's interest in biodiversity since 2010 can be seen on the 'ORIGINAL City Wildlife Page' link below. updated: November 2020 |