List of Publications | Latest Content | What's Important | Frequently Asked Questions

Aims of the North Lanarkshire Biodiversity Action Plan

Picture of Large Red Damselfly

Local biodiversity action plans were piloted n three areas in Scotland in 1997.  They represent the local delivery mechanism of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, which represents the UK's committment to the global Convention on Biological Diversity, which was signed in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. North Lanarkshire,  The North Lanarkshire Biodiversity Action Plan (NLBAP) is made up of 4 Habitat Action Plans (HAPs) and 13 Species Action Plans (SAPs), this was launched in 1999, with additions to it in 2001. The aim of these plans is to deliver the actions within these plans.

The NLBAP aims to conserve and, where possible and appropriate, enhance the biodiversity of our area, through co-ordinated action between as many agencies and individuals as possible.  Changing the attitudes of people in relation to biodiversity, so that their actions do not harm it, is the biggest challenge of the plan.  However, without changing the way we use and manage our biodiversity any short term gain through habitat improvement will not last.

The NLBAP is not about creating protected areas that people are discouraged from visiting, it recognises that people are a key part of biodiversity.  People have shaped much of the landscape around us and this will continue.

The key to maintaining and improving our biodiversity is not stopping this, but working with this, to make the most of any improvement for biodiversity and influencing management of the landscape to make it as beneficial to biodiversity as is practical.  The landscape includes everything from farms to parks and even our gardens.

International and National Biodiversity Action Plans are recognising that if biodiversity action plans are to be effective then they need to work on a landscape scale.  This means that rather than just having isolated sites of great biodiversity value scattered in an area you need to start connecting them up, or at least making sure that they are close enough together so that plants and animals can travel between them.  The NLBAP needs to work effectively with land managers, farmers and gardeners to make sure this can happen.

Please use the external links window for other useful websites and sources of information.

A to Z of Content | Help | Site Map