Biodiversity - Denbighshire Countryside Service

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So how can Denbighshire Couny Council meet this duty? As a public authority, biodiversity should be at the heart of our organisation. All services, every team and every individual should be aware of this duty and aim to incorporate biodiversity into all areas of their work. We should be considering the implications of all Council activities to minimise losses and maximise opportunities for biodiversity enhancement through improvements to current services so that it doesn’t represent a significant financial burden. Local authority compliance with this duty is assessed by the Welsh Assembly Government through regular review visits. As a competent authority, Denbighshire County Council is responsible for its own compliance under the NERC Act and other wildlife legislation, in particular the Habitats Regulations. Denbighshire County Council also has responsibilities for compliance of others, including those funded by the Council to carry out activities. Non-compliance could lead to public relations damage, significant legal costs, time-consuming and unconstructive workloads, judicial reviews and, in extreme cases, intervention from the Welsh Assembly Government, Countryside Council for Wales or the Police. This is in addition to negative impacts on the quality of life for communities within Denbighshire if biodiversity loss is allowed to continue. Guidance on implementing the duty produced by Defra and the Welsh Assembly highlights four main areas where biodiversity should be integrated into local authority functions and activities. These are detailed on the following pages. 3
1. Council Policies and Strategies In order to ensure that biodiversity is considered across all local authority functions, and to allocate sufficient time and resources, it is essential that a commitment to conserving biodiversity is incorporated at a strategic level into Council policies and strategies. Conserving and enhancing biodiversity is fully compliant with the Vision for Denbighshire as an ideal place to live because ‘we will respect and maintain our natural environment’, and ‘we will celebrate and respect the diversity of the county’. Corporate strategies Sustainable community strategies Local area agreements Sub-regional strategies Climate change Sustainable development Transport Asset management plans Economic development plans Environmental management systems Energy conservation Water strategies Procurement Waste management Minerals Education Green infrastructure and open space strategies 4
Page 1 and 2: Biodiversity Duty or Opportunity? U
Page 3: Why is Biodiversity so important? D
Page 7 and 8: 3. Management of Council Land and B
Page 9 and 10: Denbighshire’s Biodiversity Duty

Biodiversity - Denbighshire Countryside Service

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