Natural England - England's Biodiversity Strategy

England's Biodiversity Strategy

England Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2002. It brings together England’s key contributions to achieving the 2010 target to halt biodiversity loss. It also seeks to make biodiversity part of mainstream thinking and emphasises that healthy, thriving and diverse ecosystems are essential to everybody’s quality of life and wellbeing.

The Strategy has five themes:

  • Protecting the best wildlife sites.

  • Promoting the recovery of declining species and habitats.

  • Embedding biodiversity in all sectors of policy and decision making.

  • Enthusing people.

  • Developing the evidence base.

An important aim of the strategy is to deliver the UK Biodiversity Action Plan in England, and a measure of success of conserving England’s biodiversity is how the status of priority species and habitats is changing.

Working with the grain of nature: a biodiversity strategy for England was launched on 24 October 2002 and is regularly reviewed.

Who is involved in overseeing the Strategy?

The England Biodiversity Group, chaired by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) advises Government on biodiversity policy and implementing the UK BAP in England. In particular, it oversees the development and delivery of the Biodiversity Strategy for England. Implementation of the England Biodiversity Strategy is currently supported by six sector and five crosscutting groups.

They cover, agriculture, water, woodland, marine, coastal and urban sectors and crosscutting issues on climate change, economics and funding, local and regional action, education and public awareness and engaging the business community. Defra has appointed Natural England its lead delivery body for the England Biodiversity Strategy.

In carrying out this role, Natural England has developed a new Biodiversity Framework to enhance the recovery of priority habitats and species in England (published under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006).

How is the Strategy monitored?

A series of indicators have been published to help monitor the implementation of the England Biodiversity Strategy and to give some measure of its progress. These indicators have been developed with many partners in the England Biodiversity Group including Natural England, the Environment Agency, the Forestry Commission and relevant Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

England Biodiversity Strategy – Indicators

Full report on the progress under the England Biodiversity Strategy 2002-2006 [PDF]