Local Biodiversity Plan
The UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) was launched in 1994 as a means of meeting the UK’s obligations under the Biodiversity Convention (signed by the UK and over a hundred other countries at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992) to "develop national strategies, plans or programmes for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity". The stated goal of the UK BAP is to "conserve and enhance biological diversity within the UK, and to contribute to the conservation of global diversity through all appropriate mechanisms".
The Local Process
To achieve the UK’s commitments, action has to be taken at both national and local levels. Local Biodiversity Action Plans (LBAPs) are seen as the means by which the UKBAP is delivered at the local level. Targets set nationally for species and habitats of conservation concern are translated into actions which are achievable in a local context. In addition, LBAPs are expected to provide a focus for the conservation of locally valued species and habitats.
The Orkney Local Biodiversity Action Plan, first published in 2003 and revised in 2008, identifies actions which we can take locally, and which will make a contribution to the conservation of those species and habitats identified as being "at risk" or "threatened" in the UK as a whole. It is presented as a series of individual species, habitat and area action plans and associated guiding principles. All these plans identify the most important sites, both designated and non-designated. A key element of the LBAP is the importance of the wider countryside outside these sites, which is the habitat for many species and part of the range of others, and is essential for migration, dispersal and genetic exchange. The LBAP is dynamic in nature and is evolving with time as new initiatives, threats and opportunities arise; new action plans will be added to the series as they are developed and old action plans will be updated.
The process of producing individual species and habitat Action Plans is carried out by the Orkney Local Biodiversity Action Plan Steering Group, a sub-group of the Orkney Environment Partnership. The Partnership is comprised of representatives of locally based organisations with an interest in and influence over biodiversity.
The LBAP Steering Group is made up of representatives from:
- Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH)
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
- Orkney Islands Council (OIC)
- The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
- International Centre for Island Technology (ICIT)
- Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate (SGRPID)
- Scottish Agricultural College (SAC)
- The Orkney Field Club
Further information about the UK Biodiversity Action Plan can be found at www.ukbap.org.
The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy is available at www.biodiversityscotland.org.uk.
Download the Local Biodiversity Plan 2002
Orkney Local Biodiversity Action Plan 2002
The Local Biodiversity Plan 2008 - 2011
It is now time to review progress that has been achieved through the implementation of the actions from the Orkney LBAP 2002-2007 and to publish a further, more targeted Plan which will guide the conservation and enhancement of key features of biodiversity in Orkney over the coming years.
The Orkney LBAP 2008-2011 focuses on ten of the Habitat Action Plans (HAPs) from the original Plan and introduces a new set of actions for each. By its nature, biodiversity action planning is a developing process and this Plan represents progression of the original Orkney LBAP. The Audit and Habitat Action Plans from the Orkney LBAP 2002-2007 will therefore continue to be relevant to the protection and enrichment of biodiversity in the Orkney Isles and will provide the context to this more focused Plan for 2008-2011.
The Orkney Local Biodiversity Action Plan 2008-2011 comprises three sections:
Section 1 provides a brief overview of changes which have been made to the Biodiversity Action Planning System in the UK since the original OLBAP was produced, and also presents the recently introduced environmental legislation and emerging rural development policy which will contribute to biodiversity planning in the years to come.
Section 2 begins with an explanation of the process which led to selection of the ten Habitat Action Plans for inclusion in this review of the OLBAP, then presents the ten HAPs and their revised targets and actions for the period 2008-2011. The baseline information relating to each habitat remains largely as it appeared in the original Plan but has been updated to include details relating to legislative and rural policy changes. The Steering Group would like to stress, however, that although it has chosen to select a limited number of habitats to focus on over the next three years, it would still be looking to others to progress conservation activities to any or all of the remaining Orkney LBAP habitats and species as set out in the original Plan.
Section 3 provides information which relates biodiversity in Orkney to both the UK and Scottish biodiversity frameworks. It takes the form of four appendices containing:
- Lists of Orkney species which appear on the recently revised (2007) UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP List);
- A table showing a revision of habitat types and names listed in the OLBAP, reflecting both recent changes to the list of UKBAP habitats and developing understanding of Orkney habitats;
- Lists of Orkney species which appear on the Scottish Biodiversity List that was introduced in 2005;
- A table showing correspondence between terrestrial habitat types listed in the OLBAP and those of the Scottish Biodiversity List.
At a national level work is ongoing to revise the Scottish List of priority species and habitats in order to fully incorporate recent changes to the UK BAP List and it is envisaged that, once this task is complete, the Orkney lists of species and habitats will in turn be further updated to take account of the revision.
Further information about the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy is available at:
Download the Local Biodiversity Plan 2008 - 2011
The Orkney Local Biodiversity Action Plan 2008 - 2011
Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Orkney Local Biodiversity Action Plan 2008-2011
As part of the preparation of the Orkney Local Biodiversity Action Plan 2008-2011, Orkney Islands Council has carried out Strategic Environmental Assessment [SEA] of the draft Plan.
SEA is a systematic method for considering the likely environmental effects of certain plans, programmes or strategies and is required by the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005.
The purpose of SEA is to integrate environmental consideration into the Plan, and this is achieved in two ways:
- SEA allows the potential environmental impacts of the Plan to be predicted and, where appropriate, these predictions can be used to inform its development.
- The predicted environmental impacts are set out in an Environmental Report, so that the public and other stakeholders can give their view on the Plan and its potential impacts.
Download related documents
LBAP Appendices (SEA)
LBAP Environmental Report (SEA)
LBAP Post-Adoption Statement