The Scottish Government

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APPENDIX TWO MEANS OBJECTIVES

A2.1 Means objectives following from the Convention on Biological Diversity should include:

• Change in policy or practice to conserve biodiversity or habitats.
• Change in policy or practice to increase sustainability of use of biodiversity/natural resources
• Fair sharing of the benefits of using genetic resources

A2.2 Secondary objectives that could be derived from these include:

• Enhanced public awareness, especially among those whose activities most affect biodiversity
• Integration of biodiversity into local and national policies; especially devolved responsibilities (planning, fisheries, minerals, agri-environmental schemes etc) which potentially have a biodiversity component.
• Cessation or reversal of biodiversity and habitat losses
• Cessation or refinement of new development that would have impacted badly on habitat
• Maintenance of pools of specialist genes, breeds, types and landraces, for food/ crop species and wild species.

Entec's Means Objectives

A2.3 Means objectives devised by Entec for the independent evaluation of the UK Biodiversity Process (Entec (2000) Millenium Biodiversity Report: Independent Evaluation of Progress for the UK Biodiveristy Group, DETR) specifically did not include consideration of the extent to which the UK Biodiversity Process reflected the requirements of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and therefore did not include issues which lay beyond the UK Biodiversity Action Plan process. However, it did include the following:

Administration/organisation

• Bring together all relevant sectors/parties to work in partnership
• Provide an appropriate admin/financial structure to co-ordinate/implement action

Plan Preparation

• Develop and implement HAPs/SAPs
• Develop and implement LBAPs

Policy Integration

• Adapt public sector policies and programmes.
• Affect private sector strategies and plans
• Integrate/adapt NGO plans.

Public Awareness/education/information/advice

• Increase awareness of and involvement in biodiversity conservation across all sectors of the public
• Produce advice to those whose activities have a direct influence on biodiversity (Notably farmers and other land managers)

Species Conservation

• Implement measures to contribute directly to the conservation of species diversity on the UK

Site Protection and Management

• Protect key sites (SSSIs etc)

Research

• Carry out research

Data collection, management and monitoring

• Collect data to inform the implementation of the above objectives
• Develop a biodiversity information system that links national and local records

Other

• What else needs to be addressed?
• Has the biodiversity process made a difference to the conservation of biodiversity compared with what was happening before?
• What is the single most important thing/change/action which could benefit biodiversity?

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