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< Previous | Contents | Next > A Flying Start: Local Biodiversity Action Plans in Scotland |
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"The Millennium Link project to reopen the Lowland Canals of central Scotland to navigation after 40 years of closure will be complete in spring 2002. British Waterways has been working with LBAP steering groups across the country to tailor its future canal management activities to take wildlife into account. With the renaissance of canals in central Scotland, the LBAP process provides a useful forum to share ideas for best practice in wildlife management. It also provides a framework for bringing about sensitive management through partnership. Many of the canal biodiversity actions will provide opportunities for volunteer involvement, such as hedge laying, aquatic planting and wildlife surveys. Through involvement in local authority BAPs it is BWs intention to develop a fully integrated Lowland Canals BAP by 2005.' Dr Olivia Lassiere, British Waterways |
Although the development of LBAPs in Scotland only commenced recently, every Scottish local authority has now at least begun work on an LBAP covering its area. Habitats and species do not, however, conveniently tailor their distributions to administrative boundaries - nor do the natural processes that form the landscape in which habitats exist. As a result, human decisions on development, land use and management may not be taken on a geographical scale that best suits the requirements of the habitats and species that may be affected by these decisions.
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| Forth Estuary - mudflats |
River catchments are one of the clearest examples of a potential mismatch in scale between natural processes and our institutional decision-making, and this can have significant consequences for biodiversity and for human lives - at its simplest, for example, riverside flooding in one lower-lying local authority area may be a direct result of planning decisions taken by another authority higher up the river catchment. Integrated catchment management plans have been promoted for a number of years as a mechanism to bring together the expectations of those living in, and using, a catchment and its watercourses, but at a scale that allows a holistic vision of the entire catchment. This is desirable not only to ensure a fairer use of the river's resource but also to help develop more sustainable management approaches that will protect and benefit the biodiversity of the river and its associated wetlands habitats. For example, the restoration of flood meadows, used for summer grazing, in the upper catchments of rivers may be a much more cost-effective solution to river flooding than expensive engineering work along riverbanks at flood-prone sites downstream.
River Basin Management Plans (or Catchment Management Plans) will be required under the European Water Framework Directive, and this offers opportunities to put biodiversity into the heart of land management. Although, at the time of going to press, the Directive has not yet been transposed into UK legislation, there are already a number of pilot catchment management plans underway that are demonstrating how this can be done. A number of LBAPs have sought to incorporate integrated catchment planning into the objectives of their planning process, as illustrated below.
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WORKING FOR WETLANDS: DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY |
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Dumfries & Galloway has a great variety of wetlands of supporting a diverse range of habitats, plants and animals. These include:- HABITATS: Rivers and streams; fen; carr; marsh, swamp and reedbed; standing open water; bogs; coastal and floodplain grazing marsh; farmland habitats SPECIES: Pillwort (a freshwater fern), otter, salmon, water vole, dipper The Wetlands Working Group has drafted the series of habitat action plans for wetland habitats in the region. Members of the working group at present include the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), West Galloway Fisheries Trust, West of Scotland Water, Scottish Power, Dumfries & Galloway Council and the RSPB. The wetland action plans have the following objectives in common:-
A river is not just a flowing watercourse. It is fed by numerous tributaries, and each has different ecological systems associated with it. Within each river system, important sites may have been designated for conservation- but these sites are also reliant on the health of catchments for their quality and richness. The Wetlands Working Group has promoted integrated use of catchments in the region as a way to achieve biodiversity objectives alongside other objectives such as water quality and quantity, flood protection, navigation and recreation. An officer for catchment management has been employed by SEPA for 18 months to take forward catchment management objectives for the region. It is intended that experiences from these catchments will be applied to other catchments in time and will inform developing River Basin Management Plans. The Wetlands Working Group is acting as a steering group for the Catchment Officer, and local groups have been formed to guide the process on a catchment-by-catchment basis. |
Other integrated water or land management opportunities are also being pursued through the LBAP process in Scotland. Transport corridors, such as highways and canals, often provide important wildlife corridors through urban areas and intensively managed agricultural land, although they often also cross local authority and LBAP boundaries. Examples are given below of how LBAPs are seeking to use existing land management and transport corridor initiatives to maximise opportunities for biodiversity protection and enhancement.
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INTEGRATING CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT: THE RIVER ALMOND |
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River catchment management will, in the future, be driven by the Water Framework Directive. The first integrated catchment management plan to be drawn up and implemented in Scotland is that for the River Almond. The river runs through three local authority areas - Edinburgh, West Lothian and North Lanarkshire - but most of the water in the catchment is drawn from across West Lothian. West Lothian Council has led the initiative since 1996. As one of Scotland's most polluted rivers, the highest priority objective is to improve its water quality, but this can only be achieved by partnership commitment. In this context the joint working of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, East of Scotland Water, SNH, the local planning authorities, the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group, Scottish Agricultural College, SWT and others is essential, and achievements have only been realised with their active involvement. The West Lothian Rivers and Streams Habitat Action Plan has set out a 5-year programme of action, and similar HAPs have been adopted by the City of Edinburgh and North Lanarkshire. Biodiversity is not constrained by local authority boundaries, and so this example of joint working between adjoining biodiversity partnerships is an important model. |
Where action is required on a catchment that encompasses more than one local authority area, and its associated LBAP, it makes sense to consider joint working between LBAPs. As well as potentially reducing the duplication of effort between adjoining LBAPs, the final plan is also more likely to take into account the wider range of biodiversity interests along the whole length of the river, and to involve upstream and downstream users who may influence the success of proposed biodiversity actions. The River Almond in east central Scotland (see above) is a good example of where joint action already underway was built upon by three separate LBAPs that share the catchment.
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INTEGRATED WORKING: THE MORAY MOORLANDS |
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Following the release of the North East LBAPs Action Plan for the Moray Moorlands in March 2000, a working group was established to take forward the plan. The group involved representatives from Moray Council, Forest Enterprise, Forestry Commission, the RSPB, SNH, the Scottish Landowners Federation and the Cairngorms Partnership, with the aim of developing a framework to guide future protection of moorland habitats in Moray. The group identified key areas of moorland habitat, areas where links between blocks of moorland could be restored, and areas where woodland could be expanded. This framework for the Moray Moors is now being linked to the Moray Indicative Forestry Strategy (IFS) and will be considered by the local community during the consultation process for the IFS. This has allowed for integration of the action plan objectives into the appropriate strategy document, and has supported a broader consideration of habitats in the IFS. |
River and catchment management is not the only avenue of influence for land management. Local Forestry Frameworks are being developed in a number of areas of Scotland where forestry is a significant land use. By using the LBAP as part of the process of developing Local Forestry Frameworks, forestry can be steered away from priority habitats, and plantation forestry can be managed to bring positive benefits for local species. A more widespread mechanism is the use of Indicative Forestry Strategies to guide forest expansion and again, LBAPs can inform these strategies.
Roads are not on most people's list of wildlife hotspots, but there is a large area of land along our road networks that has the potential to be a home for biodiversity. The Scottish Executive Development Department has started this process with its own Trunk Roads Biodiversity Action Plan (see below), and this initiative has also be taken forward at a local level along roads in Dumfries & Galloway (see chapter 1.3).
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INTEGRATED WORKING: TRUNK ROAD BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN |
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The Scottish Executive published a draft Trunk Roads Biodiversity Action Plan in 1999. This document shows how biodiversity fits with the Scottish Executive's existing policy, Cost Effective Landscapes: Learning from Nature. It gives guidance for managing features along roads for biodiversity, and outline area action plans. The Scottish Executive intends to work with LBAP partnerships to develop area plans for sections of the trunk road network, so that these directly link into local biodiversity priorities. There is a small fund available for new projects along the 'soft estate' (roadside verges) to benefit biodiversity. The National Roads Directorate expects to deliver many targets by changing day-to-day management of the trunk roads network to incorporate biodiversity considerations. It is setting in place mechanisms to ensure that those involved in management of the network, including landscape designers, engineering contractors and maintenance staff are made aware of biodiversity requirements. The Trunk Roads BAP provides a valuable starting point for local roads managers to develop their own BAPs. It should also provide a valuable template for management of similar networks such as railways, canals and cycle routes. |
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INTEGRATED WORKING: THE MILLENNIUM LINK |
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The Millennium Link Canals project aims to re-establish navigation coast to coast and between Glasgow and Edinburgh, across the lowland canals of central Scotland. The Falkirk Council area lies at the heart of the Millennium Link. Canals pass through, or close to several urban areas, as well as open countryside. Parts of the canals have been disused for many years and have become important havens for wildlife, while towpaths in many areas are valued as walkways by local people. The Millennium Link initiative is already having significant environmental impact on the canals and their surroundings, as large sections are dredged and cleared for boat traffic. The project offers many opportunities to create and enhance wildlife habitats and involve local communities in enhancing this high-profile local habitat. The significance of the canal environment within the Falkirk Council area was recognised by the LBAP process. Canals were selected as a biodiversity priority for the Falkirk area, because of their potential ecological value and the scope for community involvement. As a local priority, the canal habitat will soon be the subject of an action plan outlining how it should be protected and enhanced. Several of the area's priority species, such as tufted loosestrife, Bennett's pondweed and the water vole, are associated with the canals. To ensure effective links between the LBAP and the management of the canals, a British Waterways representative was invited onto the LBAP steering group. With the support of LBAP partners, development of the Millennium Link is already taking account of biodiversity. At the Falkirk wheel site, topsoil removed before development has been saved, and will be spread back onto the site - along with the treasure trove of seeds it holds. Elsewhere along the canal contaminated land is being cleaned for development and the creation of public open space and wildlife habitats. British Waterways has also undertaken 'electro-fishing' fish rescue, and commissioned a water vole survey along the Union Canal. Falkirk Council has a significant role to play in ensuring that canal biodiversity is protected and enhanced. The recently produced Falkirk Council Canal Corridor Development Framework sets out a vision for the sustainable development of the canals, highlighting opportunities for habitat enhancement and environmental constraints on development. The Millennium Link crosses several different LBAP areas. Successful long-term management of the canal environment will require that key partners and LBAP groups co-operate to take an overview of the canal system and its biodiversity. |
Most of these initiatives involve the public sector but influencing private sector land management is also part of the role of LBAPs.
These examples show the LBAP framework adding biodiversity benefits to other initiatives. It is hoped that the LBAP will be used by all countryside managers.
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