Recommendations for Biodiversity Conservation Action
Last updated: 2 October 2006
| Recommendations | Proposed Lead Responsibility | Other Parties |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Assess all new or revised policies and programmes for their impact on biodiversity and apply the precautionary principle. | Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister, DOE | All Government Departments, CNCC, All sectors |
| Increase the co-ordination of the work of all Government Departments and agencies on biodiversity to ensure integration and commonality of purpose. | DOE | All Government Departments, CNCC |
| Extend the application of the ecosystem approach to environmental management in Northern Ireland. | DOE, EHS | All Government Departments, CNCC, All sectors |
| Agricultural systems and support | ||
| Make full use of opportunities in Agenda 2000 and subsequent CAP reform to encourage environmentally sustainable farming. | DARD | EHS, Farmers, NGOs |
| Develop, monitor and enforce environmental conditions attached to EU support payments. | DARD | |
| Tailor the approach to the 2000-2006 new agri-environment programme to the priorities identified in habitat and species action plans. | DARD | EHS, NGOs |
| Use the new agri-environment programme and other mechanisms to promote agricultural practices which encourage minimal use of fertilisers and chemicals and reduce pollution. | DARD | Land managers, Farmers |
| Seek additional funding for agri-environment schemes particularly through the match funding proposals under "modulation". | DARD | |
| Review countryside management policies and re-issue the Countryside Management Strategy. | DARD | EHS |
| Provide an appropriate and adequately resourced advisory service for farmers including environmental training, farm conservation plans and working demonstrations etc., and thus raise awareness of biodiversity issues. | DARD | EHS, NGOs |
| Establish adequate waste storage systems on all farms. | DARD | EHS, Farmers |
| Establish nutrient management on all farms. | DARD | EHS, Farmers |
| Provide advice and incentives to maximise the value of field boundaries as wildlife habitats. | DARD, Roads Service | |
| Forestry and Forest management | ||
| Protect, enhance and extend remaining ancient semi-natural woodland sites and provide incentives for their management | Forest Service | EHS, NGOs, Land managers |
| Manage commercial woodland sustainably and promote research that could lead to improving the biodiversity value of conifer woodland. | Forest Service | Land managers, Universities |
| Prepare a new woodland inventory of Northern Ireland. | Forest Service | EHS, NGOs |
| Provide and distribute information and encourage woodland owners to manage their sites for the benefit of biodiversity. | Forest Service | EHS, NGOs |
| Implement stronger controls over the loss of woodlands of biodiversity value. | Forest Service, Planning Service | EHS |
| Increase woodland cover, especially that of native broad-leaved woodland. | Forest Service | NGOs, Land managers |
| Further develop a strategic approach to the implementation of forestry policy. | Forest Service | |
| Coastal and marine management | ||
| Implement measures to ensure that sea fisheries operate on as sustainable a basis as possible | DARD | Commercial fisheries |
| Promote the integration of environmental considerations more fully into the Common Fisheries Policy to improve its effectiveness at conserving both fish stocks and marine biodiversity. | DARD | DOE, Commercial fisheries |
| Introduce localised fisheries measures where necessary to protect vulnerable habitats or species. | DARD | Commercial fisheries |
| Institute new structures for liaison between fisheries and environmental interests. | DARD | EHS, Commercial fisheries, NGOs, |
| Introduce new legislation to enable the protection of intertidal species and their habitats. | DARD | DOE |
| Encourage aquaculture to develop in ways which minimise impacts on biodiversity. | DARD | EHS |
| Adopt stronger measures, including in the enforcement of anti-pollution legislation, to minimise the entry of effluent and solid wastes into the sea. | EHS, DRD | Water Service, DRD |
| Ensure effective multi-agency emergency planning arrangements for marine pollution. | EHS | Central Government, District Councils, NGOs |
| Use the Regional Strategic Framework and the planning system to restrict the further development of coastal areas, and identify areas where no development will be permitted. | Planning Service, DRD | EHS |
| Adopt strategic planning for coastal defence, with a presumption against new hard structures and toward the amelioration of existing hard structures. | Planning Service | EHS, Rivers Agency |
| Introduce new legislation to control sand and gravel extraction in coastal and marine areas. | DOE | |
| Set up appropriate new bodies for marine protected areas to ensure more effective management. | EHS | DARD, Commercial fisheries, NGOs |
| Establish the Northern Ireland Coastal Forum. | DOE | Central Government, District Councils, NGOs, Environmental Groups |
| Freshwater use and management | ||
| Draw up and implement a comprehensive strategy for river conservation in order to maintain and enhance the biodiversity of the inland waterways. | EHS | Rivers Agency, DCAL, Water Service |
| Develop and implement a eutrophication control strategy which may involve new legislation. | EHS, DARD | DRD, Water Service |
| Engage all relevant users and riparian interests in the preparation and implementation of management plans for all catchments, in co-operation with the authorities in the Republic of Ireland where appropriate. | EHS | Rivers Agency, Water Service, District Councils, NGOs, Republic of Ireland Government |
| Adopt stronger measures, including in the enforcement of anti-pollution legislation, to minimise the entry of effluent and solid wastes into water-courses and wetlands. | EHS | Water Service, DARD |
| Construction and development | ||
| Address biodiversity priorities fully and consistently in all development plans. | Planning Service | EHS, District Councils, NGOs |
| Review and, if necessary, strengthen the protection given to designated sites and sites of local nature conservation importance through the planning process. | Planning Service | EHS, District Councils |
| Review and, if necessary, amended Planning regulations to ensure that Environmental Impact Assessments are carried out on all projects that may have biodiversity impacts and that these are carried out to recognised standards. | Planning Service | DRD, EHS |
| Ensure all public bodies conserve and enhance biodiversity on their land and through their activities. | DOE | All public bodies |
| Implement the Waste Management Strategy for Northern Ireland and continue to review current policies that relate to illegal dumping which has an impact on biodiversity. | EHS, DOE | District Councils |
| Tourism and recreation | ||
| Prepare and implement integrated rural development, tourism development and environmental conservation strategies where wildlife interest and tourist potential coincide. | EHS, NITB, DARD | District Councils, NGOs |
| Integrate sensitivity zones and carrying capacity estimates into all Strategic and Area planning. | Planning Service, DRD | EHS, DCAL, Voluntary Groups, NGOs |
| Ensure that the impacts of recreational activities are well understood and that these impacts are ameliorated through the development of codes of conduct for individual recreational activities or byelaws. | DCAL, EHS, NI Sports Council | Voluntary Groups,NGOs |
| Peatland management | ||
| Identify areas of upland forest which, when clear felled, should remain unplanted and be restored to peatland or other habitats. | Forest Service | EHS |
| Update, re-issue and continue to implement Government's policy on Peatland Conservation. | EHS | DARD, Planning Service |
| Introduced species and genetic material | ||
| Review the past and current effects of introduced species and genetic material in Ireland, assess the risks of further introductions, and apply the guiding principles of the Conference of Parties of the CBD. | EHS | Universities, Forest Service, DARD, DCAL |
| Revise schedules to the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. | DOE | EHS |
| Protecting special areas for biodiversity | ||
| Further develop guidelines for ASSI selection. | EHS | CNCC, NGOs |
| Complete habitat and species surveys. | EHS | NGOs, Universities, Ulster Museum |
| Designate qualifying ASSIs. | EHS | CNCC |
| Complete and implement conservation objectives or conservation plans for all ASSIs, SPAs and SACs. | EHS | Landowners, NGOs |
| Introduce a positive management scheme for Assis. | EHS | Landowners, NGOs |
| Encourage all relevant sectors to engage in the management of conservation sites. | EHS | All sectors |
| Review the effectiveness and efficiency of the current protection and management of ASSIs, make necessary legislative changes. | EHS, DOE | District Councils, Voluntary Groups, NGOs |
| Protecting priority species and habitats | ||
| Contribute to UK habitat and species action plans through the preparation and implementation of costed Northern Ireland components of these plans. | EHS | All sectors |
| Prepare and implement costed action plans for additional Northern Ireland habitats which are not covered by UK action plans. | EHS | All sectors |
| Review the lists of NI species of conservation concern and priority species and seek additional information and conduct further reviews as required. | EHS | DARD, Universities, Ulster Museum, Voluntary Groups |
| Prepare and implement costed action plans or species statements for additional Northern Ireland species which are not covered by UK action plans. | EHS | All sectors |
| Prepare or update Irish Red Data Books where there are adequate data. | EHS | Republic of Ireland Government |
| Conserving genetic biodiversity | ||
| Identify surviving plant cultivars and domestic livestock breeds of historic importance, and review the current arrangements for their conservation, and implement conservation action plans where appropriate. | DARD | Republic of Ireland Government |
| Identify and promote the conservation of native gene pools in Northern Ireland. | EHS | Universities, Ulster Museum |
| Research and monitoring | ||
| Assess the conservation status of poorly known elements of biodiversity. | EHS | Ulster Museum, Universities, NGOs |
| Review CEDaR procedures to support the activities of the Northern Biodiversity Strategy and prepare a five-year plan. | Ulster Museum | EHS |
| Monitor the extent, distribution, variation and quality of broad and priority habitats. | EHS | DARD, NGOs |
| Monitor species of conservation concern. | EHS | Universities, Ulster Museum, DARD, NGOs |
| Knowledge, understanding and participation | ||
| Make more locally-relevant information on biodiversity available within Northern Ireland. | EHS, Education and Library Boards | Voluntary organisations, Government Departments, District Councils, Environmental Education Forum, NGOs |
| Engage influential sectors of society in biodiversity on a partnership basis with representatives of each sector. | EHS | District Councils, Voluntary organisations, all Government Departments, Ulster Museum, NGOs |
| In reviewing the Northern Ireland curriculum, aim for all pupils to leave school with an understanding of how biodiversity affects their lives and vice-versa. | Department of Education, CCEA | Environmental Education Forum, Education and Library Boards |
| Include biodiversity as an element of all teacher training. | DHFETE, Department of Education | |
| Develop a strategy and distribute guidelines to encourage community groups to participate in biodiversity conservation work. | EHS | Government Departments, District Councils, Environmental Education Forum, Education and Library Boards, NGOs |
| Develop and implement a strategy for biodiversity education involving all main providers both inside and outside the formal schooling system. | Department of Education. Education and Library Boards | EHS, DHFETE, District Councils, Voluntary organisations, Ulster Museum |
| Local issues | ||
| Enhance local biodiversity conservation particularly through the development of Local Agenda 21 initiatives. | District Councils | Community Groups, NGOs |
| Develop plans for green spaces to enhance local biodiversity. | District Councils | |
| Provide advice on priorities for local biodiversity action. | EHS | District Councils, DARD, NGOs |
