Habitat networks in policy

Habitat networks are referred to both in legislation and within policy.  The most significant references from a planning perspective are those in the European Habitats Directive and in the new Scottish planning policy.

This section has information on:

European and International

• The Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive
• the Convention on Biological Diversity
• the World Summit on sustainable development
• the Pan European Ecological Network
• the Water Framework Directive

UK

• The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994

Scotland

• Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004
• Scottish Planning Policy
• Scottish Forestry Strategy

European and international references

The Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) - the Habitats Directive  (92/43/EEC) is usually thought of in connection with the implementation of a series of protected sites - Special Areas of Conservation or Natura 2000 sites. However, both Article 3 and Article 10 of the European Habitats Directive make reference to improving the 'ecological coherence' of that series of sites. For a site to be ecologically 'coherent' it needs to have links outside its designated area, in order to ensure that all habitats and species can be maintained in favourable conservation status in the long term.

Article 10 asks member states to:

"endeavour, where necessary, in their land use planning and development policies, and with a view to improving the ecological coherence of the Natura 2000 network, to encourage the management of features of the landscape which are of major importance for wild fauna and flora."

It then goes on to mention some specific features which can contribute to that coherence:

"Such features are those which, by virtue of their linear and continuous structure or their function as stepping stones are essential for the migration, dispersal and genetic exchange of wild species."

However, from an ecological perspective, implementing Article 10 isn't necessarily limited to just these specific features, but should encompass any features which may improve the coherence of sites.

Article 3 of the European Birds Directive also makes reference to the need to undertaken conservation actions both within and outside designated sites. It asks member states to ensure that the:

"preservation, maintenance and re-establishment of biotopes and habitats shall include the following measures: (b) upkeep and management in accordance with the ecological needs of habitats inside and outside the protected zones".

The Convention on Biological Diversity - this is an international treaty   which aims to conserve biodiversity and which was prepared at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The associated programme of work for protected areas, which was adopted in 2004 stresses the need to ensure that all protected areas are integrated into the wider landscape by 2015.

The convention also led to the creation of Biodiversity Action Plans in many countries, and in 1995 the UK steering group for the UK Biodiversity Action Plan stated that:

''A key conservation aim for many species is . . . to create conditions that allow particularly fragmented habitats to expand or, in the case of animal species, to retain or create wildlife corridors.''

The World Summit on sustainable development - as part of the plan for implementation of the resolutions made at this summit   in Johannesburg in 2002, signatories agreed to:

"promote the development of national and regional ecological networks and corridors".

In response to the threat of climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change has also highlighted the need for habitat networks as a potential adaptation option:

"network of habitats and habitat corridors will be required to facilitate migration through the landscape."

The Pan European Ecological Network (PEEN) - although not a specific policy instrument, the concept of a Pan European Ecological Network   was formally endorsed by 54 European ministers during the 4th Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference in Sofia in 1995. The concept was also incorporated into the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy which was published in 1996.

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) - although this Directive contains no specific references to habitat networks, it does require member states to plan and act on a larger scale than individual sites. Delivering the WFD will require the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the other responsible authorities to plan on a river basin or whole catchment scale. Some of the actions required to bring individual bodies of water up to the required level of good ecological status will have the potential to also improve habitat networks. For example, the use of Sustainable Drainage Systems in urban areas (SUDS) can create new areas of habitat which could potentially be part of a habitat network and help to improve water quality. Prioritising those actions which deliver both WFD requirements and habitat networks will help Scotland to achieve a greater environmental return for money spent.

UK references

The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 - The Habitats Directive is transposed into UK law through the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994  . Regulation 37 states that:

 "For the purposes of the planning enactments mentioned below (the Town and Country planning acts), policies in respect of the conservation of the natural beauty and amenity of the land shall be taken to include policies encouraging the management of features of the landscape which are of major importance for wild flora and fauna."

It then goes on to list the same specific features as are highlighted in Article 10 of the Habitats Directive.

Scottish references

Scottish planning policy - the new Scottish Planning Policy   states that authorities should take:

"A strategic approach to natural heritage in which wildlife sites, landscape features and other areas of open space are linked together in an integrated habitat network can make an important contribution to the maintenance and enhancement of local biodiversity.  Planning authorities should seek to prevent further fragmentation or isolation of habitats and identify opportunities to restore links which have been broken."

The second National Planning Framework   also includes the Central Scotland Green Network as one of the fourteen national developments considered essential to Scotland's long term development. Paragraph 95 refers to this network bring together the work of the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Green Network, the Central Scotland Forest Trust, the Edinburgh and the Lothians Forest Habitat Network and other local initiatives, to create a network:

"capable of delivering a step change in the quality of the environment for the benefit of people, landscape and nature" where woodlands and other habitats could "counter fragmentation and assist species migration".

Additionally, paragraph 96 refers to the aspiration to create 'national ecological networks' which:

"potentially encompassing large strategic habitat restoration projects, could make a major contribution to safeguarding and enhancing biodiversity and landscape, make it easier for species to adapt to climate change and create a better environment and new opportunities for local communities".

Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 - this act   places a specific duty on all public bodies to further the conservation of biodiversity and to have regard to the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. That strategy, published in 2004, aims to achieve by 2030 a landscape where, amongst other things:

"Organisms can move, feed, reproduce and disperse effectively, and are better able to adapt to changing circumstances of land use and climate change".

Scottish Forestry Strategy - habitat networks are mentioned under outcome three of the Scottish Forestry Strategy  , which states that an objective is to 'promote a landscape-scale approach to habitat networks'. This strategy is the starting point for regional forestry strategy and their associated implementation plans.

The Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 1999 and the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 - these don't specifically mention habitat connectivity. However, they do ask those undertaking assessments to consider their effects on biodiversity, flora and fauna. If new developments, policies and strategies cause habitat fragmentation, they can be considered to be having a negative impact on biodiversity and this should be reflected in the Environmental Statement.

Expecting these assessments to consider the issue of habitat connectivity may, in the long term, be an effective tool for helping to reduce the effects of habitat fragmentation. For example, one of the case studies considered in this guidance looks at the use of Environmental Assessments in Bulgaria to reduce habitat fragmentation during the construction of transport corridors.