Biodiversity

Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, is essential to sustaining the living networks and systems that provide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and other vital services that we depend on.  Planners and developers have a key role to play in helping to protect and enhance Scotland's biodiversity.

People are part of nature's rich diversity and have been a major force in shaping Scotland's biodiversity and landscapes for thousands of years. While some human activities have benefited biodiversity, many have resulted in a decline in biodiversity. Today in Scotland, biodiversity is under pressure from climate change, development, habitat loss and pollution.    

How planners and developers can help

Good development in the right places can help to protect and enhance Scotland's biodiversity.  

Planning authorities, like other public bodies, have a legal duty to further the conservation of biodiversity. This can be done, for example, by:

• ensuring that the need to conserve biodiversity is reflected in development plans and development management decisions;
• seeking benefits for Scotland's biodiversity from new developments, including the restoration of degraded habitats.

Developers can help a lot by considering natural heritage interests, including impacts on biodiversity, from the start of the development process. 

Further information

You can use the following links to find out more about Scotland's biodiversity and how to build biodiversity more into development plans and proposals:

• Our Natural Heritage Futures documents provide objectives, policies and content that can be utilised in development planning.
• Our SiteLink   which provides easy access to data and information about sites designated for their natural heritage value across Scotland.
• The Scottish Biodiversity List  , produced by the Scottish Government, is a list of those habitats and species of prime importance to Scotlands biodiversity.
• The Scottish Biodiversity Forum 
• Planning for Natural Heritage: Planning Advice Note 60   provides a wide range of policies and initiatives for positive action and includes lots of case studies of good practice.
• The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy  , published by the Scottish Government, sets out objectives and an agenda for action to conserve and enhance biodiversity in Scotland.
•  UK BAP  website.