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Establishing and implementing a local biodiversity strategy and action plan

The management of green areas is an important task within municipalities and it has a direct impact on the level of conservation of biodiversity in and around cities and on the creation of a healthy and attractive living environment for their inhabitants. Moreover, local authorities already have competencies in relation to different planning, financial and regulatory instruments that affect the existence and management of green areas and biodiversity (e.g. land use, housing development, environmental management, infrastructure and economic development).

The local biodiversity strategy and action plan (LBSAP) is a useful instrument that can be used by local authorities to outline a broad strategy and implement specific actions to protect and eventually enhance the local biodiversity. The LBSAP includes the measures to be implemented, timelines, available budget, milestones, partnerships for implementation and responsibilities.

The goals/objectives of the LBSAP and the overarching strategy should be precisely defined by the public administration staff within a dialogue process that involves experts and stakeholders (i.e. public debates, targeted workshops, etc.). This participatory approach can positively affect the implementation of the LBSAP as it contributes to increase the awareness of the community and it can also lead to the establishment of partnerships and collaboration with relevant organisations, non-government organisations and so on.

Some representative steps that guides the definition of an LBSAP are:

  • assessment of the biodiversity (e.g. species, crop/plant varieties), habitat and management within the territory, ongoing restoration and rehabilitation of degraded areas and control of invasive areas, etc.
  • assessment of the conservation status of species within ecosystems
  • formulation of priorities within the given territory together with specific biodiversity targeted actions
  • formulation of the targets (either short-/medium- or long-term goals) for conservation and restoration
  • compilation of an entire plan including timelines, available budget, milestones, partnerships for implementation and their responsibilities.

Another essential action is the communication of the LBSAP to the citizens and/or stakeholders, the effective implementation of its different actions, as well as the outcomes regarding biodiversity. Municipalities must raise awareness to increase the community’s understanding of biodiversity issues that affect the city and which can have an impact on the lives of its inhabitants.

 

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