Access Keys:

How do you rate this information / service?

Find My Nearest
Enter your postcode to find services and information for your area on a map e.g. schools, libraries and GP surgery
Translate this web page

06/04/04 - Cabinet backs structured action plan to protect Cumbria's biodiversity

Moths, bats and roadside verges were all given a helping hand today as Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet pledged support to a wildlife action plan. 

The Cumbria Biodiversity Action Plan was launched in April 2001 and contains around 700 actions to conserve and enhance biodiversity in the County. The County Council is one of more than 120 members of the Cumbria Biodiversity Partnership and is involved in 57 actions in a lead or joint lead capacity.

And today Cabinet approved a list of action priorities which will contribute to the following important objectives:

  •       Promoting the protection and enhancement of Biodiversity Action Plan habitats and species through our policies and day-to-day regulation activities 
  •       Promoting community awareness of, and involvement in, biodiversity through practical projects and our Local Nature Reserves
  •       Ensuring ecological considerations and opportunities are taken day-to-day in the Council’s work by building our knowledge and understanding
  •       Supporting the development of a Cumbria Biological Data Centre to provide one-stop-shop quality data for developers and for education
  •       Supporting and scrutinising the methodology of a project to identify sites of County wildlife importance and promoting their improved management  
  •       Maintaining and enhancing the biodiversity of County Council land, including roadside verges
  •       Ensuring the Council meets its statutory duties in respect of nature conservation 
  •       Raising awareness of issues relating to nature conservation and public enjoyment

Lawson Short, Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Environment, said:

“Biodiversity isn’t just about plants and animals, it’s about people as well. Cumbria County Council has a major role to play in ensuring that our environment is protected and enhanced and to do that properly we need a structured plan of action.

“We need to make sure we take biodiversity issues on board when preparing important projects, such as community strategies, our Local Transport Plan and regeneration schemes, and that means making staff and Councillors aware through training programmes. Another key priority we approved today involves promoting the use of school grounds in the curriculum and managing them for wildlife. 

“We will also strive to ensure that the environmental elements of the highways maintenance policy are implemented and revised as necessary to ensure that roadside verge biodiversity is maintained and, where possible, enhanced. A clear example of how important this work can be is on verges near Coniston Water which are home to the rare Netted Carpet Moth.

“On a more specific level, we are responsible for the maintenance of many bridges across the County and that means we are also responsible for the bats that roost there. We have already surveyed many of our bridges but today we pledged to survey the remainder so we know where the bats are and can take the necessary precautions.

“We will also provide increased support to the Council’s two Local Nature Reserves at Millom Ironworks and Holme Park Quarry. This will enable safety and management works to be carried out, and we will provide interpretation signs for visitors to enable them to get the most from the reserves. A major element of the work will be habitat management for Natterjack Toads at Millom – one of just 35 Natterjack sites in the country.

“There are many things we need to over the coming years do and the pledges we have made today will ensure they are done in a co-ordinated manner.”