Best Value for Biodiversity
The Benefits of incorporating Biodiversity into the delivery of all relevant Local Authority Services
The Best Value process requires that the benefits of service delivery for local communities should be identified. Here in Part 6 some broad benefits are provided to illustrate how a local authority that takes action for biodiversity conservation can make a significant contribution to the local quality of life for its inhabitants, visitors and workforce.
Benefits for biodiversity
- Enable the public to see whether best value is being delivered
- Improved understanding of the occurrence, distribution, importance, characteristics and needs of local biodiversity.
- Improved protection, enhancement and management of key habitats and species within the land use planning system.
- Greater opportunity to enhance and extend the quality and quantity of natural habitats and the range and numbers of wild plants and animals.
- Improved management of local authority land holdings for biodiversity conservation.
Benefits for local people
- Enable the public to see whether best value is being delivered
- Improved physical environment for people to visit and live and work in.
- Improved understanding and appreciation of biodiversity amongst local communities.
- Improved opportunities for local people to access, enjoy and study their local biodiversity.
- Improved opportunities for local people to participate in the management of local biodiversity.
- Improved political and democratic accountability for actions taken to protect the local natural environment.
- Improved advice for individuals and landowners on how to conserve and enhance local biodiversity.
Benefits for local authorities
- Improved delivery of services for a major component of sustainability (e.g. biodiversity) and consequently enhanced well being for local communities.
- Improved political understanding of biodiversity issues and sense of achievement and contribution towards targets for implementation of Agenda 21 and sustainable development.
- Improved integration of biodiversity initiatives between departments within each local authority and thus more co-ordinated and cost-effective delivery of action.
- Improved liaison and co-ordination on biodiversity initiatives between different local authorities leading to greater collective - and thus more effective - delivery of action (the sum being greater than the individual parts).
- Improved compliance with statutory duties and increased effectiveness in the exercise of statutory powers.
- Improved implementation of national and regional policy guidance and biodiversity objectives and targets.
Benefits for other local stakeholders
- Enable the public to see whether best value is being delivered
- Improved multi-agency working with stronger local partnerships.
- Improved understanding of the opportunities and constraints for all local stakeholders whose actions can either benefit or harm biodiversity resources.
Document Date: September 2001
Last Updated: September 2001
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