Unfortunately, while there are a great many activities that local authorities can implement for biodiversity, and while many of the benefits of doing so are entirely consistent with leading Government polices for achieving sustainable development, there are many local authorities that could provide a better service for biodiversity. Below is a brief summary of some of the common factors that seem to constrain or hinder local authorities in their delivery of biodiversity services.

1. (i) Poor understanding of how to prepare and promote biodiversity objectives and how these can be integrated into the general delivery of all local authority services.
   
   (ii) Inadequate sense of imperative (e.g. no statutory obligation) to take action on biodiversity conservation.
   
   (iii) Mixed message from central Government on the importance to be attached to biodiversity conservation (e.g. it is important and warrants national action plan etc. but does not warrant charging local authorities with a statutory duty to take action).
   
2. Absence in many authorities of professionally qualified in-house staff and/or access to immediately available competent ecological expertise (including ecologists and local biodiversity action plan coordinators).
3. Competing demands on the political agenda within local authorities, resulting in marginal political interest, understanding, will and/or commitment, and perceived lack of 'electoral' interest in biodiversity conservation (e.g. there are no votes in it).
4. Competing demands on senior management time, resulting in minimal opportunities for leadership from senior management on biodiversity initiatives.
5. Ignorance of and failure to comply with statutory duties.
6. Ignorance of and failure to exercise statutory and discretionary powers.
7. Conflicting local authority activities which impact directly or indirectly upon biodiversity.
8. Poor co-ordination on biodiversity action between different departments and sections within the same local authority.
9. Inadequate data and poor understanding (quality and quantity) about local biodiversity resources and needs.
10. Poor co-ordination on biodiversity action between local authorities sharing the same administrative boundaries, the same habitats and species or the same Natural Area.
11. Competing and increasing demands on limited and declining financial resources.
12. Lack of perceived relevance by local communities, and /or insufficiently vigorous or articulate lobby of politicians by local communities.

The extent to which any local authority can make progress on delivery of biodiversity conservation will be directly related to the degree to which it can overcome these constraints. It is also likely that a council with truly cross-cutting aims and objectives is most likely to achieve full integration of biodiversity into all its council services.