Category: Biodiversity

From Planning to Parks – biodiversity in Edinburgh

All public bodies in Scotland are legally required to look after biodiversity and report on how this is being achieved to Scottish Government.  We published a report in December last year on the wide range of activities undertaken to improve biodiversity in Edinburgh.

There are lots of good examples of the Council and partners working together in Edinburgh.  We’ve helped nesting Swifts by including special hollow bricking in new buildings, developed natural areas in our parks and supported people in looking after their local environment and wildlife.  We’ve also supported the expansion of woodland in the Pentland Hills Regional Park.  More information is available in the report to our Policy and Strategy Committee and you can read our update on what projects have been progressing in the Edinburgh Local Biodiversity Action Plan 2013/14.

If you have any queries about biodiversity in Edinburgh, drop us an email at Biodiversity@edinburgh.gov.uk

Edinburgh Biodiversity Action Plan routemap: 2016 and beyond

The process to review the Edinburgh Biodiversity Action Plan has commenced with fifty people attending a workshop event in the City Chambers on 12 November to begin the preparation of a new plan.  The current action plan runs until the end of 2015.

Edinburgh Biodiversity Action Plan
Edinburgh Biodiversity Action Plan

Members of the Edinburgh Biodiversity Partnership (they’re all listed on pages 79-80 of the action plan) and other stakeholders attended the event, which included workshop discussions on the format, timescale, lessons learnt and new priorities for 2016 and beyond.

The outcomes from these discussions will be collated by the Natural Environment team in the Planning and Building Standards service, who will lead on the production of the new plan, and taken forward by the Edinburgh Biodiversity Steering Group.  We’ve prepared a short summary of the workshops and if you have any queries please drop us an email at Biodiversity@edinburgh.gov.uk  We will be posting more information here on the blog in the coming months and letting you know how to get involved in the preparation and delivery of the new plan.