Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variety of all life on Earth. It includes all species of animals and plants-everything that is alive on our planet. Biodiversity is important for its own sake, and human survival depends upon it.
Biodiversity 2020: A strategy for England's wildlife and ecosystem services
The ambition of this strategy is to 'halt overall biodiversity loss, support healthy well-functioning ecosystems and establish coherent ecological networks, with more and better places for nature for the benefit of wildlife and people'
The Strategy contains four outcomes to be achieved by the end of 2020. These are:
Priority Habitats including Sights of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Marine, Species and People.
Prior to 2012, the Surrey Biodiversity Partnership implemented the Surrey Biodiversity Action Plan. The Partnership has now become the Biodiversity Working Group of the Surrey Nature Partnership and it is producing Biodiversity Opportunity Area Policy statements to align with the outcomes in Biodiversity 2020.
The Surrey Nature Partnership's website has produced a 'Biodiversity Planning in Surrey' document which offers advice to those involved in planning to ensure that development within the county protects and enhances the biodiversity which underpins our Natural Capital. The document, together with Appendix 1 (PDF) Protected species in Surrey and Appendix 2 - Statutory designated sites in Surrey, describes protected sites, habitats and priority habitats and species. These documents are published on the Surrey Nature Partnership's website.
