§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which recent policy commitments and initiatives in the United Kingdom biodiversity action plan were(a) not previously announced and (b) do not result from the Government's legal obligations under the European Union habitats directive.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe goal, principles and objectives contained in the plan are in themselves a significant re-definition of policies. The most important new initiative is to establish a biodiversity action plan steering group, which will be a partnership between central and local government, the conservation agencies, scientific and academic institutions and voluntary bodies. The group will have four specific remits in overseeing
the development of range of specific costed targets for key species and habitats for the years 2000 and 2010 to be published in European Nature Conservation Year 1995;a working group already established following the May Seminar designed to improve the accessibility and co-ordination of existing biological datasets, to provide common standards for future recording and to examine the feasibility in due course cif a single UK Biota Database;the preparation and implementation of a public strategy which could:
- support initiatives that enhance people's understanding of what is special about their local environment;
439 - encourage the creation of a network of community wardens;
- support initiatives that promote local action to conserve and improve local biodiversity;
the establishment of a review process for the delivery of the commitments contained in the plan.In addition, the plan contains 59 action points and broad targets which take forward, accelerate and extend existing policies and programmes. A number of these are new commitments or initiatives, and I will write to the hon. Gentleman with details of these.