Memorandum submitted by the British Ecological
Society (V21)
INTRODUCTION
1. The British Ecological Society is pleased
to provide written evidence to the Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs Committee's inquiry into the Government's Rural Delivery
Strategy 2004. The British Ecological Society, founded in 1913,
is an independent learned society with an international membership
of over 4,000. Its primary objectives are to advance and support
research in ecology, promote ecological education and provide
science policy advice.
SUMMARY
2. The British Ecological Society (BES)
welcomes the broad thrust of the Government's proposal to create
an Integrated Authority. The BES fully supports the principle
of integrating all aspects of land and freshwater management within
one agency in order to have coherent delivery of rural programmes
for sustainable development. However, in order to achieve this,
the following issues need to be considered when establishing the
Integrated Agency:
(a) The Agency needs to be able to provide
independent advice to Government.
(b) Science needs to inform advice and delivery.
(c) The Agency needs to take an ecosystem
approach to environmental management.
(d) The Agency's relationship with the Forestry
Commission needs to be clarified.
(e) National Nature Reserves need to be integrated
into its operation.
(f) Conservation of non-rural areas needs
to be fully integrated into the overall landscape management policy.
(g) The Agency needs to maintain strong relations
with external partners.
(h) Continuity of information and programmes
need to be part of the process of merging existing organisations
into the new Agency.
INDEPENDENT ADVICE
3. The Integrated Agency needs to be charged
with providing independent science-based advice on environmental
and conservation issues throughout Government. Its ability to
provide independent advice is dependent upon both being independent
from Government and having a strong science-base. The creation
of the new Integrated Agency as a Non-Departmental Public Body
is therefore supported in order for it to have a degree of independence.
SCIENCE BASE
4. English Nature currently performs an
essential role in advancing understanding of natural systems through
research, monitoring and surveillance of trends. The new Integrated
Agency needs to build upon this expertise by having a strong mandate
and a robust system for scientific research and advice. Without
these functions it will not be able to properly protect and enhance
the natural environment.
5. The new Integrated Agency should have
an independent Scientific Advisory Committee providing advice
on scientific matters, reviewing the quality of its research and
contributing specialist knowledge on the wide range of issues
that it will face.
6. English Nature has a core of scientific
specialists who support area staff who have primarily an advisory
and delivery function. These specialists are responsible for both
commissioning and, in some cases, undertaking much of the research
programme. The new Integrated Agency will inherit the Rural Delivery
Service core of advisory and delivery staff, but it is not clear
that there will be a corresponding transfer of scientific specialists
to support them. It is important that the new Integrated Agency
has a strong specialist science support role so that it can be
drawn upon in times of emergency and to ensure that its day-to-day
work is underpinned by sound science.
7. To achieve a clear position on the state
of natural resources the Integrated Agency must be able to define
policies for monitoring and surveillance and to commission research
independently of Government. It is also prudent that the new Integrated
Agency is charged with national surveillance of plant and animal
disease and invasive species. The Integrated Agency should be
required to produce an annual statement of the quantity and quality
of natural resources it is responsible for and provide an account
of factors driving change.
8. The formation of the Integrated Agency
provides an opportunity for Defra to develop its science base.
For example, it should be given sufficient resources so that it
can use part of its science budget to support applied research
in systematics (which would also meet the concerns of the House
of Lords Select Committee for Science & Technology it raised
in 1992 and again in 2002).
ECOSYSTEM APPROACH
9. The new Integrated Authority has the
benefit, as the Government states, of working at a landscape scale.
Landscapes may, however, encompass several ecosystems. The Integrated
Authority should, therefore, also recognise that many processes
also operate at an ecosystem scale and act to ensure that human
activity does not degrade ecosystems and their goods and services.
The UK is a signatory of the Convention on Biological Diversity,
which requires that it adopt an ecosystem approach to environmental
management. An ecosystem approach is a strategy for the integrated
management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation
and sustainable use in an equitable way.
10. An ecosystem approach to rural policy
and delivery is essential if the new Integrated Agency is going
to deliver its remit of sustainable development. Human well being—economic,
social, and cultural—is dependent upon improved management
of the UK's and the Earth's ecosystems. Conservation of ecosystem
structure and function to provide ecosystem services should be
a priority for the new Integrated Agency. An ecosystem approach
must be founded on strong science and be developed with full engagement
with natural scientists.
FORESTRY COMMISSION
11. The benefit of having an Integrated
Agency for rural service delivery is that there is a more co-ordinated
approach for the conservation and the sustainable use of natural
resources. In order to achieve this, the Government needs to give
further consideration to the relationship between the new Integrated
Agency and the Forestry Commission.
12. There is an issue as to where the boundaries
of responsibilities lie between the Forestry Commission and the
new Integrated Agency. In the Government's proposal, the Forestry
Commission is not integrated into the Integrated Agency. If the
new Agency is to deliver an integrated approach to land management,
the Forestry Commission must be brought into the Integrated Agency.
If there is not a full merger there should be exploration of whether
some areas of the Forestry Commission's work should become the
responsibility of the new Integrated Agency.
NATIONAL NATURE
RESERVES
13. The network of National Nature Reserves
must be fully protected in the integration process. These are
an important scientific as well as conservation resource. However,
as neither the Rural Delivery Service or the Countryside Agency
are land-holders and the emphasis of the new Integrated Agency
is on delivery via advice and incentives there is a risk that
the National Nature Reserves will not be fully incorporated into
the activities of the new Integrated Agency. This might be an
area where a closer link with Forest Enterprise's holdings might
be considered.
CONSERVATION OF
NON-RURAL
AREAS
14. Nature conservation has a wider remit
than just in rural areas. Urban, marine and coastal environments
also need considerable attention from a competent agency with
sufficient resources. The Government needs to take appropriate
action to ensure that non-rural environments are also conserved.
RELATIONSHIP WITH
EXTERNAL PARTNERS
15. Amongst English Nature and the Rural
Delivery Service staff, there are many members of the British
Ecological Society who value the contribution the BES provides
in terms of contributing to lecture programmes and facilitating
specialist groups. The BES believes that dialogue between researchers
and end users of ecological science is important and we would
hope to see this reinforced, not diminished, in the new Integrated
Agency.
MANAGING CHANGE
16. As with any re-organisation there will
be a period of uncertainty and confusion during the changeover.
There is a risk that scientific programmes will suffer because
it may not be clear what issue will still be a priority for the
new organisation. It is important that during the transition,
the continuity of information and programmes are part of the process
of merging the organisations.
STREAMLINING FUNDING
SCHEMES
17. The plethora of current schemes is clearly
of concern to farmers in particular. Schemes may need to be streamlined,
but more importantly, perhaps, a set of schemes is needed that
are accompanied by appropriate management advice. It is important
that no new schemes are launched unless they are accompanied by
evidence-based advice on how land managers might actually act
to enhance ecological resources.
20 September 2004
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