Select Committee on Environmental Audit Written Evidence


Memorandum submitted by Natural England

1.  INTRODUCTION

  1.1.  Natural England is a new organisation established under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. It is a non-departmental public body. It has been formed by bringing together English Nature, parts of the Rural Development Service and the Countryside Agency.

  1.2.  Natural England's purpose, as outlined in the Act, is to ensure that the natural environment is conserved, enhanced and managed for the benefit of present and future generations, thereby contributing to sustainable development.

  1.3.  Natural England recognises that climate change poses the most serious long-term threat to the natural environment. There is an urgent need to reduce global greenhouse gas pollution if we are to avoid potentially catastrophic impacts on the natural environment. A particular challenge is the need to move to a low carbon economy, which will require a significantly more efficient use of energy and a substantial investment in clean energy technologies.

2.  NATURAL ENGLAND'S SPECIFIC COMMENTS

Question 15:   Biodiversity

  2.1.  All government departments and agencies are bound by section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 which states that "Every public authority must, in exercising its functions, have regard, so far as is consistent with the proper exercise of those functions, to the purpose of conserving biodiversity". It adds that "conserving biodiversity includes | restoring or enhancing a population or habitat".

  2.2.  Detailed guidance setting out what complying with this duty involves has been published by Defra. The guidance covers designated sites (including Local Nature Reserves and local wildlife sites); protected and priority species on public land; countryside, freshwater, coastal and marine habitats; farms and tenanted land; management of green infrastructure; highways, rights of way and transport infrastructure; and school grounds. In all of these areas, the guidance states that public authorities should take opportunities to protect and where possible enhance national and local Biodiversity Action Plan priority habitats and species. It also advises public authorities to consider adopting their own biodiversity action plans as a way of integrating biodiversity across their business, and cites as good practice the MoD's recently published Biodiversity Strategic Statement which sets strategic objectives for biodiversity with associated targets and performance indicators.

  2.3.  Natural England expects government departments and agencies to lead by example and adhere to this guidance.

  2.4.  It is essential that government departments and agencies know what biodiversity is on their land holdings by carrying out proper biodiversity surveys, and monitoring the effect of any activities (positive or negative) on their sites. Any data gathered in this way should be made publicly available through local record centres and the National Biodiversity Network.

  2.5.  Government departments and agencies should also be encouraged to be more proactive in encouraging take up of the health and wellbeing benefits of biodiversity and green infrastructure on their estates, though enabling improved access to nature and greenspace.

Questions 1-2:   Co-ordinated approach to meeting targets within and across Departments

  2.6.  Natural England welcomes the leadership Government has shown to date to improve the environmental performance of its operations. To continue to progress there now needs to be better joining up of targets, objectives and priorities across departments. In particular, it would be helpful to have greater guidance around balancing financial targets with carbon emission targets.

  2.7.  Natural England has set itself a challenging target to reduce its carbon emissions from business travel and estates by 50% by the end of 2010. This exceeds the target set out in SOGE and allows us to concentrate our efforts on the most significant environmental aspects of our estate. We have shared our experiences of developing a carbon management system to deliver this target across government departments.

  2.8.  Giving departments some flexibility to agree targets with individual agencies may help maximise the effectiveness of activities across the estate.

Questions 3-8:   Carbon emissions and energy consumption targets

  2.9.  Natural England supports the principle of using carbon credits to meet carbon reduction targets, although their use should be limited to ensure that the majority of emissions reductions come from delivering actual reductions from its estate, for example through energy efficiency measures.

  2.10.  There can be conflicts in rationalising the use of the existing Government Estate, with the higher carbon footprint of older estate buildings. Clarity and consistency of objectives and targets across governments departments to its agencies and NDPBs is therefore essential.

  2.11.  Where management of the estate is not in the occupiers' control, private managers may require further incentives and targets as contracts are revised to support their contribution towards delivering Government's targets. Better sharing of good practice examples of carbon reduction measures across the public sector would be helpful.

Questions 12-13:   Sustainable procurement

  2.12.  Natural England has already implemented several "quick wins" in its procurement procedures, for example around its recycling policy and use of low energy light bulbs, and we are now exploring addressing more complex sustainable procurement issues. Government could helpfully demonstrate it leadership in this area by using its relationship with the Sustainable Development Commission to develop examples of procurement good practice in the public sector, in these more complex areas.

8 April 2008






 
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