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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