Box 1: Prepare a Local Biodiversity Action Plan

Box 1: Prepare a Local Biodiversity Action Plan

A Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) is a guiding strategy, complemented by specific actions and adopted by local government to achieve optimal and realistic governance and management of biodiversity and ecosystem services. It can also assist in translating international and national biodiversity policies and targets into implementable action at the local level. By definition, a LBAP identifies priority actions and clearly outlines how these will be implemented, by whom, when, and using what resources. Other important aspects that should be included in the action plan are a framework for mobilizing funding and a communication strategy. Biodiversity management at the local level is particularly important for many reasons such as:

§ A large portion of the world’s land surface is administered de juris or de facto by local governments. They can determine whether and how areas are developed. § Cities have unique opportunities to engage, educate and mobilize citizens and can thereby cultivate a more ecologically sensitive society. § Biodiversity and ecosystems generate multiple services that can enhance municipal service delivery in a cost-effective manner.

An initial planning stage is desirable to determine who should be involved in the LBAP; how the plan process will be governed and managed; what resources are required and how long the process will take. Any activities entailed with developing a LBAP should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound (SMART). The following key steps are suggested to formulate a LBAP.

Assemble a team

It is recommended that a small core team be established to take primary responsibility for developing the LBAP. Ideally the team should be inter-departmental and where appropriate, comprise representatives of relevant external groups: local nature societies, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and academic institutions can harbor a great deal of knowledge on the whereabouts and ecology of local species and habitats. Over time, advice and capacity sought externally should be replaced by internal capacity.

Determine a budget

Developing a LBAP requires resources, not only for staff, but also for meetings, field surveys, consulting stakeholders, marketing, etc. An initial assessment of the resource requirements needs to be done and should identify the necessary resources in order to be correctly allocated towards the development of LBAP.

Set a timeframe

Depending on available resources, local context, stakeholder engagements and depth of background research, a timeframe for implementation should be established. It is recommended that a LBAP should consider a 5 to 10-year timeframe. Given the LBAP is essentially a living document that evolves and improves in light of new knowledge and development priorities, its compilation is an almost open-ended process. Nevertheless, specific actions and deliverables entailed in the development of an LBAP should still be time-bound, ensuring that:

§ The process of compiling the LBAP is not delayed by a lack of available information, as information is never perfectly enough. § The deadlines for drafts and the completed product (to be considered for executive approval) are realistic, considering the availability of those who are relied upon to compile it. § That the timing of important milestones, including executive approval of the LBAP, are synchronised with relevant processes such as elections and budgetary cycles.

Research

This step further develops a community’s understanding of its biodiversity and loss challenges through data collection and biodiversity research. This will help determine what elements should be protected (based on local geography and context), such as species, habitat, and natural features, and support informed decision-making on conservation goals.

Plan

Based on the biodiversity loss challenges identified, the third milestone guides the development of an overall vision, management goals and objectives, identifies management options, and examines possible drivers and constraints to act. This phase will also mark the drafting of a Biodiversity Conservation Plan, tailored to the needs of the community. Features of the plan may include baseline data, financing actions, implementation schedule, departmental and stakeholder roles and responsibilities, and monitoring indicators.

Implement

At this stage, it is important to move the plan forward through the required approval processes and to gain the support of council, municipal staff and the community. Implementation of the biodiversity conservation plan will help ensure that it is a living document and implementation tools will be (re)assessed to ensure the plan’s success. This will help to mainstream biodiversity and offer the community a chance to participate in the delivery of the plan’s goals and objectives

Monitor and review

This step allows the community and the biodiversity team to assess whether the goals and objectives identified in the plan have been achieved and provides an opportunity to identify any problems and develop solutions. The plan should be updated as new information becomes available.

Step 6: Assign Roles and Responsibilities

Once the deliverables and the timeframes have been defined, the next step is to bring everyone on board and define the required specific roles and responsibilities for implementation. Social connectedness has a special role to play in the collective management of biodiversity and ecosystem services. This connectivity is needed to help build trust among community members, to develop new norms and social practices and to make local environmental issues more prevalent and important for everyone.

Roles and responsibilities can be defined as follows:

§ Municipal governments are expected to gather consensus, ensure compliance and align biodiversity conservation initiatives with all stakeholders’ expectations. § From here a biodiversity action plan should be developed that prioritizes a set of actions, allocates budget and how implementation should be achieved. § Community leaders can use the action plan to foster biodiversity literacy throughout the city and tie actions into each neighborhood or district.

When people are well connected and engaged in groups or networks and when their input is sought and incorporated into planning and decision-making processes, they are more likely to become or remain environmental stewards and supportive of biodiversity conservation efforts.

Step 7: Create Budget and Financing Plan

For many municipalities, the need to fund biodiversity initiatives is the most frequent constraint. However, it can also be a driver: there is a wide range of revenue sources available to those local governments that are willing to think creatively about partnerships and entrepreneurship and to establish funds for targeted programs. Some of these opportunities are discussed below:

§ Development charges: These are the fees collected by municipalities to offset capital costs incurred to support growth-related infrastructure projects. The fees can be used as an incentive to implement city policies that protect or manage biodiversity. For example, fees can be waived for developments that support ecological designs, species protection or the development of constructed wetlands. Development charges can also be used to support biodiversity initiatives near development sites. § Compensation: Involves a payment made by a development proponent to a conservation body to pay for the replication of ecosystem services. These can fund land acquisition, natural heritage feature restoration and long-term monitoring and maintenance. § Habitat banking: Habitat banking is a market-based mechanism that rewards those who restore or improve habitat. In exchange for constructing, restoring or protecting a habitat site, a landowner can sell credits to developers who need to meet requirements for mitigating and compensating for the environmental impacts of development projects. § As an example, the Port of Metro Vancouver currently operates a habitat banking program as a proactive measure to ensure that potential impacts to existing fish and wildlife habitat can be offset.

Think creatively about funding

When funding is scarce, these alternative solutions can help offset monetary limitations and increase capacity to undertake a diverse range of programs, including biodiversity management:

§ Private and public partnerships, which create opportunities for local government and business partners to build, design, manage, operate and maintain a service. § Regional collaborations for service delivery or protection efforts. § Clear and detailed strategies for addressing biodiversity issues, which include time frames, measurable benchmarks, regular reviews and public feedback; and § Pilot social financing projects, such as community bonds and crowd-sourcing.

Creative ways of financing can also be drawn from innovative examples such as:

§ The Cape Town Water Fund Act is a collective platform where the private and the public sector can contribute in the implementation of Green Infrastructures, targeted at the protection and preservation of the water sources that provision the city.lxxiii § Equator’s Sovereign Social Bonds that were created in order to diversify its financing sources for affordable housing access, and thus reduce the housing deficit in the country.lxxiv

Step 8: Implement and Monitor

For implementation to be successful, it is necessary to build consensus about biodiversity values across multiple institutions and stakeholders, in other words, seek the cooperation and validity among all participants with an interest in biodiversity conservation.

In order to gain this cooperation with stakeholders and to place biodiversity on the agenda, a wide range of communication, education and awareness interventions are needed. This involves networking, and establishing working relationships, defining common goals, influencing decision making processes, negotiating outcomes, strengthening capacities, updating knowledge and ensuring effective implementation.

It is important to remember that the process of biodiversity conservation is equally as important as the final product and it is very important to always keep in mind the cultural setting of your city (Step 1 - City’s profile). The action plan needs to set out indicators that measure the start point, the progress and allow for continuous improvement.

Communication should be a transversal axis across all steps. Without community engagement, any plan has a great potential for failure. Policy planning and compliance should be constantly assessed.

Suggestions for building consensus about biodiversity values between multiple stakeholders is shown in Box 2.