Biodiversity Duty Plan

Bridgend County Borough Council has a legal duty to maintain and enhance biodiversity, and in so doing, promote ecosystem resilience, often referred to as the Sct. 6 Duty.

The council produced the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Resilience Forward Plan for the period 2018-2022, setting out the actions it would take to meet this legislative requirement.

Delivery of the 2018-22 Plan was reviewed, the findings of which are set out as the Bridgend Biodiversity and Ecosystem Resilience Progress Report, 2018-21.

This new plan, the Bridgend Biodiversity Duty Plan, 2022-25, sets out the actions the Council will take for the next three years. It is informed by the recommendations of the Progress Report, which highlighted both strengths on which to build, and areas for improved delivery.

The actions of this plan are intended to embed biodiversity delivery across the whole organisation, reflecting the broad range of activities and functions that have the potential to contribute towards global, national and local efforts to reverse the decline in biodiversity.

The duty is a council wide responsibility; therefore, the plan has been developed with input of the staff and departments that will be responsible for its delivery. The Sct. 6 Duty, and subsequently the actions in the plan, relate to council functions and activities, i.e., those which can be carried out directly by the council.

The plan, therefore, does not include actions for partner organisations, community groups or the public, however, it does set out actions for the council, where it can play a role in supporting partnership working, engagement and awareness raising, recognising the importance of working collaboratively to achieve real change.

The measures set out in this plan are part of broader ambitions by the council to deliver a healthy natural environment, supporting communities and livelihoods. Biodiversity underpins all elements of our lives, providing goods, regulating ecosystem services such as carbon, and contributing to health and cultural heritage.

Delivery of the Bridgend Biodiversity Duty Plan will therefore play a vital role in contributing to the Well-being Goals for Wales, and meeting aims and objectives set within the Bridgend Corporate Plan.