The review of the Carmarthenshire LBAP is complete, pending additional information that may require further actions/changes to the plans.
The Carmarthenshire Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) focuses on local action that meets the objectives for each habitat and species within the Plan.
It does not include action towards habitat targets that is undertaken as part of the statutory organisations ‘everyday work’, e.g. SSSI work, Glastir, planning requirements etc. Mechanisms to report on this work will be developed separately.
The Wales Biodiversity Partnership (WBP) has drawn up nine habitat groupings and it was agreed that the Carmarthenshire LBAP will follow these groupings.
These are:
Woodland, Upland Habitats, Freshwater, Wetlands, Farmland, Lowland Grassland and Heathland, Brownfield/Urban, Coastal and Marine habitats and species.
Species have been grouped in with habitats as far as possible as often the main action to conserve species is achieved through habitat management. However a number of species will have individual action plans: tree sparrow, nightjar, lapwing, water vole, grouped bat plan, hedgehog, otter, dormouse, red squirrel, marsh fritillary and brown hairstreak butterflies, small-flowered catchfly, Deptford pink, barn owl (local priority), brown hare, little-ringed plover and amphibians and reptiles./p>
Any action will be entered and reported on in the Biodiversity Action Reporting System (BARS) website, which is available to all to view. The website is at http://www.ukbap-reporting.org.uk/. You can look at the existing Carmarthenshire LBAP and other plans.
Habitat actions should look to do one or more of the following: positively manage the habitat and connect and expand where possible. For species actions should aim to expand the range of the population and/or increase the population numbers. Both have objectives regarding include survey/monitoring, data collection and raising awareness.
There are generic action plans for Education, Raising Awareness and Volunteering, Policy and Legislation and Data Collection and Management.
Nationally the WBP has formed ‘ecosystems groups’ and ‘species expert groups’ and information/guidance will be fed down to local partnerships which we can consider and incorporate/take on board as necessary.