Biodiversity
Biodiversity refers to the variety of living species on Earth, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi. Humans are part of this natural system, and each element supports and enables the system to survive and thrive. For example, pollinators (such as bees) ensure crops grow which are then used by humans for food. Protecting biodiversity, and encouraging a biodiversity net gain (the environment being in a measurably better state than before) is now incorporated in Government legislation as the Environment Act 2021.
The Council’s Local Plan 2018-2033 will achieve net gains for biodiversity, with habitat enhancements at Spital Brook in the Lee Valley, and the creation of new woodlands at Brookfield Garden Village.
In line with the strengthened biodiversity duty introduced by the Environment Act 2021, the Council has completed a review of the actions it can take to conserve and enhance biodiversity. A list of policies and objectives arising from this review will be published in due course following formal agreement. The Council will periodically publish a report detailing progress on the actions identified. The first report is scheduled for publication in 2026.
Residents can assist biodiversity by installing boxes for birds and bats on buildings, as well as making insect ‘hotels’ which could simply be a log pile at the bottom of a garden. Residents can leave areas of their garden wild, with long grasses and plant pollinator friendly flowers. This can also be done in pots and window boxes. By using natural materials such as hedgerow instead of panel fencing, wildlife can move freely to forage for food, encouraging populations of mammals such as hedgehogs which have been in decline.
You can find out more about biodiversity across the Borough and Hertfordshire as a whole at Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust's: