Important Notice for Existing and Potential Clients:

As from 4th March 2013, Phil Lomax, Director and Principal Consultant of Green Dimensions is moving to take up a position as Principal Ecologist at Thomson Ecology.

Answers to Our Quick Quiz Questions!

1) As a landowner/land manager am I obliged to manage my land to     conserve and enhance biodiversity?

     You are obliged to manage your land to conserve and enhance its biodiversity      if :

          a) the land forms part of an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest notified by                Natural England under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981).                Such a notification will include Natural England’s Views About Management, a                statement concerning how the biodiversity interests of the SSSI can best be                conserved and or improved through the management of the land. It will also                contain a list of Operations Likely to Damage the special interests of the SSSI,                for which specific approval is required by the landowner, from Natural                England. Additionally, under Section 28J, Natural England may serve notice of                a Management Scheme on the owners of the SSSI, requiring them to manage                the land in a specific way to conserve or improve the biodiversity interests of                the site. Failure to comply with the Management Scheme can result in the                serving of a Management Notice on the landowners requiring compliance                with the Management Scheme.

          b) the land is included within a Section 39 agreement under the Wildlife and                Countryside Act, 1981 between the land owner and the local authority, which                specifies how the land is to be managed to conserve and enhance its nature                conservation interests;

          c) the land is included within a Local Nature Reserve, designated by the local               authority under Section 21 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside               Act, 1949.There are now 1280 LNRs in England, covering nearly 40,000 ha.

          d) the land is subject to a planning condition and/or planning agreement made                under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1990, which                requires that, as part of a development scheme, an area of land is to be                protected and managed for the purpose of conserving its biodiversity interest,                or providing a natural amenity, or it is required to be provided and managed in                compensation for, or mitigation of, the effects on biodiversity interests arising                from the development scheme.

          e) the land is entered into an Environmental Stewardship scheme, a Countryside               Stewardship Scheme, an Environmentally Sensitive Areas scheme, the               Habitat Scheme, Single Payment Scheme, Woodland Grant Scheme, or the               English Woodland Grant Scheme and the terms of the agreement include the               management and/or improvement of the land for biodiversity.

2)  Are there any grants available to help me?

      There are a number of grants available to support landowners and land       managers wishing to conserve or improve the biodiversity interests of their       land. These include:

          a) The Environmental Stewardship Scheme administered by Natural England                including the Entry Level, Organic Level and Higher Level Stewardship                schemes.

          b) The English Woodlands Grant Scheme administered by the Forestry                Commission.

          c) The Single Payment Scheme administered by Defra.

          d) The English Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative capital grants                administered by defra.

          e) Discretionary grants from local authorities. Contact your local council                 biodiversity conservation officer or countryside management officer.