Assessment of Biodiversity at the Local Scale for Environmental Impact Assessment and Land-use Planning

This paper examines approaches to biodiversity assessment for environmental impact assessment in the context of an increasing emphasis on the conservation of biodiversity beyond the confines of protected sites, and the role of ecosystem services in sustainable development. The paper argues that while the matrix approach adopted in the UK for environmental impact assessment has some value in providing a consistent national framework, for ecological impact assessments it lacks sensitivity and focuses attention on notified sites and species. It therefore under-values those ecological resources at local scales. Three case studies are briefly considered where evaluation employed local assessment criteria, including an appraisal of the impacts on ecosystem integrity and the functioning of ecological networks. Attention is drawn to the importance of national and local biodiversity action plan habitats and species where trend data provide one of the key criteria for inclusion in the action plans and the England Biodiversity List. Evaluations based on the presence of such habitats and species need to take ecological and geographical context into account.