PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Environmental management systems such as EMAS and ISO 14001 are used by industry to set objectives and monitor progress towards environmental targets of legislative compliance and resources use but they do not consider site biodiversity. There is no industrial culture of proactive biodiversity management but industry and local authorities are becoming aware that there is a need for an industrial management system that considers biodiversity. Such a system would be of direct benefit to industry and enhance the planning capability of local authorities controlling clusters of industries and derelict industrial sites. Sustainable biodiversity management has established proven benefits to companies in the United States. The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) is a non-profit organisation that has been the main driving force in stimulating interest among American companies to manage their wildlife habitats. Participation is voluntary and, if successful, a WHC accreditation certificate is issued. However, a structured approach to biodiversity planning that involves implementation of action plans and regular auditing is required.
OBJECTIVES
Wildlife habitat management standards exist for defining management objectives and implementation strategies on nature reserves. The Countryside Management System (CMS) is a computer-formatted system developed and promoted by the CMS Partnership of government agencies and non-government organisations for operating project-based nature site management plans and audit. Within CMS, agreed objectives and working targets are converted to action projects. The planning-action cycle is then evaluated by comparing achievements with strategic objectives. CMS is the UK professional standard for databasing biodiversity management but is currently not structured for industrial use. The project aimed to adapt CMS software for industrial use with biodiversity records and industrial management information from the Du Pont pilot study. The CMS Partnership Support Group (CMSP), which is responsible for software development and quality control of the management plans, was a partner in the project with the University of Ulster. Biodiversity Action on Industrial Sites - BAIS - aimed to provide a structured approach to biodiversity planning that involves implementation of action plans and regular auditing by developing a structured set of guidelines for a more long-term approach to biodiversity management. To date, eight contrasting industries are involved in the project as partners with demonstration sites. The project aimed to demonstrate how industrial sites could make a significant contribution to national and local biodiversity action plans by implementing site based biodiversity management, using a structured environmental management system compatible with ISO 14000 or EMAS. The expected outcomes would include: software and a training package for biodiversity management system on industrial and local authority sites; and 8 contrasting demonstration projects. The outputs from the project were planned to contribute to the development of sustainable business practices in the European Union to: - demonstrate a method of implementing sustainable biodiversity, mediated by iCMS on eight industrial sites - develop training materials for iCMS - disseminate the benefits to industrial competitiveness and local authority strategic planning arising from sustainable biodiversity management.
RESULTS
Management plans were produced for all of the partner sites. These plans were to form the basis of continuing habitat management actions on the partner sites for a five year period. In phase 1 of the project, CMS software was to be adapted for industrial use with biodiversity records and industrial management information from the Du Pont pilot study. A CMS site management plan was to be constructed and the industrial response, cost-effectiveness and socio-economic benefits would be monitored and evaluated. The methods and industrial experiences gained were then to be promoted through sectoral seminars. An interactive training package would also be created. Key personnel would be trained, thus ensuring continuous improvement in environmental performance. These two training elements would form a key part of the dissemination of the project results. The new version of the CMS software, CMS2000, has been completed and all partners were given CMS2000 programmes and tutorial discs for installation. A CMSP (CMS Partnership Support Group) installation helpdesk is also now available. Management plans have been transferred to CMS2000 data files. All sites now have GIS site maps in ARCINFO, which will be able to provide a visual user interface to the management system. While considerable time and effort was directed at simplifing the plan writing process, it was concluded that biodiversity management plans (BMP), which are detailed enough to allow reliable direction of management activities, will be large documents. However, the strength of a computer mediated management system is that it provides only the information needed, as and when it is needed. Experience has demonstrated the need to support and encourage continuing management commitment to the use of the system, particularly in the first year when the positive outcomes have not reached "the bottom line". To facilitate this, two new BAIS products were developed. - a short Conservation Strategy Document (CSD), which will be a public statement of the conservation policy and key biodiversity objectives for the site. - a simplified industrial biodiversity action plan (iBAP), expressing in less than 10 pages the key proposed actions. An iBAP does not contain enough information to operate a management programme, but it does provide easy reference to the range of projects possible or planned. It is intended as a source of information for stakeholders - employees, managers, regulatory bodies, local authorities and community groups. As BAIS results moved from a relatively closed academic relationship into the open public arena, greater awareness was focused on the possibility of management and legal issues, which will need to be considered. Several partners have required that these potentially publicily available documents need to be cleared at a corporate level by management and by company solicitors, adding an unanticipated delay to the production schedule. The project has achieved most of its objectives. Final outputs delivered include:- - an electronic industrial conservation management system (iCMS) based on the Conservation (originally called Countryside) Management System (CMS, 1996 ) widely used in management planning for nature reserves and protected areas and developed using pilot studies on 9 sites; - a comprehensive guide to using this system; - 9 Biodiversity Management Plans for 9 discrete sites reflecting a wide range of industrial uses. These outputs provided: - a more structured, cost effective, approach to biodiversity management; - improved system/capacity to document biodiversity gains - demonstration of a BAIS methodology to facilitate industrial-local community partnerships in both planning and execution. Examples of habitat management made under the BAIS programme and listed in the final technical report were: “- Mowing was initiated in high quality ungrazed species-rich grassland developing to scrub. The objective was to reduce the loss of small herb species and integrate management with industrial grass-cutting operations. - Natural tree regeneration regimes were introduced to diversify scrub habitat composition and age-structure and to screen industrial structures. - Ground-water levels were stabilised to remediate mire habitats and provide a safety buffer against materials spills. - Plant pest species such as Japanese knot-weed and eucalyptus were identified and targeted for eradication to prevent spread and reduce fire hazards. - Spoil remediation was carried out to create lime-rich lagoons as marsh and bird habitat. - Herbicide use around industrial structures was rationalised. - Tenant farmers were asked to carry out agri-environment measures to encourage wildlife.”
