Biodiversity Delivery Areas in Somerset

The South West Nature Map was developed to show the best areas to maintain and expand terrestrial wildlife habitats at a landscape scale.  It identifies where most of the major biodiversity concentrations are found and where targets to maintain, restore and re-create wildlife might be best met. Nature Map is made up of ‘Strategic Nature Areas’.

More recently, biodiversity partnerships in the South West used the Nature Map as a basis for development of Biodiversity Delivery Areas. The Somerset extract of the Biodiversity Delivery Areas map has been selected by the Somerset Biodiversity Partnership. Boundaries shown are indicative only.

These are a spatial representation of where local biodiversity partnerships believe landscape scale conservation and ecosystem recovery efforts should be directed over the next five years.

The BDAs were developed to meet the following three key underlying criteria to guide future delivery in these areas:

• Will the project deliver a priority BAP habitat that the South West is best placed to deliver nationally?
• How does the proposed initiative contribute to / fit in with delivery of other social and economic 'public goods' in the landscape?
• How does the proposed initiative address and put into practice climate change adaptation?

They represent the landscape scale approach for conserving wildlife, which looks beyond single habitats and species and nature reserves to the wider landscape. These areas contain a range of different land uses and have the potential to deliver a range of public benefits such as flood alleviation, carbon capture or food production.

However they are not intended to be a planning constraint or include all important BAP habitats.  They represent the knowledge of the SBP in 2010 and further landscape scale projects may emerge.  

Further information on what BDAs are, how they were developed and are being delivered, as well as the Nature Map, can be found on the Biodiversity South West website. Collaborations are essential to deliver BDA aims - if you can help please contact the links for the Somerset BDA's here.