Biodiversity

	photo by Phill Clayton

What is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth and includes all species of plants and animals and the natural systems that support them. Biodiversity describes our natural wealth, which makes up the living landscape around us, sustains ecological systems and enhances our quality of life. It is an important component of the view from our window, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the materials and medicenes we use, and the functioning of natural systems and processes on which our lives depend.

International Biodiversity Day
This annual event has been appointed by the United Nations to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. The 2008 theme is Biodiversity and Agriculture which seeks to highlight the importance of sustainable agriculture not only to preserve biodiversity, but also to ensure that we will be able to feed the world, maintain agricultural livelihoods, and enhance human well being into the 21st century and beyond. For more information go to the Convention on Biodiversity website.

What you can do locally for Biodiversity
A handy list of things to do to help biodiversity at the local level has been compiled by the Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) Steering Group. Download this from the link below:

Do One Thing

You can find out much more about the Local Biodiversity Action Plan on the Warwickshire County Council website.

For further information please contact the Planning Policy team on 01789 260337, by emailing planning@stratford-dc.gov.uk, or by fax on 01789 260306.