Biodiversity Action Plan
Our Biodiversity Action Plan explains our plans for managing and leveraging local biodiversity to support and enhance the quality of life and economy in Swale.
What is biodiversity?
'Biodiversity' refers to the full range life found in a geographical area. It includes visible life such as vegetation and animals, through to the invertebrates in the soil, mosses, fungi, and even life you can't see, such as bacteria and viruses.
Why does biodiversity matter?
Most people would agree that wild animals and plants are important in their own right. But their existence is often supported by the smaller elements of the local biodiversity in a complex web of interrelationship. Biodiversity therefore contributes to our economy, supports our society and improves our quality of life.
If we ignore biodiversity in Swale, we risk environmental, economic and spiritual loss. Protecting and enhancing biodiversity helps to ensure that current and future residents have opportunities to maintain and improve their physical and mental wellbeing. To that end the Council (in partnership) produces a document called the Swale Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP).
What is the Swale BAP?
Swale BAP is intended to provide a sound basis for local action to conserve, protect and enhance the biodiversity of the Borough.
Some of our local habitats are recognised as being of national and even international importance, while other areas are recognised as important at county level. They support a countless number of wild species noted as being rare or threatened in the UK.