Strategic Planning for Wildlife and People

If you want a carefully planned strategic programme, integrated across environmental, social, economic and political agendas, rather than piecemeal nature conservation, then you need comprehensive information on the locations, extents and quality of your nature conservation sites. Only in this way can all the permutations of a strategy and its implications for wildlife and people be identified and considered. We at Penny Anderson Associates Ltd. (PAA) has extensive experience of collecting, of collating, analysing and reporting on the evidence base for just these occasions.

There are different scales at which wildlife conservation can be planned. This can vary from local to national or international level. The product can be a plan and mechanism for its implementation, or guidelines and policies for others to adopt.

Strategic Planning for Wildlife
We have conducted a wide range of ecological audits throughout the country, including large estates, entire administrative regions, towns, cities, National Parks, single land types (i.e. all common land) within a region or borough, and multiple holdings held by a single business. The resulting strategies have evaluated the nature conservation, landscape, amenity, recreation and environmental education interests, where relevant, and presented clear objectives for strategic planning (including green infrastructure strategies), habitat creation, land acquisition, further research priorities, and additional information needs.

We have extensive, proven expertise in Opportunity Mapping and the design of Green Infrastructure Strategies and will provide concise, practical guidance on their successful planning and implementation.

Nature Conservation Strategies and Ecological Audits for District Councils
Several nature conservation strategies were prepared for District Councils (Gloucester City, Telford New Town and Stoke-on-Trent). These involved habitat surveying and evaluation, integration of existing data, site grading and preparation of the strategy including justification, policy areas and implementation. More recently we have conducted biodiversity audits for several Local Authorities (Salford, Cheshire West & Chester, The Wirral, Cheshire East, Cannock and Hull) as evidence based material for the preparation of Local Development Frameworks and Supplementary Planning Documents.

Biodiversity Planning for Natural England
PAA co-authored the Unitary Development Plan guidelines on nature conservation (with Halcrow Fox Associates), and recently prepared more specific ones for incorporating heathland into urban development. In 1993 we produced a review of Nature Conservation Strategies with recommendations for implementing them. This was subsequently published by English Nature (now Natural England).

For more details on our services relating to strategic planning for wildlife and people, please contact us