England’s Biodiversity Strategy
– the Role of Education and
Public Understanding
FACE Briefing Five
Context
The England Biodiversity Strategy called ‘Working
with the grain of nature’ was published by Defra in
2002. It takes stock of progress and sets out a
work programme for the next five years.
The aim of the strategy is to ensure:
 A halting and if possible a reversal, of
declines in priority habitats and species,
with wild species and habitats as part of a
healthy functioning ecosystems
 The general acceptance of biodiversity’s
essential role in enhancing the quality of
life, with its conservation becoming a
natural consideration in all relevant public,
private and non-governmental decisions
and policies
Agriculture is identified as one of the five key
sectors and is recognised as being the most
significant potential deliverer of biodiversity in
England. The Government’s overall programme of
action builds on current developments such as the
Strategy for Sustainable Food & Farming and the
review of agri-environment schemes. The main
themes for the programme for action are:
 Retention and good condition of seminatural habitats
 Appropriate land management techniques
that benefit semi-natural habitats
 Preservation, management, restoration,
creation and joining up of semi-natural
habitats
 A halt and positive management of
farmland features of value to wildlife
 A sustained increase in the biodiversity
value of agriculture productive land
 Best environmental practice to limit the
incidental impact on biodiversity
The role of Education & Public
Understanding within the Strategy
The strategy recognises the role of education &
public understanding and states that people
should:
 Be aware of biodiversity locally, in
England and worldwide
 Understand that most of these issues
affect them and be aware of their role
 Understand the close link between the
quality of the natural environment and the
quality of life, personal, social, economic
 Be more knowledgeable about biodiversity
so they can appreciate it and act to
safeguard it
However, the work programme is the most vague
section in all of the strategy. This is inevitable
given the breadth and scope of education,
communications and public awareness activity.
The Education & Public Awareness
Group
The EPU Group met for the first time in March
2003. The intention is that the initial group, which
includes FACE, will act as a nucleus of a much
wider group that works across sectors and various
target groups.
The EPU work programme will develop activities in
its own right such as baselines, research and
evaluation but it will also support the other workstreams.
This need for integration into the work plans of the
agriculture group means that FACE is the lead-link
organisation responsible for working with others to
develop and deliver a specific education and
public understanding action plan for this sector.
Implications
The challenge is to demonstrate that all the
agricultural organisations with an interest in
biodiversity education can collectively provide
more effective experiences and reach a wider
audience.
Ideas for achieving this include:
 Establishing a coalition of groups
 Surveying what individual organisations or
existing initiatives are already doing.
 Planning additional activity to raise
greater awareness and understanding
e.g. hold a biodiversity week.
 Extending opportunities for people to
experience biodiversity at first hand
through outdoor experiences.
July 2003