Biodiversity Report 2026

3.0 Consideration of Other Policies and Strategies

Content

3.1. Introduction

Section 3 identifies those strategies and policies likely to influence the council’s future actions, primarily through the development of a Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

3.2. UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2025-2030)

Published in 2025, the UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) established national actions to address biodiversity loss in the UK, Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies up to 2030. Effectively, the UK NBSAP sets out, with targets, how the UK will achieve the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) targets. These link to the 13 statutory targets provided in the Environment Act (2021) which link to the Environmental Improvement Plan for England: the basis for halting biodiversity loss by 2030, together with achieving protection of 30% of land by 2030 (30by30).

A future Oxford City Council Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan should be guided by the UK National Biodiversity Strategy, whilst setting out how the council’s activities contribute to UK level biodiversity objectives and actions.

3.3. Environment Improvement Plan (2025-2043)

At national level the Environment Improvement Plan (2025) establishes the government plan in England for the restoration of nature, improvement of environmental quality linked to security, the circular economy and access to nature. The Plan sets out government goals and actions until 2043; with the plan being based upon the interim targets to reach the statutory ones framed by the Environment Act 2021. The EIP does not directly provide policy at a local authority level, but it does provide an indication of where council biodiversity policy can develop.

Goal 1 deals with restored nature. Goals 2, 3 and 4 revolve around environmental quality, with Goals 5 and 6 focusing on the Circular Economy. Environmental Security is dealt with by goals 7, 8 and 9, with access being addressed by Goal 10. Overall, the EIP establishes national activities to meet international commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity (updated by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework), together with the overall UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (see Section 3.2).

The EIP (2025) is likely to influence local authority social and economic policy. In respect to biodiversity a concern of the EIP is that biodiversity loss could in-turn reduce national GDP. The EIP recognises the importance of the Biodiversity Duty and the requirement on public bodies to conserve and enhance biodiversity through land management, policy making and decision taking which forms the basis of the local planning system. The EIP also identifies the related regulation -driven compliance market established by Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) as an investment framework to increase biodiversity. BNG being integrated into Oxford’s planning process and recognised in our Local Plan, with applications reviewed on the basis for ensuring measurable BNG contributions by developers are incorporated into relevant developments. The EIP also recognises the importance of protecting statutory sites along with the appropriate management of Nature Reserves and aligned sites for biodiversity.

The EIP identifies the need for “competitively priced and high-quality biodiversity units” to be available to enable BNG to develop and ensure 10% net gain. In doing so it emphasises the need for off-site BNG/ habitat bank opportunities. The plan also identifies the opportunity to promote biodiversity through restoration of public woodland sites, including ancient woodland and plantations. The EIP also hints at future species targets, which may evolve from the NERC (2006) Section 41 principal species of conservation importance list. It may be possible to adopt local targets based upon Section 41 species that occur within Oxford.

The EIP links loss of biodiversity to adverse impacts from air quality on soils and woodlands due to higher nitrogen conditions. The link between air quality and biodiversity may enable co-ordination of biodiversity and air quality actions at a local level. The issue has been raised within planning reviews, particularly within areas adjacent to wildlife sites within Oxford. The EIP also identifies the importance of non-peat habitats as carbon stores to alleviate impacts as part of climate mitigation. These include habitats present in Oxford such as species rich grasslands, floodplain mosaic habitats, hedgerows and scrub. The development of non-peat carbon stores at a local level may be a basis for local carbon capture initiatives.

A link is made by the EIP between managing heat in urban areas and biodiversity using urban greening to mitigate extreme heat. The approach emphasises the need to co-ordinate existing tree/ woodland and future biodiversity initiatives with heat management of the city (see Section 2.7). Similarly, biodiversity restoration can be part of flood management. Initiatives to promote biodiversity restoration could have the added advantage of local flood alleviation. Overall, there are opportunities to link biodiversity restoration with climate mitigation and resilience for Oxford.

3.4. Making Space for Nature: The Lawton Report (2010)

Although now 16 years old, it is recognised that although “after a decade, many reports become outdated, but the main conclusions of the Lawton report have stood the test of time and been supported by recent research. Perhaps because of this, the report continues to inform government current policy.” [footnotei]

Making Space for Nature: the Lawton Report[footnoteii] was an independent review of wildlife sites in England and the connections between them. The report emphasised the need for a connected and resilient ecological network in England, with a need for “more, bigger, better and joined” spaces for nature.

The report identified three tiers of statutory and non-statutory designations that protect and manage wildlife as part of an ecological network:

  • Tier 1 - Sites whose primary purpose is nature conservation and which have a high level of protection either due to their statutory status or to their ownership: Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Ramsar Sites, Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), and Special Protection Areas(SPA)
  • Tier 2 - Sites designated for their high biodiversity value but which do not receive full statutory protection: County Wildlife Sites, Ancient Woodlands.
  • Tier 3 – Areas designated for landscape, culture and/ or recreation and with wildlife conservation included in their statutory purpose: National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

In addition to these Tiers, the report also identified other important components of the ecological network such as priority habitat (now principal habitat of conservation importance) farmland and woodland, the green belt, rivers, country and municipal parks, urban green space, church yards, allotments and private gardens. These could contribute to the core tiers of the ecological network by providing:

  • connections between core ecological patches
  • habitats for species that range outside of wildlife sites
  • buffering and reducing pressure on the network of wildlife sites

Whilst recognising urbanisation leads to biodiversity loss, Lawton emphasised the important role these sites and linear features (verges, hedges, line of trees) and stepping stone (ponds, small woods) could play, including in towns and cities like Oxford. Importantly, urban areas and transport infrastructure are recognised by the report as presenting obstacles to wildlife dispersal, whilst gardens and allotments play a role as havens for wildlife. The report indicates that a city like Oxford, in comparison to other urban areas, is unusual in having Tier 1 sites close to urbanisation.

Given the inclusion of Core Tier wildlife sites within Oxford, use of surrounding areas for connectivity, extending species range and buffering could be the basis for further biodiversity policies and actions within Oxford.

The report also identified the vulnerability of sites from indirect pollution impacts derived from diffuse nitrogen (from burning of fossil fuels) threatening low-nutrient soil plant communities and water bodies.

Policy/ strategy development should consider if air pollution policies and initiatives can be integrated/ co-ordinated with those for biodiversity conservation within Oxford.

A key recommendation from Lawton was the establishment of Ecological Restoration Zones (ERZ) by consortia of local authorities, communities and landowners. This provided a policy basis for the development of initiatives such as Local Nature Recovery Strategies (see Section 3.8). The report recognised that the restoration and recovery of biodiversity should include urban areas for the benefit of wildlife and people.

Policy development should demonstrate co-ordination with the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the benefit of wildlife and people.

The impact of the urban heat island effect was also recognised by the report, together with the mitigation that can be provided by urban green spaces, with substantial numbers of trees, to address climate change.

Strategies and policies should consider how habitat restoration can address climate change effects such as species/ habitat resilience, the urban heat island effect or urban barrier to range change species.

3.5. National Planning Policy Framework

UK Government’s The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is a periodically revised document which sets out the UK Government’s planning policies for England. The NPPF effectively guides local planning authority policy development (e.g. local development plans, master plans, etc.) with the current Oxford Adopted Development Plan (Local Plan) 2036 supporting and exceeding NPPF requirements (see Section 2.4). The current NPPF dates from December 2024 and contains 16 policy sections ranging from administrative plan and decision making through to sustainable transport and high-quality communications. Biodiversity policy is set out in Section 15; conserving and enhancing the natural environment, although there are related policies in respect to the Green Belt and ecosystem services (e.g. Section 14: Meeting the challenge of climate change, flooding and coastal change, Section 8 Promoting healthy and safe communities).

To conserve and enhance the natural environment, the NPPF requires local authority policies and decisions to protect and enhance sites of biodiversity, recognise the benefits from natural capital and ecosystem services, minimise impacts on and provide net gains for biodiversity (e.g. a policy basis to BNG), including establishing coherent ecological networks (e.g. the policy basis to LNRS) which are resilient to current and future pressures (e.g. climate change) which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats and hedgehogs (e.g. providing the policy basis to integrate with the requirement of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), the Habitats Regulations (2017) and Sections 40 and 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act (2006).

Section 15 also links biodiversity conservation to landscape, soil and geological features; together with guidance on agricultural land, trees and woodland; alongside pollution control and remediating and mitigating contaminated land.

Paragraph 188 sets out how protected sites, ecological networks and green infrastructure should be considered: Plans should: distinguish between the hierarchy of international, national and locally designated sites; allocate land with the least environmental or amenity value, where consistent with other policies in this Framework; take a strategic approach to maintaining and enhancing networks of habitats and green infrastructure; and plan for the enhancement of natural capital at a catchment or landscape scale across local authority boundaries.

Guidance to protect habitats and biodiversity in plans (e.g. local development plans and associated strategies) are set out in Paragraph 92:

To protect and enhance biodiversity and geodiversity, plans should:

  1. Identify, map and safeguard components of local wildlife-rich habitats and wider ecological networks, including the hierarchy of international, national and locally designated sites of importance for biodiversity[footnote3]; wildlife corridors and stepping stones that connect them; and areas identified by national and local partnerships for habitat management, enhancement, restoration or creation[footnote4]; and
  2. promote the conservation, restoration and enhancement of priority habitats, ecological networks and the protection and recovery of priority species; and identify and pursue opportunities for securing measurable net gains for biodiversity.

The significance of biodiversity (ecology) in influencing planning decisions is provided by the framework set out in Paragraph 193:

When determining planning applications, local planning authorities should apply the following principles:

  1. if significant harm to biodiversity resulting from a development cannot be avoided (through locating on an alternative site with less harmful impacts), adequately mitigated, or, as a last resort, compensated for, then planning permission should be refused;
  2. development on land within or outside a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and which is likely to have an adverse effect on it (either individually or in combination with other developments), should not normally be permitted. The only exception is where the benefits of the development in the location proposed clearly outweigh both its likely impact on the features of the site that make it of special scientific interest, and any broader impacts on the national network of Sites of Special Scientific Interest;
  3. development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats (such as ancient woodland and ancient or veteran trees) should be refused, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons[footnote5] and a suitable compensation strategy exists; and
  4. development whose primary objective is to conserve or enhance biodiversity should be supported; while opportunities to improve biodiversity in and around developments should be integrated as part of their design, especially where this can secure measurable net gains for biodiversity or enhance public access to nature where this is appropriate.

It should be noted that government is currently consulting (2026) on a revision of the NPPF and that local authorities may need to revise associated planning and decision making as necessary during the next 5 years. Oxford City Council has also embarked on the preparation of a new local development plan.

3.6. Natural Environment & Rural Communities (NERC) Act (2006)

The NERC Act (2006) is a key piece of legislation in the UK that aims to protect and enhance the natural environment and rural communities. Sections 40 and 41 of the Act place a legal responsibility on public authorities to conserve and enhance biodiversity. Section 40 requires public authorities to have regard to the purpose of conserving and enhancing biodiversity, while Section 41 provides a list of habitats and species of principal importance for the conservation of biodiversity in England. These sections are crucial for ensuring that public authorities are aware of and act on the importance of biodiversity conservation in their areas (the Biodiversity Duty).

3.7. Green Infrastructure Framework Standards

The Natural England Green Infrastructure Framework Principles and Standards for England sets out best practice for planning and development; together with management of parks and greenspaces. The aim being to create healthier, sustainable and resilient communities, which bring people together with nature. The Green Infrastructure Framework provides guidance and tools to support the development of high-quality green spaces. These are based around a series of standards for infrastructure, greenspace, urban nature recovery, urban greening and trees. Use of these standards is guided by a planning and design guide, supported by tools and mapping.

The Green Infrastructure Framework provides a possible basis for developing a Biodiversity Strategy and associated Action Plan for Oxford.

3.8. Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Local Nature Recovery Strategies are regional strategies to prioritise recovery of biodiversity. Originally established by the Environment Act 2021, the strategies echo a key recommendation of the Making Space for Nature Report (2010) for ERZs (see above). The Oxfordshire (LNRS) is a partnership of district councils Oxford City Council, community groups and wildlife charities, statutory agencies, landowner and business representatives, National Landscape bodies (previously ANOBs) and academic institutions led by Oxfordshire County Council.[footnote6]

The purpose of the LNRS is to:

  • describe and map important nature recovery actions developed through local engagement.
  • target actions in locations where they are most needed and where those actions could provide the best environmental outcomes as well as wider benefits.
  • help to join up national efforts to reverse the decline of biodiversity.

With the structure of the LNRS built around four key elements:

Local Habitat Map: Shows locations which have the greatest potential benefit to biodiversity and the wider environment (including ecosystem services) if the habitats of these locations are created and/ or enhanced. The map advises appropriate areas for investment for nature recovery. Key areas displayed by the map are the locations for core biodiversity: the existing areas of particular importance to biodiversity; and, locations with potential to become areas of particular importance for biodiversity (i.e. potential areas for intervention).

Mapping shows that the focus of existing and potential areas for biodiversity importance centres upon and surrounding the Rivers Thames and Cherwell; together with the northwestern part of the City, centring on the SSSIs and the SACs of the area to the west of the Thames.   Additionally, the eastern side of Oxford has isolated areas, with a potential corridor centred upon the area between Iffley meadows, Florence Park, Cowley Marsh Recreation Ground, Lye Valley and the Boundary Brook.

The Local Habitat Map provides a basis to develop a strategic approach via corridors and stepping stones to increase biodiversity, whilst enabling connectivity and landscape porosity to species, particularly those suffering range adjustment due to climate change

Statement of Biodiversity Priorities: Following the enabling of LNRS under the Environment Act (2021), authorities across England were asked by Government to develop Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) for publication in 2025. The Environment Act indicated that the LNRS should include a written statement of biodiversity priorities that must include:

  • a description of the strategy area and its biodiversity (which can be found as one of our key LNRS documents called the ‘Description of Strategy Area’)
  • a description of the opportunities for recovering or enhancing biodiversity in the strategy area
  • the priorities for recovering or enhancing biodiversity (found within this document, taking into account the contribution that this can also make to other environmental benefits)
  • proposals for potential measures relating to those priorities (found within this document. The potential measures which are specific to particular species can be found on the LNRS ‘Species Priorities List’).

The Oxfordshire LNRS Statement of Biodiversity Priorities sets out priorities for biodiversity that are of great importance to achieve locally and indicates which wider benefits could be achieved. The ‘priorities’ are the outcomes that collectively, would result in the recovery of nature across Oxfordshire. Each priority, listed below, has a set of ‘potential measures’ with them which are the actions that need to be taken to achieve the priority outcome.[footnoteiii]

Priorities are included for connectivity and boundaries, grassland and scrub, heathland, mixed habitats (wood pasture, parkland, orchards, open mosaic), woodlands, rivers, streams, ponds, standing water and wetlands, deadwood, hedgerows/ hedgerow trees and invasive species. Within each priority area there are further priorities for:

  • Enhancing condition of existing designated sites and irreplaceable habitats
  • Improve connectivity and reduce fragmentation of habitats
  • Creation of wildlife friendly boundaries
  • Creation, enhancement and management of species rich habitats
  • Management of road verges for wildflowers
  • Improve the abundance and range species that need specific additional potential measures
  • Creation of more, large, connected and functioning areas of ecosystems

The Statement also makes links to other issues associated with Ecosystem Services such as carbon storage, flood and erosion protection, recreation, etc. which are further described in Appendix A of the statement.

Priorities do include consideration of urban habitats, with Priority 38 stating: Enhance and create more, connected, habitats and spaces for nature in Oxfordshire's villages, towns, and cities to make biodiversity and a connection with nature part of daily life (at home, at work, and in parks and gardens) and to realise the wider benefits of nature in urban areas such as urban cooling, reduce surface water run-off and cleaner air.

Making a link to connectivity (in all senses) and ecosystem services within urban cityscapes. The priority is further developed under Priority 39: Build more awareness of biodiversity and enable more people to join and engage with habitat enhancement, creation, and education initiatives so that more people in Oxfordshire are connected with nature and feel more able to act as stewards for Oxfordshire’s current and future environment.

Priority 40 also links to planning decision enhancements and BNG which benefit species priorities (see below) by: Improve the abundance and range of species that need specific additional potential measures within, and around, settlements, people, and buildings.

Species Priority List: Sets out species that need targeted help for recovery across Oxfordshire. Such assistance includes habitat management, reintroduction/ translocation and actions to reduce threats or pressures to species. The species list includes: amphibians, birds, butterflies/ moths, fish, crustaceans and molluscs, fungi and lichens, insects and spiders, mammals, reptiles, together with plants, flowers and trees. The list is based on priorities for Oxfordshire as a whole, so there is likely to be a need to identify those relevant to the Oxford City area as part of the development of an Oxford Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

Description of the Strategy Area: provides a focus for urban areas within a wider Oxfordshire. The description provides an urban policy basis where urban related actions seek to increase biodiversity within villages, towns and cities through enabling local communities to make a case for nature recovery projects linked to mitigate heat and manage water and flood risk. These link to specific projects such as increasing the number of street trees, incorporation of green roofs, establishing wildlife friendly gardens and green spaces, together with wildlife enhancements such as bird boxes, swift bricks and hedgehog houses. Opportunity areas within urban landscapes are identified within the LNRS Local Habitat Map.

Consideration should be given to provision of wildlife enhancements within council activities, interventions and strategies to deliver wildlife enhancements across the city.

Actions to integrate opportunity areas (particularly wildlife corridors) across the city to link with wider Oxfordshire should be considered.

3.9. Species Conservation Strategies

Within England, Natural England operates a range of species conservation strategies. These include:

  • Species Recovery Programme: Focuses on England’s most threatened species with the aim of reducing extinction risk to 2022 levels by 2042. The aim being recovery of vulnerable species.
  • Favourable Conservation Status Strategies: Aims to improve the status of species throughout their natural range. The strategies encompass single species, groups of habitats or a specific geographical area. The strategies can act as a guide to local authorities for relevant species.
  • Threatened Species Recovery Actions: Individual species action plans that prioritise actions for species requiring targeted recovery. The plans can be used

Review and application of the Species Conservation Strategies and LNRS Species Priority List (see Section 3.8) could provide a guide to relevant species that should be included within a Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for Oxford.

3.10. Great Crested Newt District Licence and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

NatureSpace was established in 2018 to improve the conservation status of Greta Crested Newts by providing a system of conservation within the planning and development framework. Work is based upon a District Licensing System that Oxford City Council is part of. This includes mapping of sites within the City that have sensitivity for great crested newts. The council already takes account and participates in the District Licensing System.

With the introduction of BNG in 2024, users of the District Licence scheme can also benefit from the integrated Biodiversity Net Gain Package managed by NatureSpace and the Newt Conservation Partnership. Based on the DEFRA approach of “stacking”[footnote7] other environmental benefits onto BNG units, benefits from restoring/ creating great crested newt habitat can now be included in BNG proposals.  More information on this can be found on the NatureSpace website.

The use of stacking or other methods of integrating species recovery within BNG proposals should be examined within the development of the proposed Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for Oxford, particularly in respect to the LNRS Priority Species (Section 3.8) and Species Conservation Strategies (Section 3.9).

Footnotes

3. Circular 06/2005 provides further guidance in respect of statutory obligations for biodiversity and geological conservation and their impact within the planning system. Return to where footnote 3 is referenced ↩

4. Where areas that are part of the Nature Recovery Network are identified in plans, it may be appropriate to specify the types of development that may be suitable within them. Return to where footnote 4 is referenced ↩

5. For example, infrastructure projects (including nationally significant infrastructure projects, orders under the Transport and Works Act and hybrid bills), where the public benefit would clearly outweigh the loss or deterioration of habitat. Return to where footnote 5 is referenced ↩

6. The partnership is: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, Cherwell District Council , Chilterns National Landscape, Community Action Groups (CAG) Oxfordshire, Cotswolds National Landscape, Country Land and Business Association (CLA), Environment Agency (EA), Forestry Commission (FC), National Farmers Union (NFU), Natural England (NE), North Wessex Downs National Landscape, Oxfordshire Local Nature Partnership (OLNP), Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), South Oxfordshire District Council, Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC), University of Oxford (departments and institutes included the Oxford Martin School, the Agile initiative, the Environmental Change Institute, and the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery), Vale of the White Horse District Council, West Oxfordshire District Council, Wild Oxfordshire. Return to where footnote 6 is referenced ↩

7. Previously applied to nutrient mitigation. Return to where footnote 7 is referenced ↩

i. Making Space for Nature - 10 years on - Natural England accessed 10/02/2026. Return to where footnote i is referenced ↩

ii. Lawton, J.H., Brotherton, P.N.M., Brown, V.K., Elphick, C., Fitter, A.H., Forshaw, J., Haddow, R.W., Hilborne, S., Leafe, R.N., Mace, G.M., Southgate, M.P., Sutherland, W.J., Tew, T.E., Varley, J., & Wynne, G.R. (2010) Making Space for Nature: a review of England’s wildlife sites and ecological network. Report to Defra. Return to where footnote ii is referenced ↩

iii. Statement of Biodiversity Priorities, Oxfordshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy, Final Version, November 2025 p.3. Return to where footnote iii is referenced ↩

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