Download Memorandum by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Memorandum by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee
1.
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is the statutory adviser to Government
on UK and international nature conservation, on behalf of the Council for Nature
Conservation and the Countryside, the Countryside Council for Wales, Natural England and
Scottish Natural Heritage. The JNCC‟s work contributes to maintaining and enriching
biological diversity, conserving geological features and sustaining natural systems.
2.
We welcome the opportunity to provide evidence to this RCEP study on matters relevant to
our statutory remit. We stand ready to provide additional support and advice to the Royal
Commission on Environmental Pollution on climate policy and the conservation of
biodiversity, as required.
Adapting the UK to Climate Change
3.
The natural environment is an integral part of the climate system, it is both affected by and
effects climate globally and locally. To implement effective adaptation measure in the UK
account of both needs to be taken.
4.
Whatever efforts are made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, past emissions mean that
several decades of climate change are inevitable. Adaptation to unavoidable climate
change is therefore essential. It will also be important to limit other drivers of biodiversity
loss if climate impacts are to be minimised.
5.
A considerable body of theory on climate change adaptation in the UK has been developed
and is on-going. The real challenge is to put into practice developing theories and concepts,
and to build on lessons learnt from such action. The UK Biodiversity Partnership principles1
set out a common agenda of objectives for adaptation for action by all those involved in
implementing the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. The England Biodiversity Partnership has
developed this into a wider set of principles. Putting this into practice will require further
work on what adaptation should look like, and how to monitor implemented adaptations.
6.
There is an inherent natural capacity within habitats to adapt to change and therefore
adaptation measures should seek to work with these processes.
7.
It is important adaptation measures take an holistic, cross-sectoral approach bringing
together different sectors. Taking an integrated approach to action may result in mutual
benefits by reducing emissions, climate change impacts and biodiversity loss. The crossGovernment Adaptation Policy Framework currently being developed is welcomed as it
should address these issues.
8.
It is important to determine the risks and opportunities for biodiversity conservation from
adaptation to climate change over the short to medium term. This will require a balanced
consideration of social, economic and environmental issues. Although, biodiversity and
climate change policy could result in win-win solutions, in some cases politically difficult
trade-offs will be required. There is an urgent need to determine what trade-offs we are
prepared to accept for biodiversity It would be valuable to have more explicit evidence of
the benefits for biodiversity that adaptation can deliver for other sectors, e.g. agriculture,
forestry and fisheries. There is certainly a need for evidence linking biodiversity impacts
with economic and social impacts to strengthen the case for adaptation measures.
1
Conserving biodiversity in a changing climate: guidance on building capacity to adapt
http://www.ukbap.org.uk/Library/BRIG/CBCCGuidance.pdf
Ecosystem approach
9.
The JNCC advocates the use of the ecosystem approach in managing natural resources.
The core concept of the ecosystem approach is to integrate and manage the range of
demands that humans place on the environment, so it can indefinitely support essential
goods and services and provide benefits for all without deterioration of the natural
environment.
10.
The ecosystem approach places people squarely in the centre of environmental decision
making. Application of the ecosystem approach to policy making in the UK and
internationally encourages the valuation (including economic) of ecosystem goods and
services, taking change into account, including that arising from climate change. The
JNCC advocates use of the ecosystem approach to inform the development of climate
change policies, thereby stressing the interactions between societal choice, economic
valuation, incentives, ecosystem function and thresholds, and promoting the need for
adaptation.
11.
Within the UK there is an increasing awareness of the desirability of large-scale
approaches to nature conservation that aim to deliver functional ecosystems with extensive
areas of semi-natural habitat and greater connectivity for wildlife. Further assessment of
how this can be achieved is being undertaken. If landscape-scale adaptation for biodiversity
is to be achieved there is a need for dialogue with other sectors, in particular planning,
agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
Our Response to Questions Inviting Formal Written Evidence
Adaptation – General Questions
Definitions and terminology
Q1) The RCEP needs to have a clear view of the terms it should use for the study – is the IPCC
view of adaptation adequate (see Annex B)? Are there alternative views of adaptation to climate
change that the RCEP should be considering?
We believe the IPCC definition of adaptation is a suitable one, moreover it benefits from having
been agreed and used widely in the research and policy communities.
Range of climate change
Q2) There are several important factors when discussing climate change, which the RCEP
needs to understand for this study:
a) Over what time period should climate change be considered for the RCEP study – 2020,
2050, 2100, or some other time period?
Given the focus of this study is on present institutional capacity and the options available to modify
or update such capacity it would be prudent to look at the shorter timescale (to 2020) as this is
more likely to provide the impetus needed to bring about change. However, there should also be
acknowledgement of the need to consider longer time periods. For example by illustrating likely
trajectories of change linked to human life spans to show how change will affect people over time
and between generations.
b) What are the magnitude, rate and kinds of climate change impacts in the UK that the RCEP
study should be considering?
We believe that the UKCIP scenarios (low, medium and high) provide the best range of scenarios
for assessing climate change impacts in the UK. It is to be hoped that the forthcoming UKCIP08
report due for publication early next year will be available to the Commission for its consideration.
To date projections have tended to be conservative, underestimating the rate of change
subsequently observed. For this reason we believe it is important to include the more pessimistic
projections when looking at potential impacts.
Awareness of adaptation to climate change
Q3) The Royal Commission is interested in understanding the general level of awareness about
adapting to climate change. How would you describe:
a) The level of awareness that either you or your organisation has about the need to adapt to
climate change?
JNCC‟s awareness of the need for adaptation to climate change is high. As described in our preamble to this response, JNCC is a leading proponent of integrating understanding of major drivers
of environmental change in to policies and actions to conserve the natural environment. Climate
change is projected to be a major driver of biodiversity loss that, if left unchecked, will become the
main determinant of conservation action.
b) Your awareness of what could or should be done to enable the natural environment to
adapt to climate change;
JNCC‟s awareness of what could or should be done to enable the natural environment to adapt to
climate change is high. We have worked with UK country conservation agencies and NGOs to
develop robust approaches to this issue e.g. through the development of the UK BAP. We have
also worked with Government to provide advice on specific policies e.g. a statement on transport
biofuels2 and a programme of work to understand the UK global footprint3.
c) Your awareness of any actions (by the government or others) already planned or
underway, to adapt the natural environment to climate change.
JNCC is working with Defra and the UK country conservation agencies to develop actions that will
facilitate adaptation to climate change – e.g. through the development of common standard
monitoring for designated habitats and species. JNCC plans to work with partners to develop a
strategic view of appropriate action needed to manage terrestrial and freshwater environments for
nature conservation. As part of this overarching programme we aim to derive a definition of what
comprises an ecologically coherent and resilient landscape in a UK context and, use the findings
to suggest effective ways to adapt to and mitigate against expected climate change.
The relationship between adaptation and mitigation
The UK is committed to significant actions to mitigate climate change – what should be the
relationship between adaptation and mitigation actions for climate change?
Q4)
Mitigation and adaptation are intricately linked. In many cases climate change mitigation,
adaptation and biodiversity conservation will be complementary and mutually reinforcing. For
example, conservation of peatlands and forests as components of extensive semi-natural
ecosystems will protect vulnerable habitats and species, support climate change mitigation through
carbon storage and sequestration, and enhance resilience to the impacts of climate change, as
well as providing various other ecosystem services. However, successful implementation of this
approach will require appropriate financial structures to be put in place (e.g. paying farmers to
manage carbon) and a better understanding of the ecosystems being managed.
There are circumstances where climate change and biodiversity objectives are in conflict. For
example, there is good evidence that cultivation of certain biofuel feedstocks causes significant
damage to biodiversity (e.g. palm oil in south-east Asia). This highlights the need for a full impact
assessment to be undertaken for proposed mitigation and adaptation measures to ensure there
are no hidden negative consequences for biodiversity, the environment or society more widely.
Climate change in the broader context
Q5) Climate change is not the only major change that will take place over the coming years, or
the only issue of importance for the environment, and yet it is being used as a justification for many
decisions and actions.
a) In broad terms, what are the important non-climate changes (e.g. social, economic,
demographic, technological, cultural or other) that will interact with climate change to
facilitate or inhibit adaptation? (It may be useful to cross reference your answer with
your response to question 2a).
2
Transport Biofuels and Biodiversity - JNCC Position Statement. 2007. Peterborough.
www.jncc.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=4201
3
UK Global Influence: sustainable use of natural resources and global biodiversity. Project website:
www.ukglobalinfluence.org/index.cfm
Changes to societal choice e.g. increased concern for sustainable consumption and production,
although this might be ameliorated in at least the short-term by recession in the economy. A
change to global distribution of wealth is likely to affect trade and the demand for particular goods.
For example increasing wealth in China is leading to greater demand for protein. Efforts to meet
this new market demand could have severe impacts on the environment (through land use change,
increased GHG emissions from livestock, pollution from intensive agricultural production). The
development of second or third generation biofuel technology could have positive benefits – efforts
are needed to ensure that biofuel production leads to positive benefits for society and the
environment by undertaking full assessments of the biofuel production process.
b) When considering wider environmental priorities, what environmental goals may suffer if a
stronger climate change adaptation agenda is introduced?
Efforts to conserve biodiversity e.g. through implementation of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan,
include specific actions to safeguard habitats and their ability to function. Likely areas of conflict
arise when environmentally unsympathetic mechanisms are used to adapt to the effects of climate
change, for example hard engineering for both inland and coastal flood defence. A more
sustainable approach i.e. of benefit to all stakeholders, is likely to be derived from making use of
natural defences and working with the landscape to maintain functional ecosystems.
The recently produced Pitt Review4 of lessons learnt from the 2007 floods makes 92
recommendations, many of which focus on changing the way the environment is managed. The
primary aim is to protect people and property but there is one recommendation that calls for a
programme to achieve greater working with natural processes through Catchment Flood
Management Plans and Shoreline Management Plans.
How can the priority of adapting to climate change be increased as part of the
sustainable development agenda without detracting from other important issues?
Implementation of Defra‟s Ecosystem Action Plan is an important development towards ensuring a
coherent approach to adaptation action. The action plan recognises the natural environment is
vitally important, both for its intrinsic value and for the wide range of benefits it provides to people
and society. The plan recognises this is inextricably linked with climate change and can play a key
role in adaptation. This builds on principles set out elsewhere e.g. in planning guidance for
England: PPS1 Delivering Sustainable Development .
The Natural Environment
Throughout these questions, where the term „natural environment‟ is used, answers should refer to
the three exemplars (biodiversity, nature conservation and protected areas; sea-level and coastal
zones; freshwater).
Resilience of the natural environment
When planning what adaptive actions should be taken in order to increase the
resilience of the natural environment in the UK, the RCEP is interested to know:
Q6)
a) What form will this resilience take?
The behaviours of systems following biodiversity loss and thresholds for functioning have not been
fully identified. Whilst the necessary research continues to understand the process better a
number of guiding principles may be set out. Resilience is enhanced by diversity including species
4
The Pitt Review: Lessons learned from the 2007 floods.
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/thepittreview/final_report.aspx
diversity. To enable species to disperse through a landscape, and to move to more suitable
locations should their existing localities become unsuitable, requires elements of habitat
connectivity and landscape permeability to be in place. It has been shown experimentally that
physically connecting fragmented habitats or making the intervening habitat less hostile improves
dispersal for some species.
b) How resilient to climate change does the UK want the natural environment to be? How
resilient does it need to be to continue providing the services upon which society depends?
There is a lack of data and knowledge regarding the affect of changes on ecosystem function and
the role of biodiversity in the resilience of ecological-economic systems. Defining resilience and
setting thresholds is an area that would repay further, detailed research. Research needs are
further explored in a UK Biodiversity Research Advisory Group report5.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment6 presents a consensus on how to think about new ways of
investigating the effects of biodiversity loss on ecosystem processes at the larger scales for which
society requires answers, and highlights the need to improve our understanding of what really
underpins service delivery. The ecosystem processes, or functions which underpin these services,
need to be identified, and the strength of the relationship between biodiversity and these processes
established. This is a service-orientated approach to biodiversity conservation, rather than a
biodiversity-orientated one. JNCC is working with Defra through its Ecosystem Approach Action
Plan research work to develop better understanding of these processes JNCC will also be working
with Defra on its National Ecosystem Assessment.
c) To what extent is it possible to build in levels of resilience sufficient to deal with potentially
catastrophic events induced by climate change?
Catastrophic events are, by their nature infrequent events, and cannot be effectively modelled. To
gain some insight into how they operate requires application of risk analysis techniques. Given the
levels of uncertainty around the results of such analyses only very broad-brush guidance can be
given: the bottom line is likely to be preserve as much diversity within a system as possible as we
know, from previous experience, that the more complex a system is the better able it is to cope
with and recover from a catastrophic event. Observations in forests and plantations following the
„Great Storms‟ of the 1980s showed that areas of greater diversity of tree species composition and
of tree age structure, were more resilient to damage.
Natural responses and thresholds
Q7) The natural environment will respond to climate change in the absence of any human
interventions. When considering the adaptation of the natural environment, when might a “do
nothing” option be appropriate, whereby natural systems are left to respond without intervention?
There are some instances where the processes that might be thought of as adaptive for climate
change are also a feature of the natural system e.g. fluvial processes, soft rock cliff erosion, plant
growth forms, migratory movements. These process should be left to continue, without (excessive)
intervention.
In some instances a “do nothing” option may be seen as an option of last resort i.e. no measures
are available to either preserve a feature at its present site, facilitate its movement to another area
or to translocate it to a new area.
5
UK Biodiversity Research Advisory Group 2008. Research Needs Analysis for the Role of Biodiversity in
Ecosystem Function. www.jncc.gov.uk/page-4006
6
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005
Q8) In the natural world, there will be thresholds of response to climate change, which are
defined by the IPCC as “the point where stress on an exposed system or activity, if
exceeded, results in a non-linear response in that system or activity”.
a) Should thresholds of response to climate change be identified for the natural environment
and, if so, how should this be done and by whom?
Whilst recognising that thresholds may help focus practical action we believe it would be imprudent
to set hard, legally binding targets on the basis of thresholds. However, a set of principles that
establish what constitutes a threshold and how to develop them would be useful. UKCIP and
MCCIP are well placed to provide the scientific back ground for the concept, the Conservation
Agencies as partners in these initiatives would bring practical understanding about how to
implement threshold „targets‟.
b) What would be an „unacceptable‟ level of change to the natural environment? What are the
key criteria which should underpin judgments of acceptability in this context?
Unacceptable levels change hinge around any breakdown in the ability of a system to function.
The likely components that functionality can be judged on include integrity (the species and
habitats are still there) and mobility (species can move about within the natural environment). We
have the basic information needed to understand how ecosystems function e.g. work being taken
forward by the Living With Environmental Change consortium. We do however need to develop a
better understanding of how these interrelate.
Institutional arrangements for environmental conservation
Q9) How will adaptation of the natural environment interact with (either negatively or positively)
adaptation responses in the major land uses (such as agriculture, water resource management,
energy production, forestry, urban development, infrastructure) and what institutional
arrangements, if any, are needed to facilitate changes in land use to support adaptation to climate
change?
We refer the RCEP to two recent review papers on this topic:
T. Cooper & Arblaster, K. 2007. Climate change and the rural environment in a European context:
implications for land use and land use policy. IEEP, London.
http://www.lupg.org.uk/default.aspx?page=107
and
J. Dwyer. 2007. The state of the rural environment in Europe: what challenges and opportunities
for future policies? CCRI, Universities of Gloucester and the West of England.
http://www.lupg.org.uk/default.aspx?page=106
Better linkages are needed between farming, forestry, energy and environmental policy
perspectives of climate change. Such cross-cutting themes need a strategic policy framework to
ensure consistency plus improved monitoring and evaluation for effective outcome delivery. A
more holistic and carbon-centric approach to rural resource management would be advantageous.
Assessing existing policies, plans and programmes for their risk to successful land use adaptation
to climate change, should enable better channelling of resources into delivering optimum
outcomes.
Q10) As the climate changes, so the land, aquatic and coastal environments will change,
including those areas protected for biodiversity and conservation. The RCEP is interested to
understand what this means for conservation policies and whether the current arrangements
enable or inhibit adaptation of the natural environment.
a) If the nature of existing protected areas changes as the climate changes, what does this
mean for current conservation policy?
b) With regards to site-specific conservation policies, what should be protected now and in the
future, especially if the present site is bound to change? How can a range of resilient
habitats be provided to conserve biodiversity?
c) How should current arrangements (such as protected areas or wildlife law) for the
protection of species and habitats be adapted to ensure that the natural environment can
adapt to climate change?
Statutory nature conservation sites are presently designated on the basis of named geological
features, species and/or habitats within a defined boundary. Management is geared towards
preserving the named feature/s. Most if not all such sites also conserve other geo- and
biodiversity. These other features can only be formally recognised by either re-designation or by
designation against another set of definitions (if they become important after the initial
designation). All nature conservation sites in the UK that are protected under national and
international laws are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or, in Northern
Ireland, as Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI). Sites of international importance will, in
addition, be designated under legislation that implements the EU Birds and Habitats Directives and
the Ramsar Convention7.
To continue to conserve biodiversity using a site based approach when responding to climate
change would require changes to domestic legislation and, potentially, to the wording of the
international agreements that drive those.
A first step would be to redefine the purpose of site designation (this has been debated ever since
site protection was first proposed). Any redefinition will need to be based around the ability of the
site to function both within its own boundaries and within the context of the landscape it is a part of
(including other protected sites). To bring this about would require explicit wider countryside
measures designed to improve connectivity between sites, reduce habitat fragmentation, and
ensure drivers of biodiversity loss do not operate at unsustainable levels.
Values relating to the natural environment
Q11) How society perceives and interacts with the environment is different in each country, and
within the different regions and sectors of that country. The values and attitudes of society will
ultimately underpin its response to climate change.
a) How will climate change affect how society perceives and values the natural environment?
N/A for JNCC
b) As the climate changes, it is likely that non-native (or alien – see definitions at Annex B)
species will migrate into the UK. When and how do previously non-native species come to
be regarded as part of the UK‟s native biodiversity, and what will this mean for the UK?
In practice for many cases it will be hard to distinguish non-native species driven here by climate
change from those that arrive following range extensions due to other causes; similarly it can be
difficult to separate those species that arrive through their own dispersal mechanisms from those
that arrive as a consequence of human activities. Non-native species that are invasive and arrive
here following range extensions resulting from climate change should be within the scope of the
Invasive Non-native Species Framework Strategy, but in practice it will not be possible to prevent
the establishment of many of these species and there is little point in repeated attempts to
eradicate them unless they pose major threats to biodiversity (e.g. water primrose), economic
7
for details of all UK protected sites see the JNCC web site: www.jncc.gov.uk/page-4
activities (e.g. Colorado beetle) or human health (e.g. West Nile virus) or unless their removal is
easy and inexpensive. Thus, although a consistent policy might be desirable to deal with those
non-native species responding to climate change, in practice many of the decisions will depend
upon trade-offs between the likely damage caused (more damaging species will be a higher priority
for both prevention and eradication) and the costs of prevention and eradication (lower costs make
it more worthwhile to prevent arrival or to eradicate when a non-native species arrives).
Decisions about when and how previously non-native species are considered as part of the UK‟s
native biodiversity are already made. For some very well studied taxa some pragmatic rules have
been drawn up and implemented through guidelines.

Bird species that breed in the UK are assessed each year by a panel of experts8 and
assigned to one of several categories. Three of these are considered to make up the British
List:
A Species that have been recorded in an apparently natural state at least once since 1 January 1950.
B Species that were recorded in an apparently natural state at least once between 1 January 1800 and
31 December 1949, but have not been recorded subsequently.
C Species that, although introduced, now derive from the resulting self-sustaining populations. This
category has several sub-divisions.

Vascular plant species are assessed periodically and assigned to the broad categories of
archaeophyte and neophyte. Newly established species that are likely to have arrived
without the help of man are also listed. Inevitably there are species that cannot with
certainty be assigned to any of these three categories9.
c) ..... and what will this mean for the UK?
New species will become established, some of these will lead to changes in community structure
and function and could result in altered landscapes. The impacts of such changes are hard to
predict; one can foresee changes to water dynamics e.g. as a result of increased amounts of plant
material (biomass) in water courses or through altered soil characteristics (chemical leachates)
effecting the take-up of water by plants.
d) Is the legal framework for species and habitat protection adequate for dealing with invasive
non-native species under climate change?
The Invasive Non-native Species Framework Strategy contains the key elements for tackling the
negative impacts of non-native species on biodiversity in Britain. However, implementation will be
challenging, and additional resources will be required to deliver tangible benefits.
Opportunities presented by the changing natural environment
Q12) Whilst much of the debate is focussed on how humans can help protect the natural
environment as it responds to climate change, how can the changes to the natural environment be
used to help UK society adapt to climate change?
Given the levels of uncertainty about how the natural environment will change at an ecosystem
level or even at the habitat scale, it is hard to predict how changes brought about by climate
change can be used to help society adapt. As discussed elsewhere in this submission, functional
ecosystems with diverse habitat and species components will help provide adaptive capacity for
society.
8
9
BOU British Bird List http://www.bou.org.uk/reccats.html).
For a discussion of the issues see: www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/pub05_speciesstatusvpredlist3_web.pdf
Institutional Arrangements and Capacities
When considering institutional capacities and arrangements, the Commission would be particularly
grateful if the answers are framed in terms of the three exemplar issues discussed above:
biodiversity, nature conservation and protected areas; sea-level and coastal zones, and;
freshwater.
Institutional adaptive capacity
Q13) To what extent do UK institutions and organisations recognise and understand their
dependence on the natural environment, and how this affects their capacity and capability to
adapt? Are there examples of organisations in the UK that have quantified their level of
dependence?
Examples of organisations that have considered this include the Environment Agency who have
produced a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy10 and the country conservation agencies who
have considered this as part of their sustainable development plans e.g. the Countryside Council
for Wales11 and Scottish Natural Heritage12
The UK and devolved administrations sustainable development plans also recognise the value of
the natural environment but action to consider this in all planning and policy actions is weak.
Q14) Does the UK have the right capacities and institutional arrangements to be able to identify
the changes to which it should be adapting?
JNCC welcomes the establishment by Government of the Climate Change Committee and in
particular its sub-committee on adaptation. We also welcome the cross-governmental Adapting to
Climate Change Programme which has one of its four workstreams explicitly established to embed
adaptation across Government policy and process. We welcome too the recent formation of the
Department of Energy and Climate Change and look forward to working with the Department to
ensure that natural environment is an integral part of the UK response to climate change.
The UKCIP and MCCIP partnerships explicitly provide a focus for the scientific community to
explore and share their understanding of climate change effects in the UK and its territorial seas.
The NGO community involved in managing land and conserving species have also provided a
means to engage a wider community. We also welcome the growing engagement of private
companies in developing ideas and applications that enhance adaptive capacity in a sustainable
way.
Q15) What are the relative roles of government, communities, individuals, civil society, and/or
companies with regards adapting to climate change for the three exemplar issues? For example, is
there too much of a focus on institutional responses and needs versus understanding of individual
concerns and needs?
N/A to JNCC
10
“Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (2008-11)” http://www.environmentagency.gov.uk/commondata/acrobat/adaptation_strategy_2083410.pdf
11
“Sustainable Development Action Plan”
www.greenwales.ccw.gov.uk/docs/CCW%20SD%20Action%20Plan%20April%2005.doc
12
”Sustainable Development and the Natural Heritage: The SNH Approach”
www.snh.org.uk/pubs/detail.asp?id=120.
Q16) As society adapts to climate change, decisions will need to be made as to what is an
appropriate range of adaptation objectives and responses.
a) What should be the key objectives of climate change adaptation strategies for the three
exemplars?
Key objectives are similar for all three exemplars and relate to understanding the processes of
change and establishing the necessary dialogue between sectors that influence the land and
seascapes of the UK. The six principles set out in the guidance developed for the UK Biodiversity
Action Plan13 provide a sound basis from which to develop specific adaptation objectives.
Examples given in the guidance include:
Implement measures that allow the natural development of coasts and rivers by including them
within River Basin Management Plans, Local Biodiversity Action Plans, Protected Areas
management plans, shoreline management plans, Integrated Coastal Zone Management, and
other local management frameworks.
Implement realignment of coastal defences to restore inter-tidal coastal habitats and natural
transition zones between coastal and terrestrial habitats. Such measures are beneficial for
biodiversity and can reduce the long-term costs of maintaining coastal defences.
Retain or restore natural river profiles and floodplains, including associated semi-natural habitats,
which allow erosion and deposition and natural flooding where possible, thereby increasing the
potential for maintaining biodiversity while alleviating the risk of flooding downstream.
b) What should be the criteria for determining appropriate adaptation objectives and the
responses that would meet these objectives for the three exemplars?
The primary criteria needs to be that of multiple gains i.e. that adaptation measures should be of
benefit for amelioration of climate change effects and for biodiversity.
c) How should different adaptation objectives and responses be prioritised for the three
exemplars?
Inevitably adaptation will be driven by need i.e. by perceived and actual threat to society and to the
natural environment. In setting priorities we would advocate setting conservation of biodiversity
and the gains to society it provides very firmly within the process. Priority setting needs to balance
the benefits of long-term gains against short term expediency. This is exemplified in the coastal
environment where some hard engineering solutions to coastal defence have already become less
viable than managed retreat. In the freshwater environment the trade-offs are likely to be most
sharply felt in providing flood defence. In seeking to preserve cities and towns, adaptive use of
water ways and flood-lands (water meadows, washes etc) and measures to prevent excessive soil
sealing (i.e. compaction or paving) are all also of great benefit to maintaining biodiversity. In the
wider environment measures to reduce loss of woodland and to plant new areas of forest will
provide benefits for water management, as well as maintaining and enhancing biodiversity.
d) Some adaptation responses could disadvantage some individuals or groups (e.g. coastal
realignment could lead to individuals or communities having to move). How should the
“fairness” of different adaptation responses be considered?
N/A to JNCC
European, national and regional approaches
13
Ibid
Q17) What is the appropriate level (e.g. European, UK, regional, local) at which decisions should
be made for climate change adaptation?
Delivery of adaptation is essentially a local issue that requires understanding of local needs and
involves appropriate stakeholders. Such action however needs to sit within a national framework
that provides the overall rationale for adaptation, tools and mechanisms to allow effective
adaptation, and a safeguard against potentially mal-adaptive practices.
Supranational guidance will also be needed where national boundaries meet i.e. between Northern
Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and in the marine environment (regional seas).
The Defra Ecosystem Approach Action Plan14 provides a sound platform on which to develop a
robust approach to sustainability across Government. By focusing on ecosystem values and
environmental limits the Action Plan adopts an approach which enables the goods and services
provided by the environment to be clearly expressed to policy-makers. This should help all
Government departments to ensure that positive and negative environmental impacts on the
natural environment are fully taken into account in policy development.
The Action Plan is important internationally as it provides a strong signal to other countries that the
UK is committed to the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach (as required under the
Convention on Biological Diversity), and that it can be incorporated successfully into national and
local planning. The Action Plan is unique globally and lessons learnt will provide extremely useful
information to other governments and organisations internationally on implementation of the
Ecosystem Approach and the incorporation of environmental values into policy and decisionmaking processes.
Q18) The regions of the UK will experience different levels of climate change impacts, and will
correspondingly need to adapt in different ways. What variations in institutional capacity do we find
in the different regions? What do these differences imply?
N/A to JNCC
Q19) Which existing EU mechanisms (e.g. the Common Agriculture Policy or the Water
Framework Directive) could play a role in delivering adaptation to climate change in the UK? What
are the aspects of such mechanisms that enable or hinder adaptation?
EU mechanisms that have explicit or implicit affects on planning processes in the UK will be very
influential in the design of adaptation measures. These include the Water Framework Directive
and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common
Fisheries Policy. Where these are transposed in to UK legislation and implementation measures
these need to be put within a broader framework e.g. of the Ecosystem Approach Action Plan.
A recent review commissioned by the conservation agencies15 looks at key elements of EU
sectoral policies and mechanisms relevant to adaptation to climate change. Some of the reports
findings are summarised here:
The most relevant rural development measures to facilitate the adaptation of biodiversity to climate
change are the agri-environment measures, the provision of support for areas with natural
handicaps, the various forestry measures and the two Natura 2000 measures. How well these
measures are used depends on Member State implementation and uptake amongst farmers and
other land managers. If used in a sensitive and strategic way, and over a sufficient period of time,
these measures may assist biodiversity adapt to climate change, through for example the
14
“Securing a healthy natural environment: An action plan for embedding an ecosystems approach.”
www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/pdf/natural-environ/eco-actionplan.pdf
15
Adelle et al 2008 Future EU Policy on Adaptation to Climate Change and the EU Budget Review. IEEP, London.
appropriate management and creation of habitats as necessary to help maintain the resilience of
different species populations both inside and outside protected areas.
Forest management, in particular the role of forests in helping biodiversity adapt to climate change
could be promoted through more explicit recognition of the adaptive function in the EU Forest
Action Plan. Within the existing suite of rural development measures, steps could be taken to
ensure that the afforestation, agro-forestry and forest-environment measures are implemented in a
way that is conducive to meeting adaptation goals. Any measures that seek to bring farm woodland
into management to supply bioenergy should be done in a way that is not detrimental to
biodiversity adaptation.
The Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) requires flood management issues to be taken into
account in overall river basin planning. The Directive does not explicitly deal with adaptation
measures to reduce flooding risk. In 2007 the EU put in place Directive 2007/60/EC on the
assessment and management of flood risks. This Directive requires Member States to assess if all
water courses and coast lines are at risk from flooding, to map the flood extent and assets and
humans at risk in these areas and to take adequate and coordinated measures to reduce this flood
risk. The Directive requires future climate events to be taken into account in risk assessment and
for this to be addressed in flood management planning. However, nothing more specific is required
in relation to adaptation.
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) is the first comprehensive legislation
addressing marine environmental protection and forms the „environmental pillar‟ of the EU‟s
integrated maritime policy. However, it says little about climate change.
The recently adopted Commission communication on the role of the Common Fisheries Policy in
implementing an ecosystem approach to marine management (COM(2008)187) has little on the
issue of climate change and the related adaptation of both marine and aquaculture fisheries. The
Commission proposes production of a Community Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change, with
a focus on coastal regions. Within climate change adaptation policies, the protection of coasts and
risk prevention are central elements. Both the Commission‟s blue book and action plan do not
explicitly envisage the adaptation of fisheries to climate change.
As other countries in Europe experience climate change, they also will experience changes in the
natural environment. What indirect impacts might this have on the natural environment of the UK?
Potential impacts include:
Impact on the marine environment from that continue to contribute to increased levels of CO2 with
consequent effects on acidity.
Continental Europe may act as a source of migrant/immigrant species.
Changes to the present migratory routes (including fish) as a result of factors along their migration
route outside the UK .
And finally…
Q20) Are there any other issues which should be included within the RCEP‟s study?
Overseas Territories
The UK Overseas Territories are of global importance for their biodiversity. They hold significant
numbers of globally threatened species, many of which are endemic and hence are found nowhere
else in the world. They also hold regionally or globally important assemblages of species, including
seabirds, turtles, cetaceans and corals. However, because of their environmental characteristics,
limited human capacity and sector-restricted economies, they are particularly vulnerable to the
effects of climate change, including sea level rise, coral bleaching, increased storminess and other
extreme weather events. This is likely to impact severely on the UK‟s ability to contribute to the
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) biodiversity target, as well as having
damaging social and economic consequences.