What is this standard about?
BS 42020 offers a coherent methodology for biodiversity management. It aims to play a vital role in helping to protect and enhance biodiversity in the UK.
Who is this standard for?
- Ecology professionals
- Land use planners
- Land managers and surveyors
- Architects, civil engineers, building and construction industry
- Landscape architects
- Forestry, arboriculture industries
Why should you use this standard?
The UK commitment to halt overall loss of biodiversity by 2020 in line with the European Biodiversity Strategy and UN Aichi targets, is being passed down to local authorities to implement, mainly through planning policy.
BS 42020 looks to promote transparency and consistency in the quality and appropriateness of ecological information submitted with planning applications and applications for other regulatory approvals. It gives guidance on how to produce clear and concise ecological information, gives recommendations on issues such as professional ethics and provides a framework to demonstrate how biodiversity has been managed.
The standard is intended to assist those concerned with ecological issues as they arise through the planning process. It will also help in matters relating to consented development and activities involved in the management and use of land outside the scope of land use planning, which could have site specific ecological implications.
We’ve also developed a smart guide that provides an introduction to the benefits of BS 42020 and how you can use the standard to make sound decisions on biodiversity issues.