# Biodiversity Action Guide, and Biodiversity Action toolkit ### A practical, stepped guide for Town & Parish Councils and communities

### 1. ️Check: Do you have a Biodiversity Policy? Difficulty: 🟢 Easy #### What to do Confirm whether your Town or Parish Council has a formal biodiversity policy. If not, [adopt or adapt a model policy](/knowledgebase/biodiversity/model-biodiversity-policy.md). If yes, review and strengthen it. #### Why it matters A policy: * demonstrates compliance with the biodiversity duty * gives officers and councillors a mandate to act * supports funding bids and partnerships #### Next steps * Table the policy at Full Council * Assign a biodiversity lead councillor * Commit to a 5-year review cycle *** ### 2. Understand Your Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) Difficulty: 🟢 Easy #### What to do Review your [Local Nature Recovery Strategy](/knowledgebase/biodiversity/local-nature-recovery-strategies.md) and identify how your parish fits into wider priorities. #### Why it matters LNRSs set out: * priority habitats and species * where nature recovery will have the biggest impact * how local action contributes to county-scale outcomes #### Next steps * Contact your LNRS partnership * Ask: “What role could our parish play?” * Align future projects to LNRS priorities *** ### 3. Establish a Baseline: Conduct a Biodiversity Audit Difficulty: 🟡 Medium #### What to do [Measure what you have now](/knowledgebase/biodiversity/biodiversity-audits.md) - habitats, species, land use, management practices. If you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it! #### Next steps * Repeat audits every 3–5 years * Publish results openly * Use baseline to prioritise action *** ### 4. Find Your Allies: Build a Local Nature Network Difficulty: 🟢 Easy\ Tags: #Partnerships #Community #### What to do Connect with organizations already working on nature recovery. #### Next steps * Convene a quarterly “nature round table” * Share plans and data * Co-design projects rather than duplicating effort *** ### 5. Map Opportunities and Wildlife Corridors Difficulty: 🟡 Medium #### What to do [Map:](/knowledgebase/biodiversity/natural-capital-mapping.md) * council-owned land * road verges and footpaths * churchyards and cemeteries * private land where cooperation is possible #### Why it matters Nature thrives when habitats are connected, not isolated. #### Tools & approaches * Simple GIS or mapping tools * LNRS habitat maps * Parish-level “opportunity maps” #### Next steps * Identify priority corridors * Align verge, hedge, and planting schemes * Share maps with neighbouring parishes *** ### 6. Learn from Others: Use Proven Guides & Workbooks Difficulty: 🟢 Easy #### Recommended guides * South Gloucestershire Local Nature Action Plans:\ * Nature Recovery Workbook (Telford & Wrekin / SALC):\ #### Next steps * Adapt templates locally * Avoid reinventing the wheel * Share learning regionally *** ### 7. Secure Land for Nature: Community Land Trusts (CLTs) Difficulty: 🔴 Hard #### What to do Establish or partner with a Community Land Trust to own and manage land for biodiversity. #### Inspiration * Middle Marches Community Land Trust\ #### Funding options * Community Shares * Public Works Loan Board * Community Municipal Investment Bonds * Grant funding and blended finance #### Revenue options * Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) credits * Environmental Land Management schemes (e.g. SFI, Countryside Stewardship) * Carbon credits (where appropriate) Large-scale delivery partners: * [Environment Bank](https://www.environmentbank.com/) #### Next steps * Feasibility study * Legal and governance advice * Community engagement from day one *** ### 8. Quick Wins: Change Everyday Management Practices Difficulty: 🟢 Easy #### What to do * Stop using pesticides and herbicides where possible * Let grass grow longer * Manage verges, churchyards, and greenspaces for wildlife #### Campaign inspiration * No Mow May (Plantlife):\ #### Why it matters These actions are: * low-cost * highly visible * immediately beneficial to pollinators #### Next steps * Update grounds maintenance contracts * Explain changes clearly to residents * Use signage to build public support *** ### 9. Use Statutory Biodiversity Metrics Properly Difficulty: 🟡 Medium #### What to do Understand and apply official biodiversity metric tools where required. #### Guidance * Statutory Biodiversity Metric Tools:\ #### Why it matters * Supports planning decisions * Enables BNG delivery * Ensures transparency and accountability #### Next steps * Train councillors and clerks * Use metrics proportionately * Combine with local knowledge and citizen science --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://wiki.greatcollaboration.uk/knowledgebase/biodiversity/biodiversity-action-guide-and-biodiversity-action-toolkit.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. 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