The Highland Biodiversity Partnership Agreement, which is a commitment from over 20 organisations operating in Highland to work together to help understand, safeguard, restore and celebrate the biodiversity within the Highland Council area, was launched at the weekend at the 2006 Highland Biodiversity Forum held at the Town House Inverness.

The Forum provided an opportunity for delegates to be updated on the 40 projects, which have been taken forward by local individuals or groups over the last two years.

Councillor Ian Ross, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Sustainable Development Committee, said: "There is a record of considerable biodiversity achievement in Highland and community groups and others across the area are to be applauded for their hard work and success. There is a quiet but justifiable satisfaction with the progress to date. The challenge is to do yet more, but there is the confidence and commitment to do just that and we are far from complacent over the need for additional biodiversity action. "

"The launch of the Highland Biodiversity Partnership Agreement is a significant step and provides the linkage and coherence of structure which will add to our ability to act effectively and also seek to maximise the available resources."

The Forum also provided the opportunity to run workshops which encouraged a full discussion on key issues and future goals. The feedback from the workshops will be used to inform future work programmes and share information and good practice from across Highland.

Highland biodiversity officer, Jonathan Willet, said: "It can be easy to feel depressed about the state of the natural world and our effect on it. But gatherings such as these show that there is a huge amount of positive work being done to protect and restore the Highland’s Biodiversity and a huge number of enthusiastic people involved. With further money for projects close to being secured for the next three years we hope that there will be even more good news about Highland’s Biodiversity to celebrate in 2007 and even more people involved"

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. A colour photograph of Councillor Ross down by the banks of the River Ness is free by post or electronically. Contact Ewen Weatherspoon on 01463 792823.
2. For background and more detailed information about Highland Biodiversity, go to www.highlandbiodiversity.com
3. Local Biodiversity Action Plans for Caithness, Sutherland, Skye and Lochalsh, Wester Ross, Ross and Cromarty (East), Lochaber, Inverness and Nairn and Badenoch and Strathspey (Cairngorms) are available at www.highlandbiodiversity.com
4. The Highland Biodiversity Partnership comprises 20 - 30 representatives from local groups and key organisations committed to understanding, safeguarding, restoring and celebrating biodiversity within the Highland Council area. Its purpose is to provide guidance and support to the existing network of local biodiversity groups, and to make progress on the key strategic biodiversity issues in the Highlands.
5. The Highland Biodiversity Project Implementation Programme is funded by The Highland Council, Scottish Natural Heritage and Leader +. This fund will operate for 2 years ending in August 2006. Projects totalling £90,000 will have been funded by this fund by then, all over Highland. A new implementation programme is planned running from late 2006 until 2009.
6. The term ‘biodiversity’ short for ‘biological diversity’ – meaning the richness of nature or ‘variety of life’, came into use after the UK government signed up to the Convention on Biological Diversity at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

Each signatory nation was required to implement a Biodiversity Action Plan. The Highland Biodiversity Project represents Highland’s contribution to the UK effort.

For further information contact: Jennie Abell, The Highland Council, Tel:  01463 702274, email: jennie.abell@highland.gov.uk

Date Last updated : 04/04/06