Local Authorities in England have a duty to comply with the strengthened Biodiversity Duty, as introduced by the Environment Act (2021).
This means that we must:
- consider what we can do to conserve and enhance biodiversity
- agree policies and specific objectives based on our consideration
- act to deliver our policies and achieve our objectives
We have completed a review of the actions that we can take to conserve and enhance biodiversity and have produced our first Biodiversity Duty Report.
The report covers the period between 1 January 2024 to 1 January 2026 and outlines our approach to protecting and enhancing biodiversity for the next five years up to 2031. The report can be downloaded below.
If our documents are not accessible to you, you can request a different format here.
| Biodiversity Duty Report 2024 to 2026 |  (PDF 256 KB) |
Examples of actions that the council has undertaken to support biodiversity over the past two years include:
- supporting the development and adoption of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for Derby and Derbyshire, identifying priority areas and opportunities for nature recovery
- implementing a Grassland Management Policy introducing long meadows and 'pollinator pockets', reducing mowing frequency to enhance habitat value
- the delivery of extensive tree planting programmes including formal, orchard and Miyawaki woodland planting totalling over 10,000 trees
- partnering with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust on the two year Wilder Chesterfield project, supporting urban nature recovery, school workshops, and community green space enhancement
- applying Biodiversity Net Gain conditions to relevant planning applications ensuring they deliver at least a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain
- legally securing the 24 hectare Wild Whittington biodiversity gain site for 30 years, the first Defra registered habitat bank in Derbyshire