A Forest Charter Pointers to the future from lessons of the past

摘要

Toothless targets and tools? Following the signing of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Rio in 1992 the UK was an early adopter of the biodiversity action planning process. Plans were created for all manner of species and habitats felt to be of conservation concern, and a complex web of governance and delivery was developed. Unfortunately, despite some high profile successes, we failed to meet our own targets or fulfil our international commitments and much of our important wildlife is still in serious decline. Many of the existing biodiversity planning processes have now been dismantled and the national biodiversity strategy has been recast, but in 2015 - half way through the international decadal biodiversity plan - little progress will have been demonstrated in England. The rest of the UK has fared no better, and the trend in breeding birds in woodland, depicted below, is one example of evidence which should give rise to concern.