Campaign -- Support the Biodiversity Action Plan! -- Deadline 24th October

Just a reminder to make sure you respond to the BAP consultation before 24 Oct. It's very important there is a big response. It takes about 60 secs to say 'yes we want a BAP'

Click here to complete a 1min SurveyMonkey consultation. Click here for the consultation leaflet and the full BAP.

The Hackney BAP is a hugely significant achievement. A key element of the Rio Summit in 1992 biodiversity action plans were created to monitor, protect and enhance the natural environment for all living species. However BAPs also serve as a crucial indicator of how sustainable a society is AND offer an accessible route for people to relate to broader environmental issues such as Climate Change, sustainable devlopment, etc.

The UK BAP was created in 1994 so Hackney is 17 years late. Indeed with huge cuts to biodiversity and ecology posts across the country we were extremely fortunate to get to this point. It is vital the new BAP is recognised as a pivotal strategic document within the council (I know, some hope!) but the more people who respond to the consultation the more the politicians and senior officers will take notice. The BAP was written by recently appointed biodiversity officer Kate Mitchell in partnership with many local experts and interested people (via the Hackney Biodiversity partnership).

So complete the survey on line NOW.

If you don't have time to read the BAP (it's actually very readable) but want to say something helpful here are a few sound bites you can adopt:

a Hackney BAP, about time!
great Hackney is at last taking the natural environment seriously
Excellent document, clearly has significant community input.
I'd like to see much better protection of wildlife in Hackney Parks
The draft BAP is good but it must be implemented if disasters like the North Marsh cricket pitches or Clissold Park HLF project are not to be repeated.
Will the BAP stop trees and greenspace being destroyed by development?
We need more wild areas in parks (scrub, shrubs, long grass). For too long Hackney parks have been dominated by constant grass cutting and paranoid shrub clearance. If we want wildlife it needs somewhere to live. Bring on some biodiversity ACTION! The BAP should have a stronger commitment to wildlife for its own sake.
More should be done on estates to allow space for wildlife.
We are part of nature. Every species has the right to life on the planet. We should stop destroying and make space for others. We all benefit if the birds, bees and trees have room to live with us.
Biodiversity is fundamental to sustainable existence. Human beings have created the greatest mass extincion event in history. Even locally formerly common species like song thrushes, sparrows or hedgehogs are still in decline because we insist on building on every square inch. Our lives are greatly diminished if we do not hear bird song, see trees or experience nature.