We have a legal duty to conserve and enhance biodiversity. Working together across all our services, we are developing the best ways to do this and, at the same time, contributing to other policies and initiatives. The Statutory Biodiversity Duty - Report on Delivery gives more details.
We are part of the Tayside Biodiversity Partnership, which covers the local authority areas of Angus and Perth and Kinross.
The partnership is made up of statutory bodies, local authorities, non-government organisations and individuals and has produced a Local Biodiversity Action Plan to ensure that locally and nationally important species and habitats are conserved and enhanced through focused local action.
Tayside Local Biodiversity Action Plan 2016-2026
Tayside Biodiversity Partnership’s Local Biodiversity Action Plan 2016-2026 charts the way ahead in protecting the multitude of flora and fauna that flourish across the county, as well as their habitats, bringing together organisations, communities and individuals. The new plan has more than 140 projects you might want to get involved in.
In 2023 a review of action progress in Angus was carried out. The monitoring undertaken for actions delivered between 2016 and 2023 illustrates that 75% of actions in the plan relevant to Angus, or 116 out of 155 actions, are in delivery or complete.
The plan contains 573 Sub actions and of these 341 (or 60%) are being progressed. In conclusion, significant progress has been made with approximately 96 partners being engaged in delivery of these actions. The progress made will also be incorporated within the Tayside wide updates for the final 2026 monitoring report.
Funds are available for projects aiming to deliver biodiversity conservation and enhancement for UK species and habitats, subject to certain conditions. For more information visit the Tayside Biodiversity website.
Natural Angus is a perpetual calendar which highlights the wealth of biodiversity found in Angus.
Angus Local Nature Conservation Sites
Local Nature Conservation Sites (LNCS) are areas of land recognised for their biodiversity or geodiversity value.
Angus Council has undergone an extensive process of identifying and designating sites which are locally important for biodiversity. Sites are assessed on their merit to meet criteria set out by NatureScot which are species diversity and rarity, habitat diversity and rarity, the extent of the site in local context, and connectivity to other areas of biodiversity value.
To date, 28 LNCS sites have been designated with work underway to make further designations in 2024.
The sites range in size from 3ha to 163ha, in total, covering approximately 900ha. Most sites are in northern Strathmore in a predominantly agricultural landscape and contain locally and nationally rare species and habitats. The high nature value and ecological diversity of many of the sites is testament to the sympathetic way in which land has been managed for many generations and the LNCS designation formally recognises these important Angus biodiversity sites.
Angus Species and Habitats Champions
Angus Council Species and Habitats Champions programme was launched on 27 February 2018. At present, there are 18 local elected members and five schools representing more than 35 species and habitats.
The champions have pledged their support for local biodiversity, have engaged in projects in the Tayside Local Biodiversity Action Plan 2016-26 and have carried out awareness raising with local communities, businesses and schools.
Visit the Angus species and habitat champions page to see who champions your favourite species or habitat.
To date the champions have been involved in a wide range of activities focusing on topics such as: marine litter, coastal erosion, farmland management, invasive non-native species, meadow creation, pollinators, natural flood management, woodland creation and climate change adaptation.
Many local and national priority species have been a focus of action including: badger, hare, swifts, otter, hedgehog, small blue butterfly, bumblebees, wildflowers, bottlenose dolphin, pine marten, red squirrel and wildcat.
For more information contact dempseyk@angus.gov.uk