RESOLVED:
1. That the requirement to meet the strengthened biodiversity duty, introduced by the Environment Act 2021 be noted and supported.
2. That the report and its Appendix be approved as our statutory First Consideration of the strengthened biodiversity duty.
3. That the new reporting requirements of the duty be noted, including the publication of a first biodiversity report no later than 12 weeks from the end of the reporting period on 1 January 2026. This must detail the actions taken and progress made for biodiversity over the reporting period (1 January 2024 – 1 January 2026), and the objectives and policies in place to meet the biodiversity duty in the next reporting period.
4. That it be noted that subsequent biodiversity reports must be published every five years thereafter, or within 12 weeks of the reporting end date.