Stansted Mountfitchet Parish Council
Adopted by Full Council on 3rd July 2024
What is Biodiversity?
The WWF defines biodiversity as “all the different kinds of life you’ll find in one area—the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world. Each of these species and organisms work together in ecosystems, like an intricate web, to maintain balance and support life. Biodiversity supports everything in nature that we need to survive: food, clean water, medicine, and shelter”.
Why is Biodiversity important?
Biological Diversity (Biodiversity) refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and can encompass the evolutionary ecological and cultural process that sustain life. Biodiversity includes not only species we consider rare, threatened, or endangered but also every living thing- from humans to organisms such as microbes, fungi, and invertebrates. Good biodiversity ensures greater species diversity and a healthy ecosystem that can better withstand and recover from disasters.
As humans put increasing pressure on the planet by using and consuming more resources than ever before, we risk upsetting the balance of ecosystems and losing biodiversity.
The Global Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, reported 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction—the highest number in human history. Restoring nature is critical to reversing the loss of biodiversity and can be facilitated by the planting trees, shrubs and wildflower meadows and it is important that local communities take the lead in conservation projects with benefits for people as well as nature.
The Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 introduced a duty for all public authorities to have regard to the conversation of biodiversity. Section 40 of the Act states; Every public authority must, in exercising its function, have regard, so far as is consistent with the proper exercise of those functions, to the purpose of conserving biodiversity. Hence it is vital that we take every available opportunity to protect our biodiversity both internationally and locally and the Parish Council here in Stansted Mountfitchet has tried to formulate its policies and practices in order to protect our own urban biodiversity wherever possible.
Policy Objectives
In forming a Biodiversity Working Group (BWG) Stansted Mountfitchet Parish Council has taken an important step in these efforts and shows the Councils determination to protect and enhance the biodiversity in our village. The creation of wildflower meadows and areas of re-wilding helps to both protect and give a valuable food source to nectar supported insects and birds. Protection of these species is, in itself, a key element in the provision of a food chain that eventually ends in us and the environment we live in.
Some of the responsibilities of the BWG is to undertake research into measures to promote biodiversity in the parish including ; wild flower planting, re-wilding, reducing maintenance regimes, reducing or elimination of the use of herbicides and pesticides and the application of new and emerging maintenance practices and technologies.
The use of herbicides for the control of weeds is a common practice both commercially and domestically with glyphosate being the leading systemic weed killer. Glyphosate is used by the contractors employed by SMPC for weed clearance where control by other means is not possible and where the weeds are either dangerous or invasive. However, the use of glyphosate is controversial. Glyphosate is a total weed killer that does not differentiate between weeds, plants and grasses and as such should only be used as a last resort and then with precautions that minimise spray drift. Other means of weed control are available, but seldom used, which are generally less effective as they often need repeat treatments and mostly rely on the application of heat, either physically or chemically. These alternative treatments are generally more difficult and time consuming to administer and, as such, are more expensive to undertake.
However, in recognition of the evidence and in support of many other local authorities that have either banned or are phasing out the use of glyphosate containing herbicides, this policy has been written.
Why is glyphosate being phased out?
In summary, the toxicity of glyphosate to insects and animals is generally accepted although its carcinogenicity to humans has opposing regulatory views. However, weed resistance is proven and is increasing, in addition, glyphosate and other total weed killers are known to decrease biodiversity by the elimination of flowering weeds and other species which both reduces the number and variety of plant species and removes a valuable food source for insects and birds. In the UK the current approval for glyphosate expires in Dec 2025.
It is unclear what the UK will do going forward and the NFU has stated that the loss of glyphosate would cause huge problems for farmers as “glyphosate reduces the need to use other herbicides, helps to protect soil and cuts greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the need for ploughing.”
When used, either on a small or large scale the Weed Resistance Action Group (WRAG) guidelines stress the need to; prevent survivors (avoid repeat applications to surviving plants), maximise efficacy (apply the right dose rate), use alternatives (use non-chemical options where practical) and monitor success (remove survivors and report potential resistance issues).
Biodiversity and Herbicidal use in Stansted Mountfitchet
This council acknowledges the evidence and legitimate concerns around the loss of biodiversity within the UK and intends to adopt a proactive approach going forward. Increasing biodiversity will be achieved by;
- Identifying areas of parish owned land for the creation of habitats and the planting of plant species that better supports wildlife.
- Allowing appropriate areas of land to return to a more natural looking environment by reduced maintenance and grass cutting.
- Continue the practice of tree planting in urban and rural setting for the improvement of the environment and to help counteract climate change.
- Work towards eliminating the use of glyphosate containing herbicides by adopting;
- That the use of glyphosate and other non-selective herbicides be avoided wherever possible and only used when no practical alternatives are available.
- That glyphosate and other non-selective herbicides are only used for the treatment of dangerous or invasive weeds.
- Where 4.1 is not possible, authority for the use of glyphosate and other non-selective herbicides must be received from SMPC before treatment commences.
- That a record of the use of glyphosate and other total herbicides be kept including, location, type and amount used and the prevailing weather conditions during spraying.
- That SMPC encourage the use of other materials and techniques for the elimination of weeds on SMPC controlled land.
- That a target for the total elimination of the use of glyphosate and other non-selective herbicides by the end of this council’s term (2027), be established.
- That SMPC considers that biodiversity in nature is important and a core ambition of this council and, as such, that a certain level of weed presence has to be accepted and tolerated on its public open spaces