Project: NHS Lothian Biodiversity Action Plan

We are delighted to be supporting NHS Lothian to develop Scotland’s first NHS board Biodiversity Action Plan. Our collaboration with Estates and Facilities, Capital Planning and Analytical Services along with support from NHS Scotland Assure, has been key to creating this groundbreaking plan.

What is a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) and why do we need one?

BAPs are plans developed by organisations to protect and enhance the biodiversity of environments that they have control over. At the heart of the BAP is the recognition that an organisation can have both a positive and negative impact and an ambition to tip the balance in nature’s favour.

We need a BAP to:

Help ensure that we are meeting our legal and moral obligations.
Provide support and guidance to our teams to make the best decisions.
Communicate to our partners and stakeholders what actions we are taking and what standards we expect.

Our action plan

NHS Lothian’s vision is to be nature positive by 2030, and have restored and regenerated biodiversity across our estate by 2045. Our natural environment, our habitats, ecosystems and species, will be diverse, thriving, resilient and adapting to climate change. Regenerated greenspaces and biodiversity will support the health of thriving communities. To achieve this vision action plans are being developed for specific types of greenspace on the NHS estate.

The full plan will detail the threats these habitats face and the key policies and legislation that’s affecting them, focusing on four key goals:

Habitat Enhancement: Upgrading neglected habitats and replacing low-value areas with spaces that promote biodiversity.
Greenspace Expansion: Increasing the overall amount of green space within the NHS Lothian estate.
Habitat Connectivity: Establishing connections between fragmented habitats, both within and between NHS sites.
Promoting Greenspace Utilisation: Encouraging the use of green spaces for improved health and social benefits.

This plan will set a strong precedent for environmental responsibility within the healthcare sector, and will support NHS Lothian in achieving its ambitious goals for a healthier planet and healthier communities.