Protecting our water, soil and air

Protecting our water, soil and air

Author: Great Britain: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Publisher: Stationery Office

Published: 2009-02-24

Total Pages: 122

ISBN-13: 9780112432845

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This code (CoGAP) consolidates and updates the former three separate codes for water, soil and air. The publication offers practical interpretation of legislation and provides good advice on best practice; 'good agricultural practice' means a practice that minimises the risk of causing pollution while protecting natural resources and allowing economic agriculture to continue. It has been written by technical specialists from Defra and Natural England. All farm staff and contractors on the farm who handle, store, use, spread or dispose of any substances that could pollute water, soil or air should be aware of their responsibilities and know about the causes and results of pollution. They should know how and when to operate and maintain the equipment they use, and know what to do in an emergency. The CoGAP provides an important point of reference, based around the main operations that farmers, growers and land managers might undertake; the advice covers activities carried out in the field, but also management plans, farm infrastructure and waste management.


The natural choice

The natural choice

Author: Great Britain: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2011-06-07

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13: 9780101808224

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This white paper sets out proposals for a detailed programme of action to repair damage done to the environment in the past, and urges everyone to get involved in helping nature to flourish at all levels - from neighbourhoods to national parks. The plans are directly linked to the groundbreaking research in the National Ecosystem Assessment that showed the strong economic arguments for safeguarding and enhancing the natural environment. They also act on the recommendations of 'Making Space for Nature', a report into the state of England's wildlife sites, led by Professor John Lawton and published in September 2010, which showed that England's wildlife sites are fragmented and not able to respond to the pressures of climate change and other pressures we put on our land. Key measures proposed include: i) Reconnecting nature with New Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs) with a £7.5 million fund for 12 initial NIAs, biodiversity offsetting, New Local Nature Partnerships with £1 million available this year, phasing out peat, ii) Connecting people and nature for better quality of life with Green Areas Designation, better urban green spaces; more children experiencing nature by learning outdoors, strengthening local public health activities, the new environmental volunteering initiative "Muck in 4 Life" to improve places in towns and countryside for people and nature to enjoy and iii) Capturing and improving the value of nature with a Natural Capital Committee; an annual statement of green accounts for UK Plc, a business-led Task Force to expand the UK business opportunities from new products and services which are good for the economy and nature alike.


Charting Progress 2

Charting Progress 2

Author: UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy

Publisher: Stationery Office/Tso

Published: 2011-01-01

Total Pages: 166

ISBN-13: 9780112432937

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Charting Progress 2 is a comprehensive report on the state of the UK seas. It has been prepared by the UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment community which has over 40 member organisations. The report is based on a robust, peer-reviewed evidence base and describes progress made since the publication of Charting Progress (Defra, 2005). It provides key findings from UK marine research and monitoring and outlines the extent to which human uses, and also pressures, such as climate change, are having an impact on the habitats and the species in our seas. It indicates whether the environmental protection measures put in place over many years are working; and enables policy makers, planners and the public to see what progress has been made towards achieving the UK vision of clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. Common problems identified in all eight sea areas were: fishing pressure' climate change and acidification; hazardous substances; eutrophication; litter and underwater noise. The report highlights the need for clearer criteria and targets for defining what we mean by clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse seas. A related issue is the question of the state we want our seas to reach within a framework of sustainable development. Through its working groups, the UKMMAS community will take up the challenges of further developing the criteria and indicators for determining the state of our seas, improving the assessment methodologies and addressing the knowledge gaps at UK, European and international level.


Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 9780215523532

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In 2007-08, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (the Department) received £3,617 million from the Treasury. The Accounting Officer is expected to manage these resources efficiently and effectively to deliver a range of services and operations within the funding provided by Parliament. The Department failed to allocate final budgets to each of its business areas until five months into the 2007-08 financial year because: (a) planned expenditure was in excess of funds provided; (b) budget holders did not declare all financial commitments from the outset; and (c) the costs of unforeseen floods and the outbreaks of animal disease had to be managed. A similar situation had arisen in 2006-07 when the Department had to make mid-year budget reductions of £170 million to avoid the risk of overspending. The late notification of the reductions had an adverse impact on performance. In part the problems arise from the difficulties faced in sponsoring 31 delivery bodies, each with its own administrative functions and with different approaches to setting budgets and monitoring progress. Obtaining timely and realistic financial reports from delivery bodies was also difficult. A lack of awareness amongst the Department's Board Members of good financial management practice, together with cultural issues which did not prioritise financial management at a corporate level, added to the challenges. The Department's Management Board has since put in place more rigorous financial and outcome monitoring systems. Having agreed budgets for 2008-09 that accord with the Department's allocation from the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007, the problems of 2006-07 and 2007-08 are not expected to recur in 2008-09.


Fisheries Act 2020

Fisheries Act 2020

Author: H. M. Government

Publisher:

Published: 2021-06-17

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Fisheries Act 2020 by HM Government. This Act is about the management plans of fisheries getting licensing of fishing boats, opportunities getting on the fisheries and about grant and charges related to fisheries and power to make further and final provisions.


Atmospheric Ammonia

Atmospheric Ammonia

Author: Mark Sutton

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2008-12-30

Total Pages: 468

ISBN-13: 1402091214

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Anthropogenic emissions of ammonia cause a host of environmental impacts, including loss of biodiversity, soil acidification and formation of particulate matter in the atmosphere. Under the auspices of the UNECE Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution, around 80 international experts met to review the state of scientific knowledge. This book reports their analysis. It concludes that threshold levels for ammonia effects have been underestimated and sets new values, it assesses the independent evidence to verify reported reductions in regional ammonia emissions, and it reviews the uncertainties in modelling ammonia, both in "hot spots" and at the regional scale.


House of Commons - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee: Implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy in England 2014 - 2020 - HC 745

House of Commons - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee: Implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy in England 2014 - 2020 - HC 745

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 166

ISBN-13: 9780215064721

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Against a background where farm incomes are falling, the Government needs to recognise that cutting payments to England's farmers will reduce their ability to compete in the marketplace, will leave farmers less able to invest in vital infrastructure and may make them more vulnerable to shocks such as poor weather, higher input costs and price variations. The Committee also warns against plans to transfer more money away from direct payments to farmers by shifting it towards environmental schemes. It recommends that the Government maintains the current 9% rate of transfer away from the direct payment budget. This rate of transfer should rise to 15% in 2017 only if it can demonstrate that additional funds are required and that this change will deliver a clear benefit. Money should also only go to people who actually farm the land and meet an 'active farmer test'. From 2015, 30% of the direct payment will be conditional on farmers achieving basic environmental measures. A National Certification Scheme approach to 'greening' does not offer the flexibility to avoid the Commission's impractical crop diversification rule so the Government is right to dismiss this approach. A new, single IT system is being developed, and the Government want access to CAP funding to be 'digital by default', meaning farmers will have to apply online. A lot went wrong in the last round of changes, and these problems gave rise to £580 million in penalties. Does it make sense to introduce a new computer system at the same time as complex new payment rules?


Town and Country Planning in the UK

Town and Country Planning in the UK

Author: Vincent Nadin

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-12-05

Total Pages: 952

ISBN-13: 1317585631

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Town and country planning has never been more important to the UK, nor more prominent in national debate. Planning generates great controversy: whether it’s spending £80m and four years’ inquiry into Heathrow’s Terminal 5, or the 200 proposed wind turbines in the Shetland Isles. On a smaller scale telecoms masts, take-aways, house extensions, and even fences are often the cause of local conflict. Town and Country Planning in the UK has been extensively revised by a new author group. This 15th Edition incorporates the major changes to planning introduced by the coalition government elected in 2010, particularly through the National Planning Policy Framework and associated practice guidance and the Localism Act. It provides a critical discussion of the systems of planning, the procedures for managing development and land use change, and the mechanisms for implementing policy and proposals. It reviews current policy for sustainable development and the associated economic, social and environmental themes relevant to planning in both urban and rural contexts. Contemporary arrangements are explained with reference to their historical development, the influence of the European Union, the roles of central and local government, and developing social and economic demands for land use change. Detailed consideration is given to • the nature of planning and its historical evolution • the role of the EU, central, regional and local government • mechanisms for developing policy, and managing these changes • policies for guiding and delivering housing and economic development • sustainable development principles for planning, including pollution control • the importance of design in planning • conserving the heritage • community engagement in planning The many recent changes to the system are explained in detail – the new national planning policy framework; the impact of the loss of the regional tier in planning and of the insertion of neighbourhood level planning; the transition from development control to development management; the continued and growing importance of environmental matters in planning; community engagement; partnership working; changes to planning gain and the introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy; and new initiatives across a number of other themes. Notes on further reading are provided and at the end of the book there is an extensive bibliography, maintaining its reputation as the ‘bible’ of British planning.


Introduction to Rural Planning

Introduction to Rural Planning

Author: Nick Gallent

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-06-30

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 1317608623

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Introduction to Rural Planning: Economies, Communities and Landscapes provides a critical analysis of the key challenges facing rural places and the ways that public policy and community action shape rural spaces. The second edition provides an examination of the composite nature of ‘rural planning’, which combines land-use and spatial planning elements with community action, countryside management and the projects and programmes of national and supra-national agencies and organisations. It also offers a broad analysis of entrepreneurial social action as a shaper of rural outcomes, with particular coverage of the localism agenda and Neighbourhood Planning in England. With a focus on accessibility and rural transport provision, this book examines the governance arrangements needed to deliver integrated solutions spanning urban and rural places. Through an examination of the ecosystem approach to environmental planning, it links the procurement of ecosystem services to the global challenges of habitat degradation and loss, climate change and resource scarcity and management. A valuable resource for students of planning, rural development and rural geography, Introduction to Rural Planning aims to make sense of current rural challenges and planning approaches, evaluating the currency of the ‘rural’ label in the context of global urbanisation, arguing that rural spaces are relational spaces characterised by critical production and consumption tensions.