Biodiversity Action Plan

In 2021, Mid Suffolk District Council declared a biodiversity emergency, in recognition of the threats to our wildlife and ecosystems.

In response to this, we published our first Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP).

This set out the actions we would take over the next few years to benefit biodiversity across Mid Suffolk.

Most of the actions from this first plan have now been delivered, including:

  • Mapping of our tree cover
  • Planting of thousands of trees and hedges
  • Surveys of our wildlife sites
  • Creating new wildflower meadows

Whilst these actions provide some help to biodiversity, we know we need to do more.

We have now published a new and more ambitious BAP.

Read our new Biodiversity Action Plan

This covers:

  • Six Suffolk priority habitats
  • Five Suffolk priority species

The BAP focusses on the Suffolk priority habitats and species found in our district, that we can best help through our work, including:

  • Management of our land and open spaces
  • Our statutory functions, such as development management and housing

Of course, there are many more Suffolk species and habitats than are covered by the BAP.

However, some of these are not found within our district, and some are already being targeted by other organisations, who are better placed to do so.

Where we can, we will work alongside those organisations to help achieve more.

These habitats and species have been chosen as those where we can make the greatest difference.

The BAP will help us direct future work to deliver even greater benefits to biodiversity across the district in coming years than we have already achieved.

The Biodiversity Duty Report sets out the progress the Council has made over the past five years to conserve and enhance biodiversity, embed nature recovery across council functions, and the strategic direction for continuing nature recovery in the next reporting period – 2026-2030.

You can find out more about what we’ve already achieved in the last five years and what we plan to do in the next in our Biodiversity Duty Report 2026.