What is biodiversity?

Biodiversity is the total variety of life on Earth. It includes all the species and habitats and their interactions.

Clackmannanshire is a land of contrast: from the Ochil Hills to the Forth Estuary, it supports a wide variety of life. The sticky catchfly plant in the Ochil Hills, red squirrels in the eastern woodlands, salmon and trout in the rivers, and the host of birdlife throughout the county. It is home to some of the UK’s rarest and most threatened plants and animals and contains areas that have been given conservation designations which identify them as worthy of protection.

The conservation of biodiversity in Clackmannanshire is co-ordinated through the Local Biodiversity Action Plan, which identifies the plants, animals and habitats which are of greatest importance in the area, and focuses local action towards conserving and enhancing biodiversity for its own benefit and for the benefit of people who live, work and spend time in Clackmannanshire.

However, biodiversity is under threat from a variety of pressures, in Clackmannanshire as well as in Scotland and in the rest of the world. A lot of good work has been done, and continues to be done, to reverse damage to Clackmannanshire’s biodiversity. By its nature, biodiversity is diverse and complex; inevitably it takes time to see the impact of changes in our actions and behaviour.