Work with our partners to achieve a more sustainable, ecologically diverse and resilient natural environment as it is Shetland’s most valued and distinctive asset
We will connect people with the natural world, for their health and wellbeing as we work to improve, manage and promote accessible open space to deliver health, social and economic benefits to our community.
The Shetland Islands Regional Marine Plan was submitted to the Scottish Government in May 2021. As of March 2024, it remains to be adopted by Scottish Ministers. The Shetland Islands Marine Planning Partnership (SIMRP) is now meeting on a fortnightly basis with the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate in order to progress the plan towards adoption. A briefing note on the SIMRP was provided to members in December 2023 and it is anticipated that the plan should be ready for adoption around summer 2024.
The Shetland Local Flood Risk Management Plan was presented to Council and approved for publication in November 2022. Formal publication of that plan then followed in December 2022.
In November 2022, the Environment and Transport Committee agreed for the Council to become signatory to the Edinburgh Declaration. The Declaration states: “We recognise the role that many indigenous peoples and local communities have in the management of their territories, through effective biodiversity mainstreaming across all sectors. We note the need to develop effective policy, governance and financing solutions at all levels of government and to ensure vertical integration across national, subnational, city and local levels to effect transformative change.” The Declaration expanded on the Scottish Government’s and signatories’ commit to tackle the ‘twin crises’ of climate change and biodiversity decline.
The latest Biodiversity Duty Report was published in December 2023, setting out a range of things that the Council has done over the past three years to promote biodiversity. The publication of a report is a requirement under the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 and is intended to ensure public bodies show how they are delivering on their duty under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 to further the conservation of biodiversity when carrying out their functions.