European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils | Bodies

International nature conservation:
International nature conservation will remain a core component of JNCC's work. UK Government is committed to making an appropriate contribution towards the global and EU targets to reduce significantly/halt the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, delivered through multilateral environmental agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, and EU policy and legislation. In 2010/11, attention will shift to reviewing progress against the 2010 targets and developing post-2010 initiatives in response to new EU and global targets.

JNCC's role is to act as a link between international agreements and domestic implementation (which is largely devolved). JNCC provides technical support to Government in its interactions with European and global decision-making bodies, and provide intelligence and analysis to the country conservation bodies and devolved administrations to underpin the development and implementation of devolved policy.

JNCC takes a thematic approach to our international work, promoting consistent messages on the main drivers of biodiversity change, including climate change and invasive alien species, across the many different policy and legislative mechanisms.

Marine nature conservation:
Defra and devolved administrations are devoting more resources to marine nature conservation to meet commitments under the OSPAR Convention, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Habitats and Birds Directives, and new domestic marine legislation.

Using its extensive marine expertise, JNCC has a key role to play in helping governments to meet their marine objectives. JNCC's efforts will be focused on offshore waters beyond 12 nm, and at a European level, but we will also work with the country conservation bodies and others to ensure that there is a sound evidence base to support decision-making across the marine environment as whole, and that international obligations can be met in a consistent manner.

The UK Marine and Coastal Access Act and Marine (Scotland) Act, supplemented by executive devolution, will provide the Scottish Government with powers for nature conservation in Scottish offshore waters. JNCC's role as statutory adviser to Scottish Government on these responsibilities mean that we will need to continue to strengthen our relationship with Scottish Government as well as maintaining our relationships with Defra and the other devolved administrations. JNCC will also need to establish a strong working relationship with the newly created Marine Management Organisation.

Evidence and Standards:
JNCC will continue to play a key role in providing evidence and policy-relevant information to support environmental decision-taking and policy development within the UK, and advising on the adequacy of the evidence base. An essential part of JNCC's work in this area is our support for long-term biodiversity monitoring programmes - this takes up a large proportion of JNCC's UK co-ordination budget, but it underpins many country and UK applications.

JNCC plays a pivotal role in encouraging and enabling public bodies, industry and volunteers to share their biodiversity data to strengthen the policy evidence base. JNCC also engages with international initiatives to ensure that UK data can be placed within a wider geographical context.

Within the UK, environmental policy is largely devolved but where matters relate to the UK as an EU Member State and other reserved matters, JNCC continues to play a role in establishing UK-wide conservation standards and providing advice. Reduced funding to this work has required JNCC to take difficult decisions to reduce, or bring to an end, some services that stakeholders value or not to initiate work to meet new demands. Notably, JNCC will bring publication of the Geological Conservation Review series to a conclusion during 2010 before all remaining volumes have been completed. However, we will seek to ensure that the information needed by others is made available in a more economic way, for example through electronic publication.

Past Priority Fields

International nature conservation
International nature conservation remains an important facet of JNCC's work. UK Government is committed to making an appropriate contribution towards the global and EU targets to reduce significantly/halt the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, delivered through multilateral environmental agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, and EU policy and legislation. As the deadline for these targets approaches, attention is increasingly being directed to post-2010 initiatives.

JNCC's role is to act as a link between international agreements and domestic implementation. We provide technical support to Government in its interactions with European and global decision-making bodies, and provide intelligence and analysis to underpin the development and implementation of devolved policy.

We take a thematic approach to our international work, promoting consistent messages on the main drivers of biodiversity loss, such as climate change and invasive alien species, across the many different policy and legislative mechanisms.

Marine nature conservation
Nature conservation in the marine environment is not as well developed as it is terrestrially, but this situation is changing rapidly. Governments in the UK are devoting more resources to marine work to meet commitments under the OSPAR Convention, the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Habitats and Birds Directives, and new domestic marine legislation.

With enhanced funding from Defra, JNCC will be playing an important role in helping Government to meet its commitments in 2009/10. Our efforts will be focused beyond territorial waters, but we will also work with the country conservation bodies and others to ensure that there is a sound evidence base to support decision-making across the marine environment and that international obligations can be met in a consistent manner.

Data and evidence
JNCC will continue to play a key role in collating and disseminating evidence to support environmental decision-taking and policy development within the UK. We will build on our long-standing commitment to biodiversity monitoring and surveillance in the UK, by contributing to broader environmental assessments such as the UK's National Ecosystem Assessment and Charting Progress 2. We will enhance the policy-relevance of biodiversity data by developing tailored information products to support specific requirements such as the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and country biodiversity strategies.

We will also increase our engagement with international initiatives, such as the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (IPBES), to ensure that the UK makes an effective contribution and that UK data can be placed within a wider geographical context.

UK standards and co-ordination
Devolution has altered the political framework within which JNCC operates. Within the UK, environmental policy is largely devolved and JNCC's new strategy acknowledges that there is a diminishing need for UK conservation standards and co-ordination (except on matters relating to the UK as an EU Member State and reserved matters) and little requirement for UK policy advice.

However, there is an ongoing need for UK-wide standards and reporting in some areas, as set out by the UK Biodiversity Partnership in Conserving Biodiversity - the UK Approach. JNCC will continue to help Government fulfil its UK obligations.

Background and Mission

Establishment

The JNCC, originally established under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, was reconstituted by the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. Support is provided to the JNCC by a company limited by guarantee (JNCC Support Co) that the Committee established in 2005.

Mission

JNCC provides evidence and advice to assist the UK government and devolved administrations in developing and implementing coherent domestic and international policies on the protection of natural resources as an integral part of sustainable development. The evidence and advice covers biodiversity and geodiversity issues which arise in one or more country within the UK and affect the interests of the UK as a whole, in the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, and, where appropriate, internationally. JNCC disseminates knowledge to foster understanding of these issues.

Through the Support Company, JNCC staff provide support to enable JNCC to advance its vision and mission.

Committee Members

The Committee comprises 14 members: a Chair and five independent members appointed by the Secretary of State; the Chairman of CNCC; the Chairmen or deputy Chairmen of CCW, Natural England and SNH; and one other member from each of these bodies.

Chair Dr. Peter Bridgewater	Former Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
Deputy Chair Prof. Lynda Warren	Independent, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Law Member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP)
Committee Members Mr Patrick Casement	Chairman, Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside (CNCC)
Mr Peter Archdale	Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside (CNCC)
Poul Christensen	Deputy Chairman, Natural England (NE)
David Crawley	Former senior civil servant Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH)
Vacant	Independent
Prof. David Hill	Board Member, Natural England (NE)
John Lloyd Jones	Chairman, Countryside Council for Wale (CCW)
David Pritchard	Independent, International Treaties Adviser at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Birdlife International
Dr Ieuan Joyce	Member of the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW)
Andrew Thin	Chairman, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH)
Prof. Michael Usher	Independent, Trustee of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and of the Woodland Trust
Ms. Judith Webb	Independent

Staff members

There are more than 130 staff members working for the JNCC, based in offices in Peterborough, Aberdeen and Brussels. Marcus Yeo is the Managing Director.

Work Style

Tasks of the JNCC

Additionally, the JNCC is obliged by law to produce an Annual Report for the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which includes a financial statement.

Substructure and Working Groups

The JNCC's work falls into two broad categories: core work, which covers all of the main advisory functions, and a series of projects that are of a fixed duration. The work can be done through the Committee's own Support Unit, by one country agency leading on behalf of the others, or through a network of agency staff. Much of the work is contracted out.

The special functions are managed by a Board of Directors, which is responsible for ensuring that the company discharges its obligation in respect of delivering the work of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The Joint Committee itself continues to operate separately from the company to discharge its top level strategic and advisory responsibilities, delegating the delivery of the work required to achieve these to the company, via the Board.

The board consists of 17 directors, 14 of whom are members of the committee, plus 3 additional directors employed by the company. The board meets four times a year, board meetings following on immediately after the quarterly Committee meetings in March, June, September and December.

Type of Advice

The JNCC is a statutory adviser to UK Government on nature conservation issues affecting Great Britain as a whole and the international environment. This advice may cover a wide range of issues, as listed under ‘present priority fields’ above. Advice may be provided in response to a specific Government request, or may be provided at the JNCC’s own initiative.

JNCC Meetings

The Committee meets regularly four times a year in March, June, September and December. Meeting dates for 2009 are:

Activities in the EEAC Network

Mr. Marcus Yeo, Managing Director of JNCC, acted as EEAC Office supervisor and consequently he was also a member of the EEAC Steering Committee.

List of Selected Publications

For a list of previous publications please click here. More information on the full range of JNCC publications, leaflets and information is available via the JNCC website http://www.jncc.gov.uk

Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)

Current and Future Activities

Present and Future Priority Fields