Getting started

As you begin to think about your biodiversity duty you can use the information here to establish what's important, gain commitment and plan resources. Work through the pages in order or browse for the information you need.

What you need to know

If you are looking for a quick introduction to the Biodiversity Duty and why you should get involved, start with the Biodiversity Duty Explained.   

You should also know about the Scottish Biodiversity List which is the list of species and habitats of highest priority for biodiversity conservation in Scotland. This can help you to establish priorities.

Think it through

Explore why you are getting involved. How is biodiversity relevant to your organisation?   will help explain this and why your organisation is important to biodiversity.  

Who should take the lead?

Ideally, if senior management sign up to take action, it should be possible to promote awareness of biodiversity throughout the organisation. This will help integrate biodiversity within the core work of your organisation and harness the necessary resources, including people, money and materials.

Get the right people involved

You will need either a person or a team to co-ordinate the planning and action.

Try to involve people with an interest in biodiversity, with knowledge of your corporate processes, with enthusiasm, influence and lots of staying power!

Communicate

Promoting awareness of biodiversity is crucial. Involve colleagues in what's happening, seek opinions and raise awareness of the issues.

Here are some of the types of information that you could share on a regular basis to promote biodiversity awareness and maintain interest:

• Your organisation's biodiversity policy, objectives and targets
• Information sheets that explain about biodiversity 
• Key achievements, progress and success stories
• Ways to get involved and reminders of 'the little things that help to achieve a lot' in local biodiversity conservation. Have a look at Quick wins, Biodiversity on a budget and Communicating Biodiversity   for some ideas.

Next steps

If you've followed these start-up processes, you should now be ready for the detailed Planning stage.