National Indicator 197

The responsibility for achieving the targets of the indicator lay with The Staffordshire Local Sites Partnership, comprising Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Staffordshire County Council, GeoConservation Staffordshire, Staffordshire Ecological Record, Natural England, Lichfield District Council,  South Staffs Council, Staffs Moorlands District Council, East Staffs Borough Council, Stafford Borough Council, Tamworth Borough Council & Cannock Chase Council.

In 2008 Staffordshire contained approximately 850 Local Sites of which 24.8% were in appropriate conservation management.  NI197 aimed to increase the percentage of sites in management to 40%, equating to 129 sites, over the course of the three years.

As of March 2011, through the combined efforts of the Local Sites Partnership in Staffordshire the targets for NI197 were achieved.  In addition to securing management on the targeted number of sites, the indicator has significantly raised the profile of Local Sites in the county and has proved to be a valuable tool in assisting local authorities with fulfilling their duty to have regard for biodiversity which is one of the key elements of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act.