Site Management
Much wildlife habitat requires management to retain and enhance its value and to enable people to enjoy nature. London’s biodiversity owes a lot to the high standard of stewardship undertaken in the past by many organisations across the Capital.
However, the lack of, or inappropriate management is now a significant factor in the declining nature conservation interest of many sites in London. There are several reasons why optimum nature conservation management may not be carried out. The most important of these are conflicting uses and differing perceptions of the role of the site. Where there is acceptance that nature conservation use is appropriate and desirable, lack of resources is often a major constraint to putting management into practice. Ignorance of suitable techniques may also be a contributory factor to a lack of effective management.
Site management falls into two broad categories - the physical management of the site and the management of people and accessibility. Both aspects of site management should be addressed in order to increase biodiversity and people’s enjoyment of it.
The GLA, boroughs, English Nature and the London Wildlife Trust are continuing to provide site-specific management advice on strategic sites as requested. London’s strategic Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs) are divided into categories reflecting their importance, i.e. sites of metropolitan, borough or local importance (SMIs, SBIs, SLIs). The policy, criteria and procedures for identifying these sites in London have been adopted by the Mayor (see Appendix 1 of the Mayor’s Biodiversity Strategy), who identifies SMIs, and encourages the boroughs to identify and protect borough and local sites.

Objectives, Actions and Targets
Objective 1: 	To ensure that biodiversity conservation objectives are incorporated into plans, briefs, statements and other documents relating to the management of public open spaces in London

Target: All Sites of Metropolitan Importance (SMI) for nature conservation in public ownership to have a management plan or brief by 2008 

Action	Target Date	Lead	Other Partners	
1.1 Provide site-specific management advice on strategic sites as requested.	Ongoing	GLA	LA, LWT, EN, EA	
1.2 Set up and maintain a database of ownership and management details for all SMI in public ownership. 	2005	GLA	LA, WT, EN, EA	
1.3 Research and identify all SMI in public ownership requiring management plans/briefs	2006	GLA	LA, WT, EN, EA 	
1.4 Start to implement programme of producing SMI management plans/briefs for those sites  lacking them	2006	GLA	LA, WT, EN, EA 	

Target: All Sites of Borough and Local Importance (SBI & SLI) for nature conservation in public ownership to have a management plan or brief by 2010

Action	Target Date	Lead	Other Partners	
1.5 Research and identify all SBI & SLI in public ownership requiring management plans/briefs	2006	LBBF	LA, GLA, WT, EA 	
1.6 Start programme of producing SBI/SLI management plans/briefs	2006	LBBF	LA, GLA, WT, EA