Conservation Management Framework

Birds in the Thames Estuary The Port of London Authority is a statutory harbour authority, the regulator of river works and dredging, and a significant landowner, including of large marine and terrestrial sites of high value for nature conservation and biodiversity. In addition to its general environmental responsibilities, the PLA has duties to conserve and enhance biodiversity within the Port of London under several pieces of legislation.

The relationship between safety of navigation, port development and nature conservation must be managed with care to allow the delivery of potentially conflicting objectives and to ensure compliance with the PLA's statutory duties and environmental responsibilities.

Building upon existing policies and initiatives, this Conservation Management Framework (CMF) is intended to facilitate this aim. It reviews the legislative and policy background to nature conservation within the Port of London, describes the main biodiversity resources and sets out actions and recommendations for reconciling potential conflicts during the operation of the port in normal and emergency conditions.

The CMF has been developed under a partnership with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The PLA and the RSPB entered into a partnership agreement on 1 April 2008, with a view to working together to share expertise and understanding, to resolve potential conflicts and to maximise opportunities for enhancing nature conservation in the Port of London. A member of the RSPB's South East England Regional Management Team was seconded for fifty days to work with the PLA's River Regime and Environment section, and the CMF is a key product of that secondment.

This is a working document that will be updated as and when required, and in any event will be subject to a review annually.

CMF Version 1: May 2009

Conservation Management Framework

The PLA's Statutory Responsibilities for Nature Conservation

Planning and Strategic Background

Summary of Existing PLA Initiatives and Resources

Main Biodiversity Resources in the tidal Thames

Biodiversity Impacts - Actions and Recommendations