41.This section substitutes section 2A of the 2004 Act with a new section.
42.The existing section 2A of the 2004 Act requires every public body in Scotland to prepare and publish a biodiversity report triennially on the actions taken by the body. While the new section 2A also requires the preparation and publication of a biodiversity report, it limits the obligation to public bodies and office-holders that are specified in regulations made under subsection (4) (rather than all) and provides for reports to be produced in respect of the periods specified under the regulations (which must not be less than once every three years). This shift reflects that not all public bodies or office-holders perform actions which have an impact on biodiversity and also allows for different types of public body and office-holder to be required to report in respect of different timescales. The power in subsection (4) also allows the Scottish Ministers to specify information that must be provided in a biodiversity report.
43.By virtue of subsection (3), public bodies and office-holders may incorporate the biodiversity report within another report prepared or published by the body.
The Act Part 1 – Targets for Improving Biodiversity Section 2 – Reports on compliance with biodiversity duty