One of the four main aims of the Carmarthenshire LBAP is to raise public awareness of the importance of conserving and enhancing the county's biodiversity.   

While many people are familiar with the terms "wildlife" and "diversity", "biodiversity" is a relatively new word not always widely understood, and except for the well-known endangered species, the case for the conservation of biodiversity can still be difficult to convey. However, the term has been adopted at an official level, and is becoming more widely used. Biodiversity does now appear in key stages 3 and 4 of national curriculum, as well as in the AS and A level syllabus. Biodiversity is recognised as a key indicator for sustanability, but without a high level of public support biodiversity conservation measures are unlikely to recieve the priority and resources necessary if targets are to be achieved. Raising awareness is therefeore seen as a critical part of the LBAP process.

Raising the level of awareness of biodiversity is an issue at both a national (through the media, via school curricula and by campaigns of national conservation organsiations and Government agencies0, and a local level. As with biodiversity action planning , national efforts may fail without "grassroots" activity as wellputting biodiversity into a local context.

The partnership believes tht raising public awareness of the county's rich biodiversity is essential if people are to be encouraged to become actively involved in its conservation and enhancement.

As part of this process it is important to think about what we mean when we talk of raising awareness of biodiversity because we use the phrase in a number of ways. It could be raising awareness of:

l What biodiversity is.
 
l The elements of that biodiversity - the individual species and habitats that we have in Carmarthenshire: why they are elsewhere but not everywhere - and how we measure and monitor it.
 
l The importsnce of this biodiversity to our lives and in its own right.
 
l The fact that biodiversity is something that changes with processes of natural succession, geological and climatic change as well as the influence of people.
 
l How we impact on it and can conserve it.

A central aim of LBAPs, is to increase local understanding and support for biodiversity. This involves key sectors of society: landowners and land managers, all levels of government, business and industry, education and other service providers, media and young people and local communities.

Messages are often best conveyed with reference to local examples and personal experience, and local action can be the best way of increasing awareness as well as reaching LBAP targets.

Participation in the biodiversity process is achievable at the local level, and such involvement will have real benefits, whcih  actually impacts on and changes people's lives. A key part of raising awareness is discussing just what these benefits are.

Local peoples' knowledge of the area can provide an important insight into its biodiversity. Utilising the expertise and enthusiasm of the community will help increase our local records for the area and increase the information about species and habitats. it may also identify species and habitats important to local communities as well as the habitats and species recognised as being important at local level.

It is important for peopel to realise that we have positive as  well as negative impacts on biodiversity and that some of your most precious habitats e.g. hay meadows, are the result of human intervention.

Successful implementation of this LBAP will depend on widespreas understanding, from influential groups down to the individual and in bridging the gap between knowledge and action, knowledge and involvement, and possibly changing how we do things.