As a result action plans have been produced to take forward sustainable development from a global to local level.

Globally the main driving force for sustainable development was Agenda 21.  This outlined an international action plan for sustainable development that as agreed by 180 world leaders at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.  This was subsequently built on ten years later at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

In response to Agenda 21 the Government produced in 1994 its own UK sustainable development strategy.  A revised strategy - a Better Quality of Life was published in 1999.  The UK Government launched its current sustainable development strategy Securing the Future in March 2005.

At the regional level, a sustainable development framework 'A Sustainable Future for the South West' was produced, by Sustainability SW, in 2000 which set out a vision, cross cutting themes and principles required to achieve sustainable development in the south west.  This framework was subsequently redeveloped in light of Securing the Future , as the Sustainability Shaper website in 2006.

The Shaper is an important tool and guide which translates the national sustainable development strategy Securing the Future for the region. It includes the South West's sustainability Mission and Principles and supports ten Action Frameworks.

In response to the Rio Earth Summit, Dorset took up the challenge of producing a Local Agenda 21 or local sustainable development strategy.  Led by the Dorset Agenda 21 Forum - a network of organisations and individuals from many different backgrounds and sectors - the Forum encouraged the wide participation of local people in raising awareness of sustainability issues and identifying priorities for local action. 

In 1999 as a result of this process the Forum published Dorset's Local Agenda 21 strategy - 'Dorset in the 21st Century: An Agenda of Action'.  Importantly the strategy proposes a set of visions for achieving a sustainable future outlines the major issues that need to be addressed and identifies indicators to measure progress towards improving quality of life in Dorset.

In 2000 the sustainable development agenda changed when the new Local Government Act placed a duty on local authorities to prepare a community strategy for improving the economic, social and environmental well being of their area and contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development in the UK.

In response to this a Community Strategy for Dorset was produced in 2004 with sustainability as its underpinning principle.  The strategy was developed by the newly formed Dorset Strategic Partnership, representing local, public, private and voluntary sector partners.

This strategy was reviewed in 2007 and a new Community strategy was developed called 'Shaping our Future - Dorset Sustainable Community Strategy'. As part of the process for developing the strategy a sustainability appraisal was undertaken to ensure that sustainable development principles were fully integrated into the strategy and that Dorset was well positioned to meet the County's sustainability challenges.

• Sustainable Development Manager
  Name: Kate Hall
  Email: k.m.hall@dorsetcc.gov.uk
  Tel: 01305 224774
  Full details for Kate Hall