This report outlines the SSSI Future Reforms (SSSIFR) project undertaken by Natural England, aiming to investigate whether the current statutory framework for SSSIs supports adaptation to climate change, or if an evolution of the legal framework is necessary to better protect habitats, species, and ...

This document aims to discuss and suggest a new categorisation system for different maerl bed habitats in English inshore waters, with potential for wider application around the UK. The main factors being considered when developing a categorising system include physical size, percentage cover, the...

This document provides the essential background information necessary to comprehend and formulate strategies for achieving Favourable Conservation Status (FCS) in England. FCS strategies outline Natural England's vision for attaining FCS for species and habitats in England, with minimum thresholds...

The Fisheries Impacts Evidence Database Spreadsheet (FIED) and Fisheries Impacts on Marine Protected Habitats - A Review of the Evidence are two evidence products produced by Natural England as part of a project commissioned by Defra's Marine Biodiversity Impacts Evidence Group. The purpose of each ...

In September 2022, the Retained EU Law Bill was introduced to the UK House of Commons with the purpose of removing retained EU laws, and where required, integrating them into domestic legislation. As the Bill progressed through Parliament, two undertakings were provided by the government. Firstly,...

The purpose of this exercise was to provide additional insight to the previously published annual reports in the following areas: Ethnic minority groups' engagement with nature; How individuals with a disability/health condition engage with nature; Environmental attitudes and behaviours; And...

This short report describes the development of an approach to create regional biodiversity targets and how to develop monitoring of the whole biodiversity assemblage in protected areas to support the Natural England SSSI Future Reforms project in the UK. It includes species and habitat selection,...

This project aimed to address the gap in knowledge of the exact extent of geographic coverage, status of plans and pathways addressed and effectiveness of plans regarding invasive and non-native species (INNS) by auditing and reviewing all available marine biosecurity plans in England, UK. This...

This report focuses on the Marine Restoration Potential (MaRePo) project, which serves as a proof-of-concept study investigating the habitat restoration potential of key threatened and declining subtidal marine habitats in English waters. The study examines the restoration possibilities for various ...

This paper describes nine case studies where a combination of both traditional bird survey (TBS) methods and ecoacoustic bird surveys (EBS) were used to determine the species richness of the wild bird assemblages in the UK. It was shown that in two-thirds of the case studies, ecoacoustic surveys...