Nature Conservation: Land

(asked on 17th November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to increase the regular monitoring of protected land to ensure it is in good condition and contributing to nature’s recovery.


Answered by
Rebecca Pow Portrait
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 25th November 2020

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

Defra is investing in a Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) which is a long-term programme to understand the state and condition of biodiversity, ecosystems and natural capital assets in England. This is being piloted with £5m of funding in 2020/21 by a partnership including Natural England, the Environment Agency, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Forest Research. Data from this programme will inform the annual Monitoring Environmental Outcomes in Protected Landscapes (MEOPL), which records how protected landscapes in England are changing and provides a broad indication of how they are performing with respect to the criteria for which they are designated.

Natural England is developing a new approach to monitoring protected sites, which include Sites of Special Scientific Interest and European sites. This includes the use of new technologies such as remote sensing and greater partnership involvement. Natural England's 5-year strategy for investment in monitoring the natural environment and its benefits across England's land and sea was published in 2019:

http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5752753379082240

The statutory purposes of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty are enshrined in legislation and are primarily to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of those areas. The management of these protected landscapes is informed by statutory management plans, which set out the agreed policies and objectives to help deliver their statutory purposes. These documents, including monitoring reports, are publicly available online via:

https://www.nationalparksengland.org.uk/national-park-management-plans/the-ten-english-national-park-management-plans

https://landscapesforlife.org.uk/about-aonbs/aonbs/overview

The Landscape Review, led by Julian Glover and published in September 2019, recommended that management plans should be strengthened and set clear priorities and actions for nature recovery. We are carefully considering all the recommendations of the review and will respond in due course.

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