Natural England - Landscape, historic environment and geodiversity
Landscape, historic environment and geodiversity
In this area Natural England’s aim is to ensure that our diverse landscapes continue to provide inspiration and enjoyment for people, and enable our wildlife to adapt to the challenges of the future.
The focus of our evidence programme is in two main areas: firstly, to ensure that we know how England’s landscapes are changing, in both character and quality, and how those changes relate to ecosystem service delivery; and secondly, to develop a landscape-led approach to conserving the natural environment.
Relevant information
Natural England Publications
Evidence projects
Research
| ID | Title | Description | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| RP0020 | Rock, fossil and mineral collecting - good practice evidence and guidance | To gather up-to-date information on good practice relating to rock, fossil and mineral collecting in order to inform Natural England guidance on collecting. This work will underpin our statutory role in the management of Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
| Hannah Townley |
| RP0225 | UK Geodiversity Action Plan (UKGAP) | The UKGAP provides a framework planning and recording the delivery of geoconservation across the UK. The aim of this project is to provide evidence (through a range of case studies) to illustrate how the UKGAP is currently being delivered across its objectives. It will also undertake new research on existing delivery monitoring measures for Local Geodiversity Action Plans (LGAPs) in order to develop a standard mechanism for measuring progress that can be adopted by the UKGAP and LGAPs. The work is supported by a wide range of partners across the UK.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £11,000.00 | Hannah Townley |
| RP0229 | Soils data project | This is long term project improving the availability of soils data derived from Agricultural Land Classification surveys to Natural England staff and the general public. In addition securing the associated ALC archive of which Natural England has guardianship on behalf of Defra. Current phase of project involves scanning remaining paper Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) maps and associated information. Also updating Geni ALC layer. - continuation of 2008/09 2009/10 projects.
| Gill Shaw |
| RP0346 | Geodiversity technical guidance review | Natural England has a number of technical guidance and advice documents providing advice on geological and geomorphological conservation. These guidance and advice documents have been developed over a number of years and this project will review existing guidance and its need for updating. Guidance considered of high priority for revising will be rewritten and reissued through this project.
| Hannah Townley |
| RP0354 | Agricultural land management techniques to deliver ecosystem service benefits from soil biological activity, biomass and diversity in England | The total collection of organisms in the soil, from worms and beetles to bacteria and fungi are known as soil biota. They deliver a wide range of ecosystem services, but are likely to have been damaged by intensive farming, among other threats. Better farm practices could enhance soil biota. This project will review options available to farmers in England to enhance soil biota and the practical costs and benefits of selected options. Results will inform future studies, and current and future farm advice and schemes, and will be presented at a research seminar to policy makers, farm advisors and farming representatives.
| Matthew Shepherd |
| RP0356 | LiaNE Workstream 2: updating National Character Area profiles and setting National Character Area objectives | This project is a cornerstone to the cross-cutting LiaNE project (Landscape - an integrating framework for Natural England see project RP303). The work builds on the National Character Area (NCA) Interim Objectives by including new evidence on ecosystem services to define objectives for landscape quality and ecosystem services, melded into Integrated Objectives, all of which can input to CQuEL (See RP 092). The work also includes updating the existing NCA descriptions to develop more concise and overtly evidence based profiles; these have a wider ownership outside of NE.
| Megan Ellershaw |
| RP0605 | Identifying the movement of female Greater Horseshoe bats in Beer Quarry caves | 70% of the visible ghb bats at Beer Quarry Caves SAC are known to be male, this raises the question where are the females, elsewhere within the complex of caves not accessible by humans or somewhere else completely . Proposal would be to install remote monitors around the caves to plot their movement around the complex to see if there are significant movements in peripheral areas of the caves .
| Cathy Fitzroy |
Monitoring
| ID | Title | Description | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| RP0021 | Establishing a national Local Geological Site (RIGS) data set | To establish a national, spatial data-set that maps the distribution of all Local Geological Sites (known as RIGS) for England. Associated information collected will include brief details of site interest, level of accessibility (accessible green space) and information on site condition. The information will be used by Local Geoconservation groups, Local Authorities, Planners and Land Managers. This project is being undertaken in partnership with GeoConservationUK and The Geology Trusts.
| Jonathan Larwood |
| RP0092 | Monitoring the character and quality of England's landscapes (CQuEL) | CQuEL is one of Natural England's Integrated Monitoring changes projects. It will assess change in the character and quality of England's landscape. Phase 1 has been completed. The reports are avaiable from: the Natural England internet and LWEC . Following a period of review, to ensure CQuEL is fit for purpose in respect of the NEWP and review of arms' length bodies the 11/12 work programme for CQuEL will comprise an analytical piloting phase wich focus on selected geographic areas (NCAs) and a targeted set of ecosystems services.
| Andrew Baker |
| RP0228 | Geological Conservation Review boundary digitisation | Geological Conservation Review (GCR) sites provide the national basis for identifying features of interest in geological and geomorphological Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). This project will digitise all GCR site boundaries in England. This will provide a digitised dataset for spatial comparison with established SSSI boundary datasets strengthening Natural England's ability to provide advice and report on geological and geomorphological SSSIs.
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £10,800.00 | Hannah Townley |
| RP0310 | Monitoring environmental outcomes in Protected Landscapes | To establish a co-ordinated and robust monitoring framework, for England''s Protected Landscapes. That demonstrates the effectiveness of the conservation and enhancement of England''s Protected Landscapes; provides an evidence base to assess effective delivery of Protected Landscapes management plans and informs their review; provides an evidence base to demonstrate that England''s Protected Landscapes are exemplars of land management (including local character, cultural heritage, tranquillity, biodiversity in favourable condition, exemplary access management, resilience to climate change).
Natural England's financial contribution to this project is: £3,000.00 | Liz Bingham |
