UK Biodiversity Indicator C1, Protected areas

This spreadsheet is the underlying data for the biodiversity indicator C1, Protected areas, Designation and management of protected areas are key mechanisms for taking action to reverse the loss of biodiversity. These protected areas cover many of the most valuable sites for biodiversity in the UK with associated legal mechanisms for safeguarding habitats and species. Wider countryside designations have a number of purposes, including conservation and public enjoyment. In a densely populated country like the UK, where the landscape and habitats have been modified by centuries of use, protected areas often need to be actively managed to ensure the species and habitats they contain persist into the future. The condition indicator is a measure of the outcomes of management action and conservation policy on protected areas. The extent indicator is a calculation of the net (non-overlapping) extent of protected areas using mean high water as the boundary between the at-sea and on-land measures. The indicator was expanded in 2014 to include wider countryside designations, sites designated under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar sites), and new marine protected areas. In 2015, National Nature Reserves were added to the indicator. Sites are designated with the aim of conserving specific biological or geological features. The condition of these features is assessed on a rolling cycle against agreed standards. A monitoring programme was initiated in 1998 to evaluate the outcomes of management action and conservation policy. The indicator (Figure C1ii) identifies the proportion of these features - by feature or by area - that are in a desired state (favourable) or have appropriate management (recovering). The underpinning legislation for A/SSSIs extends to low water, so the condition part of the indicator is, effectively, a terrestrial measure. This is one of a suite of 24 UK biodiversity indicators published by JNCC on behalf of Defra; the latest publication date was 19 January 2016 - for indicator C1 the latest data are for 2015. The supporting technical document details the methodology used to create the indicator.