For 30 years, JNCC has provided robust evidence and trusted advice on nature conservation.
We are well-placed to synthesise evidence and provide advice relating to the natural environment, utilising our unique combination of strengths, which include:
- Deep expertise in biodiversity and how it underpins the ecosystem services that benefit society and the economy.
- A UK and international role that supports devolved implementation of country-specific priorities by providing cost-effective delivery, global leadership and solutions to cross-border environmental challenges.
- A position at the interface between science and policy, providing evidence and advice to enable governments and others to make informed decisions.
- Well-established partnerships with the country nature conservation bodies, other government bodies, academia, research organisations, businesses and NGOs, utilising our convening power to bring organisations together.
- People with a blend of scientific and technical skills, including environmental science, UK and international environmental policy, and data modelling and analysis, that can be deployed across terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments.
Our Staff and teams
We employ approximately 200 scientific, technical and support staff. Our teams work co-operatively with each other on many of our projects, and carry out a wide range of activities in support of our role in providing high-quality evidence and advice on the natural environment to governments and other stakeholders.
Our Corporate Services Teams provide support services, based on specialised knowledge and best practice to the whole organisation. Our corporate services teams include: Finance and Planning, Facilities, Health and Safety, Communications and Corporate Affairs, Business Development and Marketing, and Human Resources.
The Marine Monitoring Team undertakes a range of activities, including: organising offshore seabed surveys with partners to gather information to support designation, monitoring and assessment of offshore MPAs; development of data management and survey standards, guidelines and methods at a UK and international level; the provision of expert advice to national fora; and co-ordination of the UK Marine Monitoring Programme working under the UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy with partners through the Healthy and Biologically Diverse Seas Evidence Group.
The work of the Marine Evidence Team includes: enhancing understanding of the marine environment through fine- and broad-scale mapping of marine habitats and their relationships to physical and oceanographic parameters; improving understanding of human impacts on the marine environment through spatial mapping of human activity footprints and their pressures, assessment of habitat and species sensitivity and using this information together to assess vulnerability; maintenance of the national benthic marine database (Marine Recorder) and the national marine habitat classification; and provision of expert advice to international fora.
The Marine Ecosystems Team develops and implements modelling tools, metrics, and indicators to measure the condition, health and trends of marine ecosystems to support implementation of management measures, and the production of national and international assessments. The team also develops evidence on marine natural capital to support environmental decision making; and provides advice to support governments on Multilateral Environmental Agreements, for example on Climate Change, Biological Diversity and the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR convention).
The Marine Management Team provides evidence-based advice on the environmental impacts of activities taking place in the offshore marine environment (beyond 12 nautical miles from the coast) to appropriate authorities responsible for their regulation. The advisory functions of the team are centred on helping government(s), regulators and developers meet the requirements of relevant legislation. The majority of the team’s work focuses on advising on impacts of offshore oil and gas, renewable energy, aggregate extraction and fisheries, as well as other industry sectors. The Team also advise on the development of marine spatial plans. As conservation advisers, we have a significant role to play in the management of the offshore marine environment and we work closely with our partners and wider stakeholders to deliver sustainable management approaches. This includes advising on management of the network of MPAs in the UK offshore marine area
The Marine Species Team provides expert advice on conservation of marine species in UK, European and international waters, with a focus on marine mammals (particularly cetaceans) and birds. The team works closely with other teams in the organisation. Our marine bird work covers monitoring on land and at sea; provision of population estimates and trends in abundance and demographics; and the interpretation of evidence to advise on conservation and management, especially working closely with the Marine Management Team on assessing impacts from offshore industries and fisheries. We also undertake seabird research, including through collaboration with scientists in UK and European universities. Marine mammal work is focussed on cetaceans, with some work on seals. It covers supporting and advising on monitoring, status assessment and reporting; interpretation of evidence to provide advice on protected areas management and conservation more widely; and coordination of and collaboration with experts across the UK and Europe to develop evidence, advice and conservation strategies.
The Marine Protected Areas Team is responsible for delivering advice on the designation, management, monitoring and assessment of offshore MPAs in UK waters, as well as providing advice on best-practice around MPAs through a range of international fora such as OSPAR and the Convention on Biological Diversity. We are also running a programme of MPA Technical Assistance to countries around the globe which draws on the expertise and experience we have developed in a UK context to ensure demand-led and value-added contributions to ocean protection globally.
The Ecosystems Analysis Team works in partnership with a number of organisations. The team brings together three elements of monitoring and surveillance work to provide scientific nature conservation advice:
- A set of long-term partnerships with bodies undertaking species surveillance in terrestrial, coastal and freshwater ecosystems through networks of volunteers
- An analysis and modelling capability which brings together data on species, habitats and natural capital to inform policy making, implementation and monitoring in the UK and internationally
- An Earth observation data processing and analytical capability, which develops processing standards and methods to facilitate use of these data sources by government and country nature conservation body partners as well for use within the organisation for habitat mapping and natural capital assessments.
The International Implementation Team has responsibility for advising on the Ecosystem Approach, natural capital and ecosystem services, environmental economics and managing major thematic work related to these areas within the UK’s Overseas Territories and internationally. The team provides technical assistance to UKOT Governments to support biodiversity and wider environmental management strategies, and scientific advice to the UK Government who provide support to the OTs in relation to the environment and economic security. Within JNCC, the team works collaboratively to deliver technical implementation advice. The team also co-ordinates the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) UK Stakeholder Hub.
The International Advice Team provides, amongst other things, advice across the range of multi-lateral environmental agreements (MEAs) to which the UK is party. These include agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), for which JNCC is the UK CITES Scientific Authority. The team also advises on other international environment issues, legislation and policy; leads on preparing government reports required under international obligations and contributes to the production of UK biodiversity indicators.
The Nature Conservation Policy and Advice Team plays a key role in nature conservation in the UK, working with partners in the country nature conservation bodies, the UK and devolved governments and the wider nature conservation community. The team maintains an overview of UK nature conservation policy and legislation; facilitates, convenes and, where required, co-ordinates joint UK working on key topics; and works with UK countries on areas of priority delivery where JNCC contributes complementary capabilities of evidence and advice. Within JNCC, the NCPA team works collaboratively across the organisation to deliver shared solutions, for example on multilateral environmental agreements, and in developing evidence-based approaches to addressing environmental threats and opportunities.
The Digital and Data Solutions Team is responsible for delivering a diverse portfolio of projects within JNCC. The Team maintains the organisation’s technical infrastructure by implementing systems, developing innovative approaches to data, and providing policy and advice on information management. DDS also has an internal governance function in areas such as information security and data protection.
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