C1. Protected areas

Notes:

1. The boundary between protected areas on land and at sea is mean high water (mean high water springs in Scotland). Coastal sites in the indicator are split between ‘on land’ and ‘at sea’ if they cross the mean high water mark. At-sea extent includes offshore marine protected areas out to the limit of the UK continental shelf. The area of UK sea is calculated at 88.543 million hectares.
2. Based on calendar year of site designation except for the latest year. For 2022, the data cut-off for both terrestrial and marine sites was 31 March.
3. The calculation method and projection of spatial areas changed in 2019; these data are therefore not directly comparable to those presented in previous publications up to and including 2018 (see the ‘Indicator description, Extent’ section for further details).
4. Extent is based on the following site designations: Areas of Special Scientific Interest (Northern Ireland), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (England, Scotland and Wales), National Nature Reserves, Marine Conservation Zones, Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas, Ramsar Sites, Special Areas of Conservation (including candidate Special Areas of Conservation and Sites of Community Importance), Special Protection Areas, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, National Scenic Areas, National Parks.

Source: Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, NatureScot.

Notes:

1. The 2022 data include new information from Wales which was previously not available, therefore the graph shows two bars for 2022; one without data for Wales, and one with data for Wales. The vertical line marks the discontinuity.
2. England figures to 2021 based on area. Scotland and Northern Ireland figures based on number of features.
3. Figures for Northern Ireland for 2020 carried forward from 2019. The 2021 data have been revised due to updated data provided by Northern Ireland.
4. Based on data to the end of March, except in 2006 and 2008, when data are to end of December. Data were not collated in 2007.
5. Imputation has been used to calculate the breakdown between favourable and unfavourable-recovering for Northern Ireland for the years 2009 to 2011.
6. Figures exclude condition of Areas/Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified for geological features only.

Source: Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, NatureScot.

Note: Includes the following site designations: Areas of Special Scientific Interest (Northern Ireland), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (England and Scotland), National Nature Reserves, Marine Conservation Zones, Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas, Ramsar Sites, Special Areas of Conservation (including candidate Special Areas of Conservation and Sites of Community Importance), Special Protection Areas, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, National Scenic Areas and National Parks. 

Source: Joint Nature Conservation Committee, based on its own data and data from Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Northern Ireland Environment Agency and NatureScot.

Condition

The UK-wide Common Standards Monitoring programme is undertaken by the statutory nature conservation bodies to assess the effectiveness of management action aimed at maintaining or restoring the features for which protected areas have been designated. The data presented for this indicator are for the biological (species and habitats) features only; the monitoring of condition of features is also undertaken for geological features. Conservation objective(s) (sometimes called performance indicators) will have been set for each feature or site. The monitoring tests whether these objectives have been met.

Sites may have one or more interest features on them and each of these is assessed separately. Conservation objectives (or performance indicators) are developed by identifying the key attributes which make up or support the feature (e.g. extent, quality, supporting processes), and setting targets for them. Each attribute is then measured and compared against the target value set. If all the targets are met, the feature is in favourable condition. Human activities which are likely to be affecting the site adversely, and the conservation measures taken to maintain or restore the site, are also recorded. Sampling and assessment methods may vary between countries.

In order to calculate a UK indicator, the country condition results, presented as the percentage in ‘favourable’ or unfavourable-recovering condition, have been weighted by the proportion of the protected area network in each country. In 2017, this weighting was adjusted to the end of the financial year (except for 2006 and 2008) to match the end of financial year date stamp of the condition data. Further details are available in the accompanying technical document.

Sites or features which have yet to be assessed are excluded from the indicator; effectively this means the indicator is based on terrestrial and coastal features. Figures C1iv and C1v provide analogous information to that in Figure C1ii, but for features protected on SACs and SPAs.

Notes:

1. England figures based on area; Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland figures based on number of features.
2. Figures not available for Northern Ireland (2020), and Wales (2021). Values have been carried forward from 2019 (Northern Ireland) and 2020 (Wales).  The 2021 data have been revised due to updated data provided by Northern Ireland.
3. Based on data to the end of March, except in 2006 and 2008, when data are to end of December. Data were not collated in 2007.
4. Imputation has been used to calculate the breakdown between favourable and unfavourable-recovering for Northern Ireland for the years 2009 to 2011, and for Wales for the years 2008 to 2012.
5. Includes candidate Special Areas of Conservation and Sites of Community Importance (except Scotland). Includes coastal but not offshore sites.

Source:  Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, NatureScot.

Notes:

1. England figures based on area; Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland figures based on number of features.
2. Figures not available for Northern Ireland (2020), and Wales (2021). Values have been carried forward from 2019 (Northern Ireland) and 2020 (Wales). The 2021 data have been revised due to updated data provided by Northern Ireland.
3. Based on data to the end of March, except in 2006 and 2008, when data are to end of December. Data were not collated in 2007.
4. The figures for December 2006 were calculated by imputation based on the figures in March 2005 and December 2008 for England, as a breakdown was not provided.
5. Includes coastal but not offshore sites.

Source:  Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, NatureScot.

The proportion of sites in favourable or unfavourable-recovering condition increased from 58% in 2005 to 72% in 2022 for SACs. In the case of SPAs, this same measure increased from 73% in 2005 to a high of 84% from 2011 to 2014, before decreasing to 75% in 2022. The proportion in unfavourable-recovering condition has increased from 17% in 2005 to 30% in 2022 for SACs, and from 9% to 23% for SPAs. This change reflects improved management of sites, but is also affected by a greater number of sites/features having been assessed over time. Significant effort has been put into targeted conservation effort, including agreement of the management required with land-owners/occupiers.

Note that there was a change in the weighting used for this measure (see technical document) since the publication in 2015, and that the results are not therefore directly comparable. Improved analysis in 2017 allowed the weighting to be based on the extent of protected areas in the month of the condition data, rather than just the year, increasing accuracy.