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Overview of assessment of change for all indicators

Updated 14 November 2023

The table below (table 1) summarises assessment results for 24 indicators and their component measures, with updates for 18 indicators.

For each indicator, its number, title, and measures (where applicable) are shown. Indicators are numbered according to the Strategic Goal with which they most closely link.

The indicators

Overview of assessment of change for all indicators.

Indicator  measure(s) Long-term change1 Short-term change2 Last Updated Latest Data
A1. Awareness, understanding and support for conservation   Insufficient or no comparable data Insufficient or no comparable data 2020 2018
A2. Taking action for nature: volunteer time spent in conservation  

Improving
2000–2021

Deteriorating
2016–2021

2023 2021
A3. Value of biodiversity integrated into decision making   Under development Under development 2019 Not Applicable
A4. Global biodiversity impacts of UK economic activity / sustainable consumption   Official Statistic in Development – not assessed Official Statistic in Development – not assessed 2023 2021
A5. Integration of biodiversity considerations into business activity  

Insufficient or no comparable data

Insufficient or no comparable data

2023 2022
B1. Agricultural and forest area under environmental management schemes B1a. Area of land in agri-environment schemes

Improving
1992–2022

Improving
2017–2022

2023 2022
 

B1b. Area of forestry land certified as sustainably managed

National Statistics logo

Improving
2001–2023

Little or no overall change
2016–2023

2023 2023
B2. Sustainable fisheries B2a. Percentage of marine fish stocks harvested sustainably

Improving
1990–2020

Improving
2015–2020

2023 2020
  B2b. Biomass of marine fish stocks at full reproductive capacity

Improving
1990–2020

Little or no overall change
2015–2020

2023 2020
B3. Climate change adaptation   Under development Under development 2019 Not Applicable
B4. Pressure from climate change (Spring Index)   Not Assessed Not Assessed 2023 2023
B5. Pressure from pollution B5a. Air pollution        
  B5a(i). Area affected by acidity


Improving
2003–2020

Improving
2015–2020

2023 2020
  B5a(ii). Area affected by nitrogen

Improving
2003–2020

Improving
2015–2020

2023 2020
  B5b. Marine pollution

Improving
1990–2019

Improving
2014–2019

2021 2019
B6. Pressure from invasive species B6a. Freshwater invasive species

Deteriorating
1969–2022

Not assessed 2023 2022
  B6b. Marine (coastal) invasive species

Deteriorating
1969–2022

Not assessed 2023 2022
  B6c. Terrestrial invasive species

Deteriorating
1969–2022

Not assessed 2023 2022
B7. Surface water status  

Little or no overall change
2009–2022

Little or no overall change
2017–2022

2023 2022
C1. Protected areas C1a. Total extent of protected areas: on land

Improving
1950–2023

Little or no overall change
2018–2023

2023 2023
  C1b. Total extent of protected areas: at sea

Improving
1950–2023

Improving
2018–2023

2023 2023
  C1c. Condition of Areas/Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Improving
2005–2023

Little or no overall change
2018–2023

2023 2023
C2. Habitat connectivity   Official Statistic in Development – not assessed Official Statistic in Development – not assessed 2019 2012
C3. Status of European habitats and species C3a. Status of UK habitats of European importance

Deteriorating
2007–2019

Deteriorating
2013–2019

2019 2019
  C3b. Status of UK species of European importance

Deteriorating
2007–2019

Deteriorating
2013–2019

2019 2019
C4. Status of UK priority species C4a. Relative abundance

Deteriorating
1970–2021

Little or no overall change
2016–2021

May 2023 2021
  C4b. Distribution

Little or no overall change
1970–2018

Little or no overall change
2013–2018

2021 2018

C5. Birds of the wider countryside and at sea

National Statistics logo

C5a. Farmland birds

Deteriorating
1970–2021

Deteriorating
2016–2021

2023 2022
  C5b. Woodland birds

Deteriorating
1970–2021

Deteriorating
2016–2021

2023 2022
  C5c. Wetland birds

Deteriorating
1975–2021

Deteriorating
2016–2021

2023 2022
  C5d. Seabirds Not assessed  Not assessed  2021 2019
  C5e. Wintering waterbirds

Improving
1975/76–2020/21

Deteriorating
2015/16-2020/21

2023 2021-22
C6. Insects of the wider countryside (butterflies) C6a. Habitat specialists

Deteriorating
1976–2022

Little or no overall change
2017–2022

2023 2022
  C6b. Species of the wider countryside

Little or no overall change
1976–2022

Little or no overall change
2017–2022

2023 2022
C7. Plants of the wider countryside   Official Statistic in Development – not assessed Official Statistic in Development – not assessed 2023 2022
C8. Mammals of the wider countryside (bats)  

Improving
1999–2020

Improving
2015–2020

2023 2022
C9. Genetic resources for food and agriculture C9a. Animal genetic resources – effective population size of Native Breeds at Risk        
  C9a(i). Goat breeds

Little or no overall change
2004–2022

Deteriorating
2017–2022

2023 2022
  C9a(ii). Pig breeds

Deteriorating
2000–2022

Deteriorating
2017–2022

2023 2022
  C9a(iii). Horse breeds

Deteriorating
2000–2022

Deteriorating
2017–2022

2023 2022
  C9a(iv). Sheep breeds

Improving
2000–2022

Deteriorating
2017–2022

2023 2022
  C9a(v). Cattle breeds

Improving
2000–2022

Deteriorating
2017–2022

2023 2022
  C9b. Plant genetic resources – Enrichment Index

Improving
1960–2018

Improving
2013–2018

2018 2018
D1. Biodiversity and ecosystem services D1a. Fish size classes in the North Sea

Deteriorating
1983–2020

Deteriorating
2015–2020

2023 2020
  D1b. Removal of greenhouse gases by UK forests

Improving
1990–2021

Improving
2016–2021

2023 2021
  D1c. Status of pollinating insects

Deteriorating
1980–2022

Little or no overall change
2017–2022

2023 2022
E1. Biodiversity data for decision making E1a. Cumulative number of records

Improving
2004–2023

Improving
2018–2023

2023 2023
  E1b. Number of publicly accessible records at 1km2 resolution or better

Improving
2004–2023

Deteriorating
2018–2023

2023 2023
E2. Expenditure on UK and international biodiversity E2a. Public sector expenditure on UK biodiversity

Improving
2000/01–2021/22

Improving
2016/17–2021/22

2023 2021/22 financial year
  E2b. Non-governmental organisation expenditure on UK biodiversity Improving
2010/11–2021/22

Improving
2016/17–2021/22

2023 2021/22 financial year
  E2c. UK public sector expenditure on international biodiversity

Improving
2001/02–2021/22

Improving
2016/17–2021/22

2023 2021/22 financial year

 

Notes for Overview of assessment of change for all indicators:

1 Long term – an assessment of change since the earliest date for which data are available, although if the data run is for less than ten years a long-term assessment is not made.

2 Short term – an assessment of change over the latest five years.  For a very few indicators the short-term change is over a longer time-period as a result of the frequency of update of the data upon which the indicators are based.  Indicators C3a and C3b have a six year short-term assessment.

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Alignment with the Convention on Biological Diversity

The UK Government is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and is committed to the biodiversity goals and targets agreed in 2010 and set out in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020.  The targets are known as 'Aichi Targets', after the province in Japan where they were agreed.  The Strategic Plan has five goals (A to E), each with a number of targets (the focus of each goal is shown by the words in bold type below):

  1. Address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across government and society.
  2. Reduce the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use.
  3. Improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity.
  4. Enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystems.
  5. Enhance implementation through planning, knowledge management and capacity building.

The UK Biodiversity Indicators are aligned to these goals and the 'Aichi Targets'. However, these have recently been replaced by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), which was agreed by the 15th Conference of the parties (CoP15) in Montreal in December 2022.  Work is currently underway to better align the UK Biodiversity Indicators with the new goals and targets in the KMGBF.  Results of this realignment are expected to be finalised in 2024.

The individual assessments for each measure can be combined to produce an overall picture of progress made. The charts below display the numbers of measures that have shown an improvement, deterioration, little or no overall change, or that have insufficient/no comparable data for an assessment to be made.

As well as an overall summary, based on all measures in the indicator set, separate summaries for Strategic Goals B and C are shown, which are based on the indicators and measures linked to those goals (B1 to B7; C1 to C9).  Strategic Goals A, D and E currently have fewer measures; separate charts are therefore not shown.

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Assessment of change: all measures.

ukbi-2023-overview-all.jpg

Figure 1. Assessment of change for all measures.

The UK biodiversity indicators set comprises 24 indicators and 52 measures.  Of these, ten measures are not assessed in the long-term, and 13 are not assessed in the short term, as the measures are either under development, or analytical methods for short-term assessment need to be refined.  In this 2023 publication, 18 indicators have been updated.

Twenty-two of the 42 measures assessed over the long term show an improvement, compared to 13 of the 39 measures that are assessed over the short term.  Fourteen measures show a decline in the long term, and 14 a decline in the short term.  Measures that improved or deteriorated in the long term have not necessarily continued to improve or deteriorate respectively in the short term. 

The 13 measures showing an improvement in the short term are:

B1a. Area of land in agri-environment schemes

B2a. Proportion of fish stocks harvested sustainably

B5. Pressure from pollution (three measures)

C1b. Total area of protected sites: at sea

C8. Mammals of the wider countryside (Bats)

C9b. Plant genetic resources

D1b. Greenhouse gas removals by forests

E1a. Cumulative number of records in the NBN

E2. Expenditure on UK and international biodiversity (three measures)

 

The 22 measures which have improved in the long term are:

A2. Taking action for nature: volunteer time spent in conservation

B1a. Area of land in agri-environment schemes

B1b. Area of forestry land certified as sustainably managed

B2. Sustainable fisheries (two measures)

B5. Pressure from pollution (three measures)

C1. Protected sites (three measures)

C5e. Wintering water birds

C8. Mammals of the wider countryside (Bats)

C9a. Animal genetic resources (two measures)

C9b. Plant genetic resources

D1b. Greenhouse gas removals by forests

E1. Biodiversity data for decision making (two measures)

E2. Expenditure on UK and international biodiversity (three measures)

 

The 14 measures showing a decline in the short term are:

A2. Taking action for nature: volunteer time spent in conservation

C3. Status of threatened habitats and species (two measures)

C5. Birds of the wider countryside and at sea (four measures)

C9a. Animal genetic resources (five measures)

D1a. Fish size classes in the North Sea

E1b. Proportion of records publicly available at 1 km2 or better resolution

 

The 14 measures showing long-term deterioration are:

B6. Pressure from invasive species (three measures)

C3. Status of threatened habitats and species (two measures)

C4a. Status of UK Priority species (relative abundance)

C5. Birds of the wider countryside and at sea (three measures)

C6. Insects in the wider countryside (butterflies) (Semi-natural habitat specialists)

C9a. Animal genetic resources (two measures)

D1a. Fish size classes in the North Sea

D1c. Pollinators

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Assessment of change: Strategic Goals B and C.

Goal B: Reduce the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use.

ukbi-2023-overview-goal-b.jpg

Figure 2. Assessment of change for measures under Goal B.

The indicators under Strategic Goal B (seven indicators and 13 measures prefixed 'B' in the summary table) show long-term progress is being made to address the pressures on biodiversity (e.g. in the proportion of fish stocks harvested sustainably, in the area of land in agri-environment schemes, and in marine pollution). However, there has been a long-term increase in the prevalence of invasive species, reflecting a pattern of continuing or growing threat to biodiversity in the UK. In the short term there is little or no overall change in the area of forestry land certified as sustainably managed, and in surface water status

Goal C: Improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity.

ukbi-2023-overview-goal-c.jpg

Figure 3. Assessment of change for measures under Goal C.

There were long-term declines for nine measures under Strategic Goal C (nine indicators and 26 measures prefixed 'C' in the summary table, covering status of biodiversity), reflecting the declines in many species populations seen in the 1970s and 1980s. There is some evidence that some of the previous declines have slowed, with some measures assessed as deteriorating in the long term showing little or no overall change in the short term (e.g. semi-natural habitat specialist butterflies and the abundance of priority species). In total, three measures have shown improvement over the short term, including extent of protected areas at sea, and bats. These conclusions should be viewed with some caution as changes are more difficult to assess reliably over the short term.

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Assessments by type of indicator

The indicators are all categorised as showing Pressure, State, Response or Benefits.  Some of the indicators can fit into more than one category – for example, C9a (Animal Genetic Resources) measures both the state of the native breeds at risk, and are measures of benefits received by humankind.  The figure below shows the relationships between the categories, how they map onto the goals in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and the sorts of policy questions that the different parts of the framework address.

pressure-state-response-schematic.jpg

Figure 4. Pressure-state-response diagram.

 

Long term assessments by type of indicators

ukbi-2023-overview-long-term.jpg

Figure 5. Long-term assessment of change for measures by indicator type.

The majority of the measures relate to the 'state' category.  There are approximately equal numbers showing improvement and deterioration across the categories in the long term, with the exception of the response category, where there are no measures showing deterioration. 

Short term assessments by type of indicator

ukbi-2023-overview-short-term.jpg

Figure 6. Short-term assessment of change for measures by indicator type.

In contrast to the long-term picture, the short-term overview is that for state indicators, there are more deteriorating than improving, and there are more across the board that show little or no overall change.  This may be in part due to the choice of a five year interval for the short-term trend. 

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UK Biodiversity Indicators 2023

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