Overview of assessment of change for all indicators and their component measures

Key messages

Overall, while around half of the assessed indicator measures are improving in the long term, in the short term more are either deteriorating or showing little or no change than improving (Figure 1).

• No indicators have changed category over the short term to become improving. Many indicators already showing improvement in the long term remained as improving in the short term.
• Of those indicators which have been improving in the long term, some have begun to show no change or even deteriorate in the short term.
• Of those indicators which have been deteriorating in the long term, some have stopped deteriorating in the short term.

Figure 1. A summary of long-term and short-term indicator assessments, 2024

Assessment of change: all measures

There are 55 individual measures that make up 29 indicators. Of those 55 measures, some are unsuitable for a formal assessment of change (for instance they may have insufficient data or are in development). In 2024, 46 are suitable for assessment.

In the long term:

• 22 measures (40%) show an improvement
• 4 measures (7%) show little or no overall change and
• 20 measures (36%) show a deterioration.

There are insufficient data to make long-term assessments for 2 measures (4%), and 7 measures (13%) are not assessed.

In the short term:

• 14 measures (25%) show an improvement
• 17 measures (31%) show little or no overall change and
• 12 measures (22%) show a deterioration.

There are insufficient data to make short-term assessments for 2 measures (4%), and 10 measures (18%) are not assessed.

 

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Assessment of change using a Natural Capital Framework

Natural capital is defined as the elements of the environment which provide valuable goods and services to people such as clean air, clean water, food, and recreation. A natural capital approach is advocated as it accounts for all the different ways the environment benefits society and so can inform better decision making. A natural capital framework sets out the need to:

• reduce pressures on natural capital (for example, pollution or plant disease)
• improve the state of natural assets (including air, water, land and seas)
• increase the benefits that we get from those assets

The Biodiversity Indicators can be considered as either a measure of (a) the extent or condition (i.e. state) of natural capital assets, (b) pressures on natural capital assets, or (c) the benefits associated with natural capital assets. This classification is not always straightforward since the condition of one natural capital asset (for example, water quality) may place a pressure on another (for example, wildlife habitat). In the UK Biodiversity Indicators, some measures are classed in more than one indicator type category.

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Assessment of change in extent or condition (state) of natural capital assets

The UK Biodiversity Indicators contain 18 indicators made up of 39 measures which relate to the extent or condition of biodiversity related natural assets. Of these, 33 measures have sufficient data for an assessment of change in either the long or short term.

Table 1 shows the assessment results for all those indicators which relate to the extent or condition of biodiversity related natural assets and Figure 3 summarises these results visually.

In the 2024 update, of those 33 measures which relate to the state of natural capital assets, 16 are deteriorating in the long term, whilst 13 are improving in the long term.

There are some signs of positive change across these indicators. Of those 16 measures which have been deteriorating in the long term, 6 have stabilised in the short term, suggesting a halting of the historical decline in the state of the assets these indicators measure. These measures are:

• Horse breeds (Animal genetic resources)
• Breeding seabirds
• Breeding upland birds
• Habitat specialist butterflies
• Farmland specialist butterflies
• Priority species abundance

There are also some less positive trends in the indicators this year. Of those 13 measures which have been improving in the long term, 7 have deteriorated or shown no change in the short term, suggesting that previous improvements in the assets these indicators measure may be lost. These measures are:

• Sheep breeds (Animal genetic resources)
• Cattle breeds (Animal genetic resources)
• Percentage of woodland certified as sustainably managed
• Wintering waterbirds
• Total extent of protected areas on land
• Change in the abundance of bat populations
• Biomass of stocks at full reproductive capacity (Sustainable fisheries: fish stocks harvested within safe limits)

Of those 16 measures which have been deteriorating in the long term, 10 are also deteriorating in the short term, suggesting that we are yet to positively impact the state of the natural assets which these indicators measure. These measures are:

• Goat breeds (Animal genetic resources)
• Pig breeds (Animal genetic resources)
• Fish size in the North Sea
• All bird species
• Breeding birds on farmland
• Breeding birds in woodland
• All species of butterfly
• Woodland specialist butterflies
• Conservation status of habitats of European importance
• Conservation status of species of European importance

Of those 13 measures which have been improving in the long term, 6 are also improving in the short term, suggesting some continued positive change. These measures are:

• Area of land under higher-level or targeted agri-environment schemes
• Total extent of protected areas at sea
• Public sector expenditure on biodiversity in the UK
• Non-governmental organisation spending on biodiversity in the UK
• UK public sector expenditure on international biodiversity
• Status of ex situ conservation of cultivated plants and their wild relatives

 

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Assessment of change in pressures on natural capital assets

The UK Biodiversity Indicators contain 9 indicators made up of 12 measures which relate to the pressures on biodiversity related natural assets. Of these, 9 have sufficient data for an assessment of change in either the long or short term.

Table 2 shows the assessment results for all those indicators which relate to the pressures on biodiversity related natural assets and Figure 4 summarises these results visually.

In the 2024 update, of those 9 measures which relate to pressures on natural capital assets, 6 are improving and 3 deteriorating in the long term.

There are some signs of positive change across these indicators. The 6 measures that have been improving in the long term are also improving in the short term, suggesting that we have maintained positive progress for:

• UK public sector expenditure on international biodiversity
• Area of deforestation worldwide associated with UK consumption
• Air pollution: area affected by acidity
• Air pollution: area affected by nutrient nitrogen deposition
• Combined input of hazardous substances into the UK marine environment
• Percentage of fish stocks harvested sustainably

 

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Assessment of change in the benefits associated with natural capital assets

The UK Biodiversity Indicators contain 8 indicators made up of 13 measures which relate to the benefits associated with natural capital assets. Of these, 12 have sufficient data for an assessment of change in either the long or short term.

Table 3 shows the assessment results for all those indicators which relate to the benefits associated with biodiversity related natural assets and Figure 5 summarises these results visually.

In the 2024 update, of those 12 measures which relate to the benefits associated with natural capital assets, 7 are improving in the long term. Of these, 4 remain improving in the short term, suggesting we have maintained positive progress in the areas of:

• Cumulative net removals of greenhouse gases by UK forests
• Cumulative number of records in the National Biodiversity Network
• Status of ex situ conservation of cultivated plants and their wild relatives
• Conservation volunteering

 

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Assessment results tables

Table 1. Assessment of change in extent or condition (state) of natural capital assets

Indicator	Measure	Long term period	Long term	Short term period	Short term
Animal genetic resources	Cattle breeds	2000 to 2023	Improving	2018 to 2023	Little or no overall change
Animal genetic resources	Goat breeds	2004 to 2023	Deteriorating	2018 to 2023	Deteriorating
Animal genetic resources	Horse breeds	2000 to 2023	Deteriorating	2018 to 2023	Little or no overall change
Animal genetic resources	Pig breeds	2000 to 2023	Deteriorating	2018 to 2023	Deteriorating
Animal genetic resources	Sheep breeds	2000 to 2023	Improving	2018 to 2023	Little or no overall change
Area of forestry land certified as sustainably managed	Percentage of woodland certified as sustainably managed	2001 to 2024	Improving	2019 to 2024	Little or no overall change
Area of land in agri-environment schemes	Area of land under higher-level or targeted agri-environment schemes	1992 to 2022	Improving	2017 to 2022	Improving
Biodiversity and ecosystem services: Fish size classes in the North Sea	Fish size in the North Sea	1983 to 2020	Deteriorating	2015 to 2020	Deteriorating
Birds of the wider countryside and at sea	All bird species	1970 to 2023	Deteriorating	2018 to 2023	Deteriorating
Birds of the wider countryside and at sea	Breeding birds in woodland	1970 to 2023	Deteriorating	2018 to 2023	Deteriorating
Birds of the wider countryside and at sea	Breeding birds on farmland	1970 to 2023	Deteriorating	2018 to 2023	Deteriorating
Birds of the wider countryside and at sea	Breeding seabirds	1986 to 2023	Deteriorating	2018 to 2023	Little or no overall change
Birds of the wider countryside and at sea	Breeding upland birds	1994 to 2023	Deteriorating	2018 to 2023	Little or no overall change
Birds of the wider countryside and at sea	Breeding wetland birds	1975 to 2023	Little or no overall change	2018 to 2023	Little or no overall change
Birds of the wider countryside and at sea	Wintering waterbirds	1975/1976 to 2022/2023	Improving	2017/2018 to 2022/2023	Deteriorating
Expenditure on UK and international biodiversity	Non-governmental organisation spending on biodiversity in the UK	2010/2011 to 2022/2023	Improving	2017/2018 to 2022/2023	Improving
Expenditure on UK and international biodiversity	Public sector expenditure on biodiversity in the UK	2000/2001 to 2022/2023	Improving	2017/2018 to 2022/2023	Improving
Expenditure on UK and international biodiversity	UK public sector expenditure on international biodiversity	2001/2002 to 2022/2023	Improving	2017/2018 to 2022/2023	Improving
Extent and condition of protected areas	Condition of Sites of Special Scientific Interest	1950 to 2024	Insufficient data	2019 to 2024	Insufficient data
Extent and condition of protected areas	Total extent of protected areas at sea	1950 to 2024	Improving	2019 to 2024	Improving
Extent and condition of protected areas	Total extent of protected areas on land	1950 to 2024	Improving	2019 to 2024	Little or no overall change
Habitat connectivity	Habitat connectivity		Not assessed		Not assessed
Insects of the wider countryside (butterflies)	All species of butterfly	1976 to 2023	Deteriorating	2013 to 2023	Deteriorating
Insects of the wider countryside (butterflies)	Farmland specialist butterflies	1990 to 2023	Deteriorating	2013 to 2023	Little or no overall change
Insects of the wider countryside (butterflies)	Generalist butterflies	1990 to 2023	Little or no overall change	2013 to 2023	Little or no overall change
Insects of the wider countryside (butterflies)	Habitat specialist butterflies	1990 to 2023	Deteriorating	2013 to 2023	Little or no overall change
Insects of the wider countryside (butterflies)	Woodland specialist butterflies	1990 to 2023	Deteriorating	2013 to 2023	Deteriorating
Mammals of the wider countryside (bats)	Change in the abundance of bat populations	1999 to 2022	Improving	2017 to 2022	Little or no overall change
Plant genetic resources	Status of ex situ conservation of cultivated plants and their wild relatives (Cumulative Enrichment Index)	1960 to 2018	Improving	2013 to 2018	Improving
Plants of the wider countryside	Arable field margins		Not assessed		Not assessed
Plants of the wider countryside	Bog and wet heath		Not assessed		Not assessed
Plants of the wider countryside	Broadleaved woodland and hedges		Not assessed		Not assessed
Plants of the wider countryside	Lowland grassland		Not assessed		Not assessed
Status of priority species: distribution	Priority species distribution	1970 to 2018	Little or no overall change	2013 to 2018	Little or no overall change
Status of priority species: relative abundance	Priority species abundance	1970 to 2021	Deteriorating	2016 to 2021	Little or no overall change
Status of threatened habitats: habitats of European importance	Conservation status of habitats of European importance	2007 to 2019	Deteriorating	2013 to 2019	Deteriorating
Status of threatened species: species of European importance	Conservation status of species of European importance	2007 to 2019	Deteriorating	2013 to 2019	Deteriorating
Surface water status	Percentage of UK surface water bodies in High or Good ecological status	2009 to 2022	Little or no overall change	2017 to 2022	Little or no overall change
Sustainable fisheries: fish stocks harvested within safe limits	Biomass of stocks at full reproductive capacity	1990 to 2020	Improving	2015 to 2020	Little or no overall change

 

 

Table 2. Assessment of change in pressures on natural capital assets

Indicator	Measure	Long term period	Long term	Short term period	Short term
Air pollution	Air pollution: area affected by acidity	2003 to 2021	Improving	2016 to 2021	Improving
Air pollution	Air pollution: area affected by nutrient nitrogen deposition	2003 to 2021	Improving	2016 to 2021	Improving
Awareness, understanding and support for conservation	Awareness, understanding and support for conservation		Insufficient data		Insufficient data
Expenditure on UK and international biodiversity	UK public sector expenditure on international biodiversity	2001/2002 to 2022/2023	Improving	2017/2018 to 2022/2023	Improving
Global biodiversity impacts of UK consumption	Area of deforestation worldwide associated with UK consumption	2005 to 2022	Improving	2017 to 2022	Improving
Integration of biodiversity considerations into business activity	Proportion of medium and large UK businesses with ISO 14001 certification		Not assessed		Not assessed
Marine pollution	Combined input of hazardous substances into the UK marine environment	1990 to 2019	Improving	2014 to 2019	Improving
Pressure from invasive species	Freshwater species	1969 to 2023	Deteriorating		Not assessed
Pressure from invasive species	Marine (coastal) species	1969 to 2023	Deteriorating		Not assessed
Pressure from invasive species	Terrestrial species	1969 to 2023	Deteriorating		Not assessed
Spring index	Timing of spring events		Not assessed		Not assessed
Sustainable fisheries: fish stocks harvested within safe limits	Percentage of fish stocks harvested sustainably	1990 to 2020	Improving	2015 to 2020	Improving

 

 

Table 3. Assessment of change in the benefits associated with natural capital assets

Indicator	Measure	Long term period	Long term	Short term period	Short term
Animal genetic resources	Cattle breeds	2000 to 2023	Improving	2018 to 2023	Little or no overall change
Animal genetic resources	Goat breeds	2004 to 2023	Deteriorating	2018 to 2023	Deteriorating
Animal genetic resources	Horse breeds	2000 to 2023	Deteriorating	2018 to 2023	Little or no overall change
Animal genetic resources	Pig breeds	2000 to 2023	Deteriorating	2018 to 2023	Deteriorating
Animal genetic resources	Sheep breeds	2000 to 2023	Improving	2018 to 2023	Little or no overall change
Awareness, understanding and support for conservation	Awareness, understanding and support for conservation		Insufficient data		Insufficient data
Biodiversity and ecosystem services: Fish size classes in the North Sea	Fish size in the North Sea	1983 to 2020	Deteriorating	2015 to 2020	Deteriorating
Biodiversity and ecosystem services: Removal of greenhouse gases by UK forests	Cumulative net removals of greenhouse gases by UK forests	1990 to 2022	Improving	2017 to 2022	Improving
Biodiversity and ecosystem services: Status of pollinating insects	Change in the distribution pollinators in the UK	1980 to 2022	Deteriorating	2017 to 2022	Little or no overall change
Biodiversity data for decision making	Cumulative number of records in the National Biodiversity Network	2004 to 2023	Improving	2018 to 2023	Improving
Biodiversity data for decision making	Number of publicly accessible records at 1 square kilometre resolution or better	2004 to 2023	Improving	2018 to 2023	Deteriorating
Plant genetic resources	Status of ex situ conservation of cultivated plants and their wild relatives (Cumulative Enrichment Index)	1960 to 2018	Improving	2013 to 2018	Improving
Taking action for the environment: volunteer time spent in conservation	Conservation volunteering	2000 to 2022	Improving	2017 to 2022	Improving

 

 

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