Accredited official statistics

Integrating biodiversity considerations into local decision making

Updated 10 December 2024

Applies to England

Last updated: 2024

Latest data available: 2023

Introduction

This indicator shows the proportion of the total number of Local Sites in England where positive conservation management is being implemented or has been implemented in the last 5 years. Local Sites are sites identified locally for their substantive nature conservation importance, either for wildlife or geology. Sites in positive conservation management are defined as those sites which are being managed in order to conserve their nature conservation interest.

Assessing the extent of positive management can help to identify sites where positive management is lacking and will help to focus the efforts of Local Site Partnerships in ensuring Local Sites are managed and their nature conservation value is maintained or enhanced.

To reduce the burden on local authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic, Defra did not request data in 2020 or 2021 resulting in a gap in the time series.

Data for this indicator can be found in the published datafile.

Type of indicator

State indicator

Type of official statistics

Official statistic

Assessment of change

Measure	Assessment	Time period	Result
Percentage of local sites under positive conservation management	Long term	2008/9 to 2022/23	Improving
Percentage of local sites under positive conservation management	Short term	2017/18 to 2022/23	Deteriorating
Percentage of local sites under positive conservation management	Latest year	2021/22 to 2022/23	Little or no overall change

Notes on the indicator assessment

The long-term and short-term assessment of these measures is based on a 3% rule of thumb. The base years for these assessments use a 3-year average, see Assessing Indicators.

Key results

In the 5 years prior to 31st March 2023, 44% of Local Sites across England, for which we received data, were in positive conservation management. This is an increase of 12 percentage points since 2008/9 when data were first collected, and little change since 2021/22 when the data were last collected (Figure 1).

The response rate in 2022/23 (47%), was the lowest it has been since this publication began, and less than half what it was in 2008/9 (98%) when these data were first published. Although COVID-19 has impacted the response rate in previous years, this represents a long-term decreasing trend.

Figure 1. Proportion of Local Sites in positive conservation management, England, 2008/09 to 2022/23

Source: Data collected directly from local authorities, compiled by County Councils, Wildlife Trusts and Local Environmental Recording Centres

Notes for Figure 1:

• Each point on the time series represents the percentage of local sites in positive conservation management for the 5 years prior to 31st March of that year.

• The total number of responding local authorities and number of sites varies between years. In 2022/23, 70 (47%) local authorities were included in the analysis.

• No data were requested from local authorities in 2019/20 and 2020/21 due to the anticipated resourcing issues resulting from complying with COVID-19 restrictions. This gap is represented by the grey vertical lines and shaded area.

Further detail

Some local authorities chose to explain the reasons for changes to their results from previous years. Although this is not necessarily representative of all local authorities, it does give an insight into possible reasons for change. Some of these reasons included: changes in land management schemes, inaccessibility of sites and the impact of COVID-19 on site visits.

Out of the 150 local authorities expected to submit their results this year, 70 (47%) did so. The majority of local authorities that did not submit data this year also failed to provide data in 2021/22 when these data were last published, or in a number of previous years. 14 local authorities did not submit data for the first time this year.

The reduction in response rate in recent years has impacted the quality of these data. In 2018 The state of England’s Local Wildlife Sites estimated there to be over 40,000 Local Sites in England, while the data we collected for that year covered only 20,600 sites, our most recent data for 2022/23 covers just 19,976 sites.

Relevance

Local Sites contribute towards our commitments for biodiversity, both nationally through the Environmental Improvement Plan and internationally through the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

In England, we have a network of nationally and internationally designated sites (Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Ramsar sites). Local Sites can connect and buffer these areas to provide wildlife refuges for a diverse range of flora and fauna, and essential habitat for populations of rare and declining species.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) will map existing local wildlife sites as ‘areas of particular importance for biodiversity’. Building on the location of these (and other protected) sites, the LNRS will identify the best locations to connect and buffer these sites, including creating stepping stones and expanding areas of wildlife-rich habitat to support recovery and resilience of the ecological network and the environmental services they provide.

Delivering 30by30 on land in England, published in December 2023, recognised the potential contribution of Local Sites in England to the commitment to protect 30% of the UK’s land by 2030. Where Local Sites are identified for their biodiversity value, there is potential for them to contribute to our ambitious target of halting species decline by 2030 and reversing it by 2042.

A number of these sites also comprise significant UK geodiversity. The UK Geodiversity Action Plan (UKGAP) provides a shared framework for the delivery of geoconservation through a series of objectives and targets. The UKGAP is often supported locally through Local Geodiversity Action Plans (LGAPs) developed and delivered by local geoconservation groups and a range of partners.

Local Sites provide many opportunities in addition to conservation action to protect habitats and species. On a local level, these sites provide ecological services to their communities, including natural processes that maintain air, soil and water quality, as well as contributions towards well-being and quality of life. They are also important locations for education and research, where they can act as reference sites for monitoring change in a changing climate.

Web links for further information

• Defra published guidance on the identification, selection and management of Local Sites
• The state of England’s Local Wildlife Sites 2018
• Delivering 30by30 on land in England
• UK Geodiversity Action Plan
• GeoConservationUK
• Local Nature Recovery Strategies

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the many people who have contributed by providing data and to the many colleagues who have helped produce this indicator.

Technical annex

Background

Local Sites are non-statutory areas identified at local level for their significant nature conservation value. They include both local wildlife sites (identified for significant biodiversity value) and local geological sites (identified for their significant geological value). Local Site systems are operated at a local level, with local authorities working with Local Sites Partnerships made up of key stakeholders.

According to The state of England’s Local Wildlife Sites 2018, there are estimated to be more than 40,000 Local Sites in England, covering coastal, rural and urban situations. Although they do not have statutory status, many are equal in quality to statutory Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). They are an important component of England’s ecological network and have an important role to play in meeting our national biodiversity objectives.

There are currently a number of different terms in use locally to describe these sites, including Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs), Sites of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCIs) and Regionally Important Geological Sites (RIGS). Defra uses the common term Local Site.

Defra published guidance on the identification, selection and management of Local Sites in 2006.

Methodology

These data (found in the accompanying data sheet) are from local authority single data list 160-00 on local nature conservation/biodiversity.

The data for 2010/11 to 2018/19, and 2021/22 to present were collected by Defra from unitary and higher tier local authorities. Data for 2008/09 and 2009/10 were previously published by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

In 2022/23, 47% of local authorities submitted data on Local Sites, compared with 47% in 2021/22 when data were last collected. A total of 70 local authorities were included in the analysis in 2022/23 and 66 local authorities were excluded due to not providing data for 3 consecutive years (noting that Defra did not request data in 2019/20 or 2020/21). Data imputation was resumed this year as there has been at least one years worth of data returns since the gap in collection. A total of 14 local authorities were imputed, bringing the total number of data points up to 84 this year.

The number of local authorities changes relatively infrequently over time, with some local authorities merging and others dividing into multiple groups. In 2022/23, there were 150 authorities, compared with 149 authorities the year before.