Fifth National Report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity: United Kingdom April 2014 Please cite as: JNCC. 2014. Fifth National Report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity: United Kingdom. Peterborough: JNCC. For further information about JNCC visit: http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=1729 Fifth National Report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity: United Kingdom Table of Contents: Executive summary 1 Part I: An update on biodiversity status, trends, and threats and 13 implications for human well-being Q1: Why is biodiversity important for your country? 13 1.1. UK Biodiversity Indicators 13 1.2. Other evidence: value of biodiversity 13 1.3. Other evidence: diverse mix of species and habitats 15 Case Study A: Promoting the benefits of biodiversity to all 16 Q2: What major changes have taken place in the status and trends of 18 biodiversity in your country? 2.1. UK Biodiversity Indicators 18 2.2. Other evidence: terrestrial, freshwater and coastal 19 2.3. Other evidence: UK marine 20 Q3: What are the main threats to biodiversity? 24 3.1. UK Biodiversity Indicators 24 3.2. Other evidence: Article 17 report 25 3.3. Other evidence: UK NEA and Climate Change Report Cards 26 3.4. Other evidence: UK countries 26 3.5. Other evidence: UK marine 27 Q4: What are the impacts of the changes in biodiversity for ecosystem 28 services and the socio-economic and cultural implications of these impacts? 4.1. UK Biodiversity Indicators 28 4.2. Other evidence 28 Case Study B: Cambrian Mountains Initiative 30 Part II: The national biodiversity strategy and action plan, its 32 implementation, and the mainstreaming of biodiversity Q5: What are the biodiversity targets set by your country? 32 5.1. UK level 32 5.2. Four countries of the UK 32 5.3. UK marine 33 Q6: How has your national biodiversity strategy and action plan been updated 34 to incorporate these targets and to serve as an effective instrument to mainstream biodiversity? 6.1. UK level 34 6.2. Four countries of the UK 35 6.3. UK marine 40 Case Study C: Payment for ecosystem services 40 Page i Q7: What actions has your country taken to implement the Convention since 41 the fourth report and what have been the outcomes of these actions? 7.1. UK Biodiversity Indicators 41 7.2. Other evidence 42 7.3. UK marine 45 Case Study D: Peatland restoration initiatives 48 Case Study E: Species projects 49 Case Study F: Non-native Species 50 Case Study G: Monitoring and evaluation of Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs) 52 Q8: How effectively has biodiversity been mainstreamed into relevant sectoral 54 and cross-sectoral strategies, plans and programmes? 8.1. UK Biodiversity Indicators 54 8.2. UK level 55 8.3. Four countries of the UK 55 8.4. UK marine 56 Case Study H: Catchment Restoration 57 Q9. How fully has your national biodiversity strategy and action plan been 59 implemented? Part III: Progress towards the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets and contributions to the relevant 2015 Targets of the Millennium Development 60 Goals Q10: What progress has been made by your country towards the 60 implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets? Scope 60 Strategic Goal A 61 Strategic Goal B 64 Strategic Goal C 68 Strategic Goal D 71 Strategic Goal E 74 Q11: What has been the contribution of actions to implement the Convention 78 towards the achievement of the relevant 2015 targets of the Millennium Development Goals in your country? Q12: What lessons have been learned from the implementation of the 79 Convention in your country? 12.1. Partnerships 79 12.2. Our approach must go beyond protected sites and species 79 12.3. The importance of mainstreaming biodiversity 79 12.4. Indicators 79 12.5. Working across political boundaries 80 12.6. Priority focus 80 12.7. Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies 80 Appendix 1: Information concerning the reporting party and preparation of the fifth national report Scope and approach Governance Input from UK Governments Main sources of evidence Stakeholder engagement Page ii Appendix 2: References and further sources of information Appendix 3: Thematic programmes and cross-cutting issues, including Global Strategy for Plant Conservation Appendix 4: UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies Overseas Territories British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Gibraltar St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha St Helena Ascension Tristan da Cunha Crown Dependencies Isle of Man Jersey Appendix 5: UK Biodiversity Indicators Page iii List of Figures Figure 1.1 Relative importance of Broad Habitats in delivering ecosystem services and 14 overall direction of change in service flow since 1990. Figure 1.2 Examples of the goods, services and benefits from marine habitats provided 15 to human well-being (reproduced from UK NEA 2011b). Figure 2.1 Healthy and biologically diverse seas – habitats. 21 Figure 2.2 Healthy and biologically diverse seas – species. 22 Figure G1 Location of NIAs. 52 Figure G2 The NIA evaluation logic model. 53 List of Tables Table 2.1 UK indicators of biodiversity status: summary of results. 19 Table 2.1 Status of Northern Ireland priority habitats (2000–2012) from From Evidence 20 to Opportunity: A Second Assessment of the State of Northern Ireland’s Environment (NIEA 2013). Table 3.1 Major pressures affecting UK terrestrial habitats. 25 Page iv Fifth National Report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity: United Kingdom EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction The UK Fifth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has been prepared by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). The report follows the structure proposed in the guidance issued by the CBD secretariat. The report draws mainly on the following sources of information: Published Reports and Assessments • The UK Biodiversity Indicators • The UK National Ecosystem Assessment (UK NEA) • European Habitats Directive Article 17 reporting • Charting Progress 2. The state of the UK seas . Policy statements and written submissions • The UK Biodiversity Framework and its published reports • Written contributions from the UK Government, the devolved administrations and the Governments of Overseas Territories (OTs) and Crown Dependencies (CDs), including the country biodiversity strategies. This executive summary provides an overview of the response to each question, with information being summarised separately in respect of mainland UK and the OTs and CDs to which the CBD has been extended. Q1: Why is biodiversity important for your country? United Kingdom The natural world, its biodiversity and constituent ecosystems, are critically important to our well-being and economic prosperity, to produce our food, regulate water supplies and climate, purify air, sustain pollination and break-down waste products. For example, UK wetlands supply water quality benefits of value up to £1.5 billion per year. The natural environment matters to people in the UK as shown by their active involvement in caring for it: at least nine million hours of voluntary work is carried out for biodiversity bodies each year, and 28 per cent of the population is prepared to act on environmental concerns. Access to good quality green space contributes to positive mental health, childhood development and physical health. The islands of the mainland UK lie in the transition zone between the north-eastern, cold- water seas and the south-western, temperate-waters of Western Europe. Consequently the UK has a diverse mix of Atlantic, Arctic, Arctic-alpine and Boreal elements. There are important assemblages of mosses, liverworts and lichens, especially in the west, and the UK’s estuaries are a crucial link in the migratory chain for waders and wildfowl. Thirteen species of seabird that breed in the UK are present here in internationally important numbers. Our seas are also important for their variety of benthic habitats and high overall biodiversity. About 13 per cent of the world’s blanket bog is in the UK. Executive summary Page 1 UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies The UK OTs and CDs, most of which are relatively small islands widely varying in climatic situations, have distinct ecosystems, with many endemic species of plants and animals (i.e. species found nowhere else in the world). Some biodiversity is recognised for its intrinsic value, and used as a state or cultural symbol. Fisheries, ecotourism and leisure use are often key economic activities reliant on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Q2: What major changes have taken place in the status and trends of biodiversity in your country? United Kingdom Of the nine UK biodiversity indicators which directly measure the status and trends of biodiversity, and which include 20 measures, 12 (60%) are improving or show no overall change, and seven (35%) are deteriorating in the short term, as shown in the table below. In the long term (at least ten years) fewer measures can be assessed. Six of these are improving or show no overall change, whereas nine show deterioration. The data available to make an assessment are improving. UK indicators of biodiversity status: summary of results. Long-term Short-term Number of measures Number of measures Improving 5 7 Little or no overall change 1 5 Deteriorating 9 7 Insufficient data 5 1 In the short term there are positive trends for species of European importance; woodland birds; bottom-dwelling marine fish; plant and animal genetic resources; and condition of nationally important protected sites. In the short term there are negative trends for nationally listed priority species; farmland, water and sea birds; plant species richness in woodland, grassland and field boundaries; and European listed priority habitats Overall, the evidence on the status and trends of biodiversity in the UK shows some long- term declines, but there have been improvements recently for some species and habitats.