State of Nature Monitoring
.webp)
Programme summary
Our State of Nature programme will measure changes in biodiversity and other ecosystem health indicators, assess progress in ecological restoration, and evaluate the effectiveness of investments over time.
Monitoring the state of nature is essential - it underpins all effective nature recovery efforts. Accurate, timely data is critical for understanding ecological trends and the effectiveness of interventions.
Our State of Nature monitoring programme will be structured across multiple levels: regional, programme-specific, and community-driven. This multi-layered system enables both broad-scale ecological assessments and localised, community-led monitoring efforts.
The programme will align closely with national reporting frameworks, particularly in light of the ongoing review of the Environmental Improvement Plan.
Good monitoring informs decision-making, promotes accountability and enhances public understanding of nature recovery initiatives, with local communities involved in data gathering.
Citizen science initiatives will be central to our community-led approach, empowering individuals and groups to contribute valuable data and feel part of the story of nature recovery across the West of England.
The Programme will:
- Measure biodiversity and ecosystem health
- Assess ecological restoration efforts
- Evaluate the effectiveness of and target future investments
- Inform regional decision-making
- Enhance public understanding and citizen science
Programme area
Strategic regional monitoring: broader environmental indicators will provide insights into the overall health of the region's ecosystems and enables progress reporting against regional and national targets and strategies.
Programme-level monitoring: Our programmes will have comprehensive monitoring work streams built in to enable timely tracking of progress and adaptive management of delivery as well as contributing to the wider, regional picture.
Community-level monitoring: Local communities, businesses and individuals will all play a critical role in conservation in the future. We want to facilitate community-led approaches to State of Nature monitoring that will not only enhance data collection but also create a sense of a shared endeavour and an important contribution to nature’s recovery.
With evidence and understanding of the state of nature, we will be able to target actions more effectively and maximise investment. We all want to know that what we are doing is making a difference and how to do more.
Hannah Cochrane, Senior Environment Manager, West of England Combined Authority
Key measures
By 2030, we will be publishing a State of Nature report for the West of England every year, with reporting becoming increasingly comprehensive and informative over time. The programme will establish metrics and monitoring protocols to track progress towards key targets:
Increase wildlife abundance by 30%
A West of England Wildlife Index will be developed to systematically track changes in key species populations over time. This index will build on work from Bristol City Council and the University of Bristol, supplemented by BRERC’s species records.
Manage 30% of land for nature by 2030
We will define criteria for "land managed for nature" under our “30 by 30” programme, particularly focusing on our Sites of Nature Conservation Interest.
Increase semi-natural broadleaved woodland cover by 2,500 Ha
We are reviewing the 2021 baseline to establish a science-based target by the end of 2024.
Improve water catchment health
With the Bristol Avon Catchment Partnership, we are developing regional indicators to track the ecological status of water catchments, in addition to the Water Framework Directive (see Restoring our Rivers).
Ensure 70% of designated sites are in favourable condition
We will collaborate with Natural England to accelerate progress toward the national target of 75% by 2042.
In addition to the core "State of Nature" metrics, we will integrate several other measures of success into our monitoring and reporting framework. These will include:
Delivery of our Local Nature Recovery Strategy
We will track how well the region's strategic priorities for nature recovery are being delivered and a feedback mechanism will be established to capture contributions from a range of stakeholders.
Public engagement with nature
Numbers of people connecting with, and taking action for, nature across the region will be tracked in collaboration with partners like Avon Wildlife Trust and Bristol Avon Rivers Trust, using initiatives such as Team Wilder and RiverHub to report on community involvement.
Health benefits of nature
Building on the successes of the Healthier with Nature pilot, we will continue to monitor and report on the benefits of nature to people’s health, as well as on important economic metrics such as NHS cost savings through Green Social Prescribing.
Funding and Investment
The amount and success of funding and investment efforts in nature recovery will also be monitored. The amount of private investment leveraged for nature recovery will be tracked in order to supporting reporting against the Government's target of £1 billion of private investment by 2030.
Spotlight on species
Why is this a WENP priority?
.webp)
Monitoring the state of nature is essential as it underpins all effective nature recovery efforts. Accurate, timely data is critical for understanding ecological trends and the effectiveness of interventions.
Monitoring serves several vital functions:
- Accountability: Regular tracking ensures progress towards biodiversity and ecosystem health targets is documented, allowing partners to demonstrate the impact of their work.
- Informed decision-making: Monitoring data supports regional policymaking, helping to prioritise resources and align efforts with national and international environmental goals.
- Public engagement: Monitoring results can be shared with the public help define issues, show progress towards solving them and inspiring people to get involved take action for nature themselves.
Delivery readiness
To ensure the successful delivery of our monitoring programme, we must first review our targets and monitoring capabilities as a region. This includes assessing whether the right indicators are being measured and identifying gaps in data collection.
An important priority for us will be to further expand the Open Data Portal to host our Local Nature Recovery Strategy data and collaborate with partners such as the Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre (BRERC), NGOs, and local universities to further streamline our data collection and analysis.
Several aspects of the programme are already underway. The West of England Wildlife Index is being developed with funding from the West of England Combined Authority. BRERC has started an initial analysis of Sites of Nature Conservation Interest to prioritise them for surveys, while the WENP Environmental Data Technical Advisory Group is working on the wider 30 by 30 programme. The Bristol Avon Catchment Partnership is working with partners to develop a regional monitoring approach for water as part of our Restoring our Rivers programme.
Case Study:
West of England Wildlife Index
The West of England Wildlife Index is a comprehensive monitoring tool being developed to track changes in species abundance across the region, providing a vital measure for nature recovery efforts. Building on work already initiated in Bristol, the index will establish a reliable baseline for species populations and measure biodiversity trends annually through to 2030 and beyond. The index will enable tracking of progress towards our regional target of increasing species abundance by 30% by 2030. It will also play a key role in guiding and monitoring the effectiveness of investments, ensuring that resources are directed to the most impactful nature recovery projects.
The project is currently in development, with the Combined Authority commissioning partners including the University of Bristol and the Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre (BRERC) to lead the setup of survey points, initial surveys, and data analysis. Historical data will be collated, and new permanent monitoring plots will be established. A collaborative approach, involving ecologists and trained volunteers, will ensure ongoing data collection and analysis, with an emphasis on both professional and community-led efforts.
The next steps include finalising species selection and monitoring locations, setting up data collection pipelines, and training citizen scientists to expand the monitoring network. The project aims to publish the first baseline Wildlife Index in 2025/26, with annual reports to follow, integrated into wider regional State of Nature reporting. Additionally, the project will work on securing long-term funding and embedding the Wildlife Index within regional performance and investment frameworks, ensuring that both ecological and financial resources are effectively targeted for maximum impact.
Our call for support
Significant upfront investment is needed to fully establish our monitoring programme. Although some funding has already been secured, further support will be needed for strategic regional monitoring, citizen science initiatives, and local data collection.
We will ensure that monitoring costs are integrated into all programme budgets – this is a vital investment in good data to ensure long-term effectiveness and accountability.
By investing in monitoring now, we can ensure that interventions are well-targeted and effective, laying the groundwork for best practise delivery and ongoing investment in nature recovery.
We are looking for partners to support us on the journey to realise our ambitions to monitor the state of the West of England’s nature. Whether you are an academic, a potential delivery partner, donor, or something else, please in touch today to learn how you can support us.
Lead contact: Hannah Cochrane, West of England Combined Authority
%20Bevis%20Watts.webp)
.webp)
%20Caitlin%20Coombs%205.webp)
