Undertaking a Biodiversity Audit of the Environment Agency Estate

Nature recovery is a key part of the Environment Agency's (EA) business and a government priority. We have committed to deliver healthy land, air and water that support nature's recovery by 2050, in our corporate strategy EA2030.

One of the key mechanisms the Environment Agency has for contributing to nature recovery targets is our own estate, as this is where we have the most direct influence over securing biodiversity outcomes. Our estate comprises 17,309 ha (16,718 ha freehold, 591 ha leasehold) and is made up of a variety of habitat types. Most are small parcels of land that are geographically dispersed across the country and held for primary functional purposes linked to the EA's roles and duties. Around 8,900 ha (51%) of this land is covered by at least one conservation designation.

Our current understanding of the biodiversity value of our estate is limited to data gleaned from land cover mapping data, interspersed with some local knowledge. We have broad scale habitat data for our estate but hold no data on the quality and condition of those habitats. Without this we are unable to:

• accurately measure the contribution of the estate to the EA's nature and biodiversity footprint or our land-based CO2e emissions
• accurately measure the natural capital value of the estate in our Natural Capital Register and Account Tool (NCRAT)
• prioritise sites within the estate to contribute to nature recovery initiatives including the Defra Group Nature Recovery Plan, the Government Estate for Nature and the National Estate for Nature
• develop conservation management plans that effectively balance biodiversity needs with asset performance
• understand the ability of our landholdings to support BNG or carbon market units either for internal use or external sale
• gauge the potential for individual parcels of land to deliver additional co-benefits by functioning as effective nature-based solutions.