Biodiversity Evidence Programme
What do we do?
The aim of the Biodiversity Evidence Programme is to make sure Defra’s Biodiversity Programme policies are based on the best evidence available. We do this by identifying evidence needs to underpin Biodiversity Programme outcomes, developing and managing evidence projects to address these needs, and providing evidence-based, policy-relevant advice to Ministers and officials.
Defra’s Biodiversity Programme covers diverse policy areas including internationally and nationally designated protected sites, conservation of priority species and habitats, mitigating the effects of climate change on biodiversity, ensuring biodiversity is able to adapt to climate change and wildlife management and protection. The programme also aims to make sure biodiversity is taken into account by other policy and delivery sectors and to help the UK to play a leading international role in biodiversity conservation, in terms of both shaping international biodiversity agreements and supporting key delivery projects in the UK Overseas Territories and elsewhere.
Evidence is essential to develop, implement and evaluate departmental and Biodiversity Programme policies. For example, evidence is required to:
- assess the current status and trends in biodiversity
- understand the reasons for unfavourable status and declines in biodiversity
- identify emerging threats to biodiversity and develop policies to mitigate these
- identify actions to halt or reverse declines in biodiversity
- develop tools to integrate biodiversity into policies and decision making in other sectors
- make sure the UK meets it obligations and goals under EU and international biodiversity directives and agreements (eg EU Birds and Habitats Directives, Convention on Biological Diversity).
Where do we do it?
The Biodiversity Evidence Programme covers terrestrial, freshwater and coastal ecosystems. The geographical scope of our evidence activities varies depending on the policy outcome it supports so in some cases evidence activities are UK or GB wide while in others the focus is only on England.
We also undertake evidence activities that contribute to the evidence base to support global environmental agreements, in particular the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
How much do we spend?
Defra spends approximately £4 million each year on evidence activities to support the Biodiversity Programme. This includes spend on research, survey, advice, data collation and mobilisation. The spend includes projects Defra commissions as well as contributions to projects managed by other biodiversity evidence funders.
Who do we work with?
We work with other Defra evidence programmes that have an impact on biodiversity, for example Adapting to Climate Change and Environmental Stewardship. We also work with Biodiversity Programme delivery partners (Natural England, Environment Agency, Forestry Commission and Joint Nature Conservation Committee) as well as other government departments (eg DECC), the devolved administrations and UK Research Councils. We commission evidence projects from a wide variety of stakeholders including universities, non-governmental organisations, private consultancies and Defra agencies (eg FERA).
Projects
Current projects include:
An investigation into three climate change issues for Priority Habitats and protected sites.
This project is using climate projections to assess how protected sites in the UK could be affected under different climate change scenarios. In particular the project aims to:
- assess whether the current UK network of protected sites and the legal framework for it will be able to continue delivery of the intended objectives for biodiversity under climate change
- determine the implications of climate change on implementation of Common Standards Monitoring of protected sites
- to provide a quantitative estimate of, and to review the contribution of Priority Habitats to mitigation of climate change
Bulbs, Biodiversity and Livelihoods – A scoping study of the livelihood impacts of the CITES bulb trade.
The export of geophytes (‘bulbs’) from Georgia and Turkey is of significant value to national and local economies, with local people collecting the bulbs. Trade is closely linked to rural livelihoods, providing an economically competitive land-use option. Trade in Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) bulbs from Georgia and Turkey represents the highest unit trade in any CITES-listed plant or animal. There has been little research to investigate the value to livelihoods that this trade provides to local communities and national economies.
This project is assessing the economic and livelihood impacts of the trade in bulbs covered by CITES. It is also investigating the impacts of alternative models for bulb supply, such as local propagation and will produce recommendations for improving both the conservation and livelihood benefits of the bulb trade, including the possible role and impact of bulb certification schemes and investigating the potential for adding value to the trade using different and new bulb species.
The use of DNA bar-coding to address major taxonomic problems for UK BAP listed bryophytes.
Species based conservation programmes need to be based on a sound and stable taxonomic framework. This is required to (a) avoid conservation action and resources being expended on ‘species’ that turn out not to be distinct, or (b) to avoid clearly distinct and endangered species not receiving conservation attention simply because their distinguishing characters are subtle. Both of these situations are likely to occur in bryophytes. These issues arise because of the shortage of expert bryological taxonomists, and the generally small and character-poor nature of bryophyte species.
This project aims to engage a network of amateur and professional bryologists to collect and identify taxonomically controversial BAP bryophyte species, and to use a combination of DNA bar-coding and examination of morphological characters to provide taxonomic clarification to underpin conservation programmes.
The objectives include to revise the status of 25 taxonomically controversial UK BAP listed bryophyte species and to disseminate the project findings to conservationists, amateur natural historians, members of the public interested in biodiversity, and the scientific community.