Agreements entered into by Natural England with owners and occupiers of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and occasionally on adjacent land. The purpose of these Agreements is to enable the land to be managed to achieve the nature conservation objectives. They are delivered through the Conservation and Enhancement Scheme; and the Statutory powers for these Agreements were given to Natural England in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006 (s.7). Attribution statement: © Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right [year].

Management Agreements were entered into by English Nature, and are now entered into by Natural England, with owners and occupiers of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and occasionally on adjacent land. The purpose of these Agreements is to enable the land to be managed to achieve the nature conservation objectives. They are delivered through the Wildlife Enhancement Scheme (WES); and the Statutory powers for these Agreements were given to English Nature in the Countryside Act 1968 S.15 and to Natural England by the NERC Act 2006.

This document identifies feasible projects that address the long-term protection and enhancement of the Watsonville Sloughs system’s ecological values and the needs of agriculture and other land uses. The Watsonville Sloughs Watershed Conservation and Enhancement Plan (WSCEP) specifies feasible measures that address the long-term protection and enhancement of the Watsonville Sloughs system’s ecological values, and the needs of agriculture and other land uses. The WSCEP is designed to provide a future vision and a guide for many agencies, organizations and individual landowners. It is anticipated that the various entities will embark on a coordinated effort to implement the Plan and focus on priority areas. The Plan is based upon scientific, social and economic factors that have often worked at odds, but must be realigned if successful preservation and enhancement of the landscape and rural character of the Sloughs is to be realized. Most of the resource management activity now occurs in the regulatory sector, leading to a fragmented and often contentious relationship between stewardship organizations seeking resource protection and landowners. A key aim of the Plan is to find resource solutions that foster cooperation between various groups, agencies and landowners. The Plan is designed to be adaptable and flexible should important factors change in the future. Participation is on a strictly voluntary basis.

Conservation Areas are defined in the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act (1990) as, “areas of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance”. The Council has designated 19 Conservation Areas throughout the District where priority will be given to preservation or enhancement. Conservation Areas data from the Local Plan 2023, replacing the UDP data. For further information about the Local Plan see the Local Plan Website https://new.calderdale.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/local-plan To view the Local Plan online map, please click here The latest data has been added under Presumption to Publish. This data has been derived from Ordnance Survey base mapping. (C) Crown copyright and database rights OS (licence 0100023069).

The Wetlands Division of MoEFCC is currently implementing a centrally sponsored scheme namely, National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) for conservation and management of wetlands in the country on cost sharing basis between Central Government and respective State/UT Governments. The scheme aims at holistic conservation and restoration of wetlands for achieving the desired water quality enhancement, besides improvement in biodiversity and ecosystems. It aims to promote mainstreaming of wetlands in developmental programming with States by supporting formulation and implementation of integrated management plans, capacity development and research. The dataset includes the state-wise distribution of wetlands in the country along with state-wise distribution and health card reports of 75 Ramsar Sites.

This dataset lists conservation measures that were taken (i.e. which are already being implemented) for the species during the 2008-2012 reporting period. This information formed part of the Tenth UK Report for Article 12 of the EU Birds Directive (2008-2012). This applies only to those species on the checklist of SPA trigger species.

The main purpose of the reporting under this field is to obtain information to allow for a ‘broad-brush’ but informative overview of the measures taken inside and outside the Natura 2000 network, and with reference to importance and effectiveness. The current format and codified list of conservation measures (to be found in the Reference Portal, http://bd.eionet.europa.eu/activities/Reporting/Article_12/reference_portal. Appendix 1) aims to facilitate reporting in a more harmonised way and to promote further use of the data reported, namely as part of the process to evaluate the contribution of the SPA network to maintaining or improving the condition of bird species.

The dataset on measures includes the *type of measure using the following categories. a) Legal/statutory b) Administrative c) Contractual d) Recurrent e) One-off *ranking of the importance of the measure (high medium or low) *location of the measure (inside or outside the SPA network) *effectiveness of the measure

The following categorisation of UK activities was developed for guidance with respect to the conservation measure ‘type’ field. *Legal/statutory: Existing and proposed (if underway) legally protected areas; legally protected species; abstraction licences; discharge consents *Administrative: Water Level Management Plans; NNR management plans; Catchment Sensitive Farming (where no specific project with a landowner); Species Recovery Projects (where no specific contract with third party) *Contractual: Agri-environment: (O)ELS, (O)HLS, classic schemes; Conservation and Enhancement Scheme (CES); Catchment Sensitive Farming (where a specific agreed project with landowner; Species Recovery Project (where a specific contract/agreement with third party) *Recurrent: Needing to be repeatedly implemented during reporting cycle e.g. habitat management activity * ne-off: Implemented once during reporting cycle e.g. Capital Works projects; Infrastructure; agri-environment HLS special projects linked to specific positive outcomes for the species

Conservation Areas are defined in the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act (1990) as, “areas of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance”. The Council has designated 19 Conservation Areas throughout the District where priority will be given to preservation or enhancement. Conservation Areas data from the Local Plan 2023, replacing the UDP data. For further information about the Local Plan see the Local Plan Website https://new.calderdale.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/local-plan To view the Local Plan online map, please click here The latest data has been added under Presumption to Publish. This data has been derived from Ordnance Survey base mapping. (C) Crown copyright and database rights OS (licence 0100023069).

Location of the 12 priority sites for enhanced conservation identified under the New Nature Conservation Policy

Conservation Areas as defined in the Argyll and Bute adopted Local Development Plan 2015; they have a statutory basis (currently in the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1977) as areas of special architectural or historic interest and containing key features which it is desirable to conserve, sustain and enhance; a heightened value can be placed on a conservation area by Historic Scotland conferring 'outstanding' status; Funding may be attracted to conservation area enhancement schemes

Designation in potential flood-producing areas with the aim of maintaining and improving the retention capacity of the soils, in particular through drainage-reducing land use. Data origin: - Regional Planning Association Upper Lusatia-Lower Silesia with legal basis Regional Plan, 1. Overall update (as of 04.02.2010) - Regional Planning Association Upper Elbe Valley/Osterzgebirge with legal basis Regional Plan, 1. Overall update (as of 19.11.2009) - Chemnitz Region Planning Association with legal basis Regional Plan Chemnitz-Erzgebirge, update (as of 31.07.2008) and Regional Plan Südwestsachsen, 1. Total update (as at 06.10.2011)

Many countries around the world have begun to adopt zonation systems as a strategic framework to guide their approach to the conservation, enhancement, understanding and use of the natural heritage. The natural heritage zonation approach adopted by NatureScot is intended to provide a logical framework, reflecting the diversity of Scotland's natural heritage, within which NatureScot can clearly and simply plan and execute its work. The zones are not, therefore, intended as a classification of the natural heritage but, rather as an operational tool which is founded in the natural heritage.

The data originates from national monitoring on the effects of the Finnish agri-environment support scheme (MYTVAS). A field study concerning special support contracts of traditional rural biotopes and other enhancement of biodiversity was performed in three regions: Uusimaa, Pirkanmaa and Pohjois-Pohjanmaa. In 2004, altogether 168 contracts of traditonal rural biotopes and 91 contracts of other enhancement of biodiversity were studied. In 2010 - 2011, the study was repeated in one fourth of the contract sites been studied in 2004. In some sites, the similar study has been done earlier in 1998. Several variables implicating biodiversity values and management quality were evaluated for the hole contract area of the farm, and separately, for different environmental types. Additional information on the study sites was collected through farmer questionnaire.

The methods are described in the following publication: Schulman, A., Heliölä, J. & Pykälä J. 2006. Maatalouden ympäristötuen sopimusalueiden laatu ja hoidon toteutuminen (Quality and management of contract areas of the agri-environmental support - the special support for management of traditional rural biotopes and for enhancement of biodiversity, in Finnish). Suomen ympäristö 3/2006. Suomen ympäristökeskus. 87 p.

This dataset contains Priority Habitat Surveys of individual sites (not Wales-wide coverage), focusing on terrestrial habitats listed under Section 7 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016, known as Priority Habitats. It consists of detailed surveys of plant communities in mixed habitat context at a coarser scale than Phase 2 (National Vegetation Classification) habitat surveys.

The primary objective of these surveys is to identify and map areas of Priority Habitat of nature conservation importance, which can then feed into existing Wales-wide Priority Habitat extent and distribution data. The survey data can be used to identify areas of important habitat to inform schemes and projects such as woodland creation schemes, developments, or agricultural improvement, and can inform conservation management and restoration work to improve habitat condition and connectivity, and enhance biodiversity.

The dataset is not the product of a co-ordinated Survey Programme like the Lowland Peatland and Lowland Grassland Surveys of Wales, but is instead designed to be a single place to store ad-hoc site surveys of mixed Priority Habitat, under a common data structure, so they can be easily analysed and shared. Only surveys that have been extensively validated and verified by NRW vegetation and cartographic specialists will be added to the dataset.

This dataset is not to be confused with layer files derived from the ‘Environment (Wales) Act Section 7 Terrestrial Habitats of Principal Importance’ dataset, which is largely based on the Phase 1 Terrestrial Habitat Survey (1987-1997). These layer files are split into Wales-wide coverage for individual habitats, for example ‘Priority Habitat Blanket Bog.lyr.' See metadata NRW_DS122418 for more information.

Habitat composition may change over time, for example due to successional trends, land management or even planned developments. A record of a vegetation type or species in the digital data is therefore no guarantee of it still being extant on the ground. Individual site reports for most sites surveyed are also available upon request.

1. Agri-environment schemes (AES) have been criticised for being inadequately monitored and for not delivering the expected benefits to nature. Consequently, the Welsh Government funded a comprehensive programme of monitoring of Welsh AES, which took place between 2009 and 2012. The AES assessment focused primarily on Tir Gofal (which translates as “Land in Care”), but also included the Organic Farming Scheme, and monitoring focused on a range of taxa of conservation importance: arable plants, grassland fungi, bats (six species), butterflies (three species), birds (five species), water vole and brown hare. 2. Field work was undertaken to survey these taxa on matched farms and fields within and outside of AES. Response variables consisted of spatial trends of abundance, occurrence and species richness, which were modelled against AES status. Existing data were also available for two bird species. 3. Few differences were observed between AES and non-AES farms and fields. Those that were observed were for species that use arable habitats (which are uncommon in Wales): arable plants, yellowhammers, and brown hares. The lack of differences in non-arable habitats may reflect the smaller contrast between AES and non-AES management in these habitats. It may also reflect the original condition of habitat entered into AES prescriptions, as most non-arable prescriptions were defined by mandatory management of existing habitats, rather than optional habitat creation or restoration, which is the case for most arable prescriptions. 4. Despite the lack of differences observed, AES may help to maintain populations of species, making it more likely that they will persist in the landscape. There is evidence, from this monitoring programme and elsewhere, that AES can increase the populations of species, when well targeted and implemented. 5. Policy applications. The results indicate that Welsh AES have been only partly successful in achieving their stated aim of “maintaining and enhancing species abundance.” These results can be used to improve AES design and management, both in Wales and more widely, by identifying and promoting effective management interventions, and by identifying ineffective management interventions and seeking alternatives. In particular, we highlight the importance of comprehensive monitoring of AES, and we recommend that this be combined with specific targets regarding the expected outcomes of AES management. This is essential to determine whether AES are providing value for money.28-Nov-2018

Restoration and maintenance of habitat diversity have been suggested as conservation priorities in farmed landscapes, but how this should be achieved and at what scale are unclear. This study makes a novel comparison of the effectiveness of three wildlife-friendly farming schemes for supporting local habitat diversity and species richness on 12 farms in England. The schemes were: (i) Conservation Grade (Conservation Grade: a prescriptive, non-organic, biodiversity-focused scheme), (ii) organic agriculture and (iii) a baseline of Entry Level Stewardship (Entry Level Stewardship: a flexible widespread government scheme). Conservation Grade farms supported a quarter higher habitat diversity at the 100-m radius scale compared to Entry Level Stewardship farms. Conservation Grade and organic farms both supported a fifth higher habitat diversity at the 250-m radius scale compared to Entry Level Stewardship farms. Habitat diversity at the 100-m and 250-m scales significantly predicted species richness of butterflies and plants. Habitat diversity at the 100-m scale also significantly predicted species richness of birds in winter and solitary bees. There were no significant relationships between habitat diversity and species richness for bumblebees or birds in summer. Butterfly species richness was significantly higher on organic farms (50% higher) and marginally higher on Conservation Grade farms (20% higher), compared with farms in Entry Level Stewardship. Organic farms supported significantly more plant species than Entry Level Stewardship farms (70% higher) but Conservation Grade farms did not (10% higher). There were no significant differences between the three schemes for species richness of bumblebees, solitary bees or birds. Policy implications. The wildlife-friendly farming schemes which included compulsory changes in management, Conservation Grade and organic, were more effective at increasing local habitat diversity and species richness compared with the less prescriptive Entry Level Stewardship scheme. We recommend that wildlife-friendly farming schemes should aim to enhance and maintain high local habitat diversity, through mechanisms such as option packages, where farmers are required to deliver a combination of several habitats.

The defining of Conservation Areas is governed by the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997; an update from previous Acts relating to such areas. Conservation Areas are designated by local planning authorities and can play an important role in environmental enhancement, economic and community regeneration (e.g. Townscape Heritage Initiatives and Conservation Areas Regeneration Schemes).

Councils review conservation areas from time to time in order to assess the need for alteration of boundaries for areas for which special planning considerations apply, e.g. Article 4 directions. Many conservation areas now have character appraisals to explain what it is that should be preserved and what can be enhanced.

This CCP articulates the management direction for the Leopold Wetland Management District for the next 15 years. Through goals, objectives, and strategies, this CCP describes how the District intends to fulfill its purpose and contribute to the overall mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Several legislative mandates within the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 have guided the development of this plan.

A new database of 6124 policies at the intersection of agriculture and the environment. Implemented between 1960 and 2022 in over 200 countries. Comprises a wide range of types of policies (e.g., ranging from legislative changes to payments for ecosystem services), as well as a wide range of goals (e.g., from pesticide regulations to forest conservation). It allows to e.g. count such policies per country, filter to select specific policies, and to create policy indices, e.g. weighting countries' policies with contextual factors that enhance to hinder policy performance (e.g. policy budgets, enforcement, stringency, corruption).

The main database comes in the formats CSV, EXCEL, and DTA, country averages are provided in CSV and DTA, the dataset for the soil erosion policy analysis is provided in DTA and the code for the analysis is a DO-file.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) is designed to enhance CDFW conservation efforts. To this end, the plan establishes regions called “Provinces”, which are composed of spatially defined “Conservation Units”. Each Conservation Unit has “targets”, which are ecosystems or aquatic features which have distinct characteristics which are considered especially worth of focused conservation efforts. These Provinces, Conservation Units, and Targets are discussed in Chapter 5 of the 2015 SWAP Update, which can be found at https://wildlife.ca.gov/SWAP/Final. There are two distinct groups of conservation units. Terrestrial units represent those that protect terrestrial features, such as marshes, grasslands, or riparian habitats. Aquatic units protect aquatic features, such as fisheries or desert waters and are identified in another dataset. . This data set shows the spatial locations of terrestrial Conservation Units and identifies which Provinces they are associated with as well as where to find information about Conservation Targets within each Unit. It is the responsibility of the project proponent to determine if their project actually contains target habitat(s). That can be done by identifying the Province and Conservation Unit in which the project occurs and then reviewing Table 1 in the appropriate section of Chapter 5 of the SWAP 2015 document.To use this data set, locate your project and identify the chapter and page where the information about the Conservation Targets can be found. Click on the Chapter link and go to the appropriate page to identify the characteristics of the Conservation Targets and compare them to the characteristics of the vegetation on your site.

The Marguerite River marsh, located in Bécancour, was developed by Ducks Unlimited Canada (CIC) in 1999. The work consisted of damming and flooding former abandoned agricultural land to create a permanent 8-hectare swamp. The borrowing bank for the construction of the dike (outer channel of the marsh) was excavated to provide good spawning and nursery habitat for fish. In 2014, a committee to beautify the Laviolette Bridge was set up and the Marguerite River marsh area was targeted for development projects. In addition, restoration work is planned for the loan bank's control structure in 2016-2017.

The Comité Zip Les Deux Rives has produced a document that aims to establish environmental conservation objectives, the enhancement elements that can be achieved, and the prohibitions affecting the site.