This article provides the monetary estimates of the UK natural capital. Natural capital includes all natural resources including ecosystem assets and the services that they provide. Valuation of natural capital is important because it provides a common metric through which it can be compared with other forms of capital. Integrated and comprehensive natural capital accounts can in principle provide the basis for key indicators of economic performance and sustainability. Source agency: Office for National Statistics Designation: Experimental Official Statistics Language: English Alternative title: Natural Capital

Estimates of the financial and societal value of natural resources to people in the UK.

These datasets form part of Defra’s Enabling a Natural Capital Approach (ENCA) resource. The Services and Assets Databooks together collate around 400 UK data sources, tools and studies for 8 natural habitat categories and 25 environmental effect categories. These include selected economic valuation evidence. The case studies summarise many real-world examples of how natural capital is used in various situations. An excel template is provided to facilitate natural capital assessment according to HM Treasury Green Book guidance.

Detailed data breakdowns of the financial and societal value of natural resources to people in the UK.

The Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) Product Brochure provides an overview of some of the key product collections that the NCEA programme is delivering with examples of how they are currently being used. A product collection will often include a series of underpinning datasets, map layers, protocols, standards, summary reports or other publications. We intend to release all relevant components of a product collection under Open Government Licence wherever possible.

The NCEA is a Defra-led programme working in partnership with its arms-length bodies: the Environment Agency (EA), Forest Research (FR), Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Natural England (NE), and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew).

Soil bacteria represent a major portion of the biodiversity in soils. At the bottom of the soil food web, bacteria play a vital role in nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration and breaking down pollutants. Soil bacterial diversity particularly affects agricultural production, soil quality and climate regulation.See the report here >>Download the data here >>This suite of ten maps, of different aspects of natural capital, contributes to our understanding of where our natural capital is. The maps have been produced using a range of datasets, including CEH sample data from the Countryside Survey (2007). CEH’s Ecomaps tool has been used to produce maps at an England level through statistical interpretation and extrapolation from the sample data

Creation of extent and condition metrics, to organise the biophysical data for natural capital accounting, using the new United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) template.

Soil organic carbon is essential for its role as the primary energy source in soils. It is vital for maintaining soil structural condition, resilience and water retention. As soil carbon is the biosphere’s largest carbon reservoir, soils play a vital role in climate regulation.See the report here >>Download the data here >>This suite of ten maps, of different aspects of natural capital, contributes to our understanding of where our natural capital is. The maps have been produced using a range of datasets, including CEH sample data from the Countryside Survey (2007). CEH’s Ecomaps tool has been used to produce maps at an England level through statistical interpretation and extrapolation from the sample data.

Soil total nitrogen concentration is a basic measurement of soil fertility. Along with soil organic carbon, it plays a key role in the processes of soil formation. Not all of the nitrogen locked up in organic matter in soils, such as peat, is available for plant growth. However, soil nitrogen is important for agricultural productivity. Nitrogen leached from soils can also adversely affect water quality.See the report here >>Download the data here >>This suite of ten maps, of different aspects of natural capital, contributes to our understanding of where our natural capital is. The maps have been produced using a range of datasets, including CEH sample data from the Countryside Survey (2007). CEH’s Ecomaps tool has been used to produce maps at an England level through statistical interpretation and extrapolation from the sample data.

Soil invertebrates have an important role in soil processes. This includes storing, filtering and transforming nutrients, as well as plant growth. Soil invertebrates are fundamental to maintaining soil quality, which underpins almost all other regulating ecosystem services.See the report here >>Download the data here >>This suite of ten maps, of different aspects of natural capital, contributes to our understanding of where our natural capital is. The maps have been produced using a range of datasets, including CEH sample data from the Countryside Survey (2007). CEH’s Ecomaps tool has been used to produce maps at an England level through statistical interpretation and extrapolation from the sample data

This spatial dataset is an output of the Natural England County & City Natural Capital Atlas project (July 2020). It shows variation in ecosystem service flow for habitats across England, based on indicators identified by NE in the 2018 Natural Capital Indicators project. The dataset comprises a hexagonal grid which summarises indicator values across the country (each unit = 5km²).

Natural Capital is an important aspect of current environmental policy and management. This dataset, in combination with the other project outputs, will support understanding of Natural Capital in England and serve as a valuable engagement tool to communicate concepts of the Natural Capital approach to a wide variety of stakeholders.

For full methodology and user guide see documents ‘NCAtlas_Devon’ and ‘NC-Mapping-User-Guidance’ at http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6672365834731520.

For full metadata documentation see the data package download below.

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Total plant species richness can be deceptive as a measure of biodiversity. Higher species numbers may be an indication of nutrient enrichment or disturbance. This map is based on plant species that are positive indicators, or characteristic species, of a particular habitat. Their presence indicates that a habitat is in good condition.See the report here >>Download the data here >>This suite of ten maps, of different aspects of natural capital, contributes to our understanding of where our natural capital is. The maps have been produced using a range of datasets, including CEH sample data from the Countryside Survey (2007). CEH’s Ecomaps tool has been used to produce maps at an England level through statistical interpretation and extrapolation from the sample data

This is the first natural capital account for London, and was supported by the Mayor of London, the National Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The natural capital account assesses the economic value of different benefits that London and Londoners gain from the city’s public parks and other green spaces. For more information on the methodology and results of this analysis, please see the London.gov.uk website.

Suitable condition indicators for an understanding of the relationship between the ecosystem condition and the ecosystem services they deliver.