Landscape Observatory is cited in the Government’s 30by30 Delivery Plan, recognising its potential to support the delivery of the Government’s ambition to protect and restore 30% of land for nature by 2030. This reflects the value of innovative, evidence and risk/uncertainty based approaches that help Protected Landscapes and partners make decisions in their landscapes, identify opportunities for nature recovery and climate adaptation where it can deliver the greatest benefits. This comes after the inclusion of Landscape Observatory in the Land Use Framework in support of the Government’s commitment to ‘make land digital’ and reform data tools giving to inform decision making about how land is managed for nature, climate and people.
The challenge
There is no doubt that to deliver 30by30 is extremely challenging. The Protected Landscapes Partnership estimates that National Parks and National Landscapes have the potential to deliver over half of the English target following sufficient targeted action. Our colleagues at the National Landscape Association have crunched the numbers. To achieve 30×30 we must quickly and radically improve the effectiveness of our management of biodiversity in the recognition that we are not, and have never been, in control of all the factors driving change at landscape scales. The longer term test will be our ability to effectively manage over 30% of England to sustainably supply critical natural infrastructure, for wildlife and people, as the climate warms to closer to 4 degrees on average by 2100.
Defra are funding Landscape Observatory to prepare protected landscapes and national trails teams for a digital and AI engaged future in the context of a warming world
How is Landscape Observatory contributing to delivery?
Landscape Observatory, collaborating with key sector partners, is supporting critical thinking, research and learning to recognise that we can no longer look to the past for our conservation goals. Developing AI generated high resolution digital twin landscapes we are working to provide better evidence, such as high-resolution data and scenario modelling on:
- Current and future habitat location and condition;
- landscape factors or pressures and the level of control we have over them
- climate vulnerability linked to socioeconomic, cultural and land use change
Using AI mapping, habitat condition monitoring and introducing climate smart adaptive management; we are helping to prepare our landscapes for the impacts of climate change. They must be equipped to take risks and move forward in what will be an increasingly uncertain world.
Why digital landscape intelligence and adaptive management matters
Climate change is having ever increasing impacts across society. Planning for the management of our landscapes to deliver their share of 30by30, as they transform due to a warming world, we must be much more flexible and take risks. More fundamentally, it requires a move away from core ‘protected’ values that have defined conservation for the last few decades. We simply cannot carry on as we have and expect different results. Digital landscape intelligence presents the prospects of near real time monitoring, accessible scenario modelling, investment modelling and the information to support rapid policy evolution in the face of uncertainty.
Better Data = Better Decisions!