UK Natural Capital – Ecosystem accounts for Freshwater, Farmland and Woodland – were released on the 25 July 2017 which includes 3 of the 8 broad habitat accounts which have been developed as part of a Defra/ONS joint project. These were previously published separately.
The article covers the total UK estimates for the UK including these main points:
- Woodland removed more harmful pollution and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than any other habitat, valued at £1.8 billion in 2015. Link to CEH blog - Plants in the UK remove £1billion worth of air pollution
- Between 2009 and 2015 the amount of time spent visiting woodlands in the UK was estimated to have increased from 245 million hours to 350 million hours.
- Conditions of freshwater habitats in recent years have generally deteriorated, whilst the condition of woodland has improved
- Farmland habitats are producing more energy from solar power, with 600 times more solar energy being produced in 2015 than in 2007.
For the first time we are including air quality estimates with a full report by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. This report includes air quality estimates for all habitats and a total UK valuation.
Improving Our Natural Capital Accounts
ONS-Defra Natural Accounting Project are constantly looking to improve outputs, user engagement and tailor their work streams to those which are most in-demand.
Could you take part in this brief 5-10 minute survey aimed at stakeholders to the ONS-Defra Natural Accounting Project. Your feedback to the project thus far will help guide decision making and positively influence future outputs.
The survey will be open for 3 weeks, closing on the Tuesday 15th August.