Reporting

The purpose of this Work Package is to present the findings of Countryside Survey in a format suitable for use by partner organisations, the scientific community, policymakers and anyone with an interest in countryside change. The reporting of key findings from the 2007 Survey is being delivered in two stages:

The reports present stock and changes for indicators of habitats, landscape features, vegetation, freshwater and soils. These reports continue the development of key messages from earlier Surveys and provide quantified trends for policy-relevant indicators, as well as reporting on topical issues and new findings.

• Reports are now available for the UK, England, Scotland and Wales.
• Seperate reports have also be delivered on Soils, Ponds and Headwater Streams. 
• The most recent report published in October 2010 was "An Integrated Assessment for Countryside Survey data to investigate Ecosystem Services* in Great Britain".

*Ecosystem services include habitat provision; water quality; maintenance of soil fertility; soil nutrient cycling; carbon storage; and to some extent, recreation, tourism and aesthetics.

More detail:

The outputs of this Work Package include four reports: one for the UK and three for its individual countries: England, Scotland and Wales. The main UK report contains a wealth of information from each section of the Field Survey, including freshwater and soils results.

The reports are written and designed in a way that is easily accessible to a broad audience, including members of the public, policymakers and academics. The drafting process has involved extensive consultation with project partners and other experts, to ensure that key findings are clearly presented.

The UK and country report include:

• Stock and change for Broad Habitats
• Stock of Priority Habitats (where possible)
• Updated stock and change for landscape features
• Condition reports for hedges and key habitats
• Vegetation indicators
• Stock and change, aquatic plants and hydro-chemistry for ponds
• Aquatic plants, hydro-chemistry and hydro-morphology of streams, including change
• Core measurements of soils for the UK and individual countries, showing changes between 1978, 1998 and 2007 (where possible)
• Interesting new storylines emerging from the 2007 Survey (in terms of policy and land-use changes)

An Integrated Assessment for Countryside Survey data to investigate Ecosystem Services in Great Britain.

The focus on ecosystem services reflects the evolution of the policy framework since the 2000 Survey. It is also at the centre of current scientific developments, both nationally and internationally.

Countryside Survey is one of the most comprehensive large-scale surveys existing and as such it represents a unique opportunity to:

• Assess the state and trends of ecosystem services at a national level using high quality data
• Gain insight into how the ecological impacts of drivers of change affect ecosystem services

The report summarises findings on stock and trends for Countryside Survey-related ecosystem services. It also describes how ecological impacts of key pressures translate into effects on ecosystem services in the countryside.