Countryside Stewardship: Using the targeting priorities interactive maps
Published 4 May 2021
© Crown copyright 2021
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-using-the-targeting-priorities-interactive-maps/countryside-stewardship-using-the-targeting-priorities-interactive-maps
Accessing the maps
The interactive maps should be saved to your computer before opening:
- Right click on the link to the map and choose ‘save target as…’
- Save the file to an appropriate location on your computer
The maps are large files and will take several minutes to download. The maps should not be opened directly from the GOV.UK website. If you have a slow internet connection, try to download the maps at another location, such as the local library, and save on a memory stick for future use.
Using the maps
Information about the main environmental priorities for the area can be shown on the maps by turning on individual ‘data layers’. Layers shown on the map in:
- red are high priority for this area
- yellow are medium priority for this area
- light green are low priority for this area
When the map is first opened, it will just show the Ordnance Survey map of the NCA.
Before turning on any layers, zoom in to the area of interest, using the + and - buttons.
Access the data layers by clicking the icon on the left hand side of the screen.
Only display one layer at a time as several of the layers cover large areas and are shown in a solid colour.
To see all of the layers, use the + button next to each folder.
View a layer by clicking on the relevant open box . Layers that have been selected are shown with an eye symbol next to them.
If a box in a row with a folder icon is selected, all layers within that folder will be shown on the map.
What happens if my farm cuts across two National Character Areas?
Where the land you are interested in extends into two or more NCAs, you can see the mapped information for these areas by turning off the data layer titled ‘Outer Area mask’
What happens if the Legend box blocks my view of the map?
Where the land you are interested in is covered by the Legend box, you can switch off the ‘Legend’ data layer which will switch off the box leaving the mapped data shown clearly.
A full list of the data shown can be found below in annex 1.
The data used to produce the interactive maps was also used to create the statement of priorities documents. These documents should be viewed alongside the maps.
Annex 1 Data layer information
| Biodiversity designations | Notes |
|---|---|
| Natura 2000 sites | No notes |
| Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) | No notes |
| Special Areas for Conservation (SAC) | No notes |
| Special Protection | No notes |
| Habitats | Notes |
|---|---|
| Priority river habitat | Priority for maintenance |
| Restoration river habitat | Priority for restoration |
| Ancient Woodland | No notes |
| Priority Woodland Habitat | No notes |
| Priority Habitat Inventory | No notes |
| Priority Ponds | No notes |
| Wood Pasture and Parkland | No notes |
| Refined Coastal and Floodplain Grazing Marsh | No notes |
| Species | Notes |
|---|---|
| Important Arable Plant Areas | © Plantlife |
| Farm Wildlife Package hotspots Farmland Bird Priority Tetrads (where three or more of six widespread but declining farmland birds occur together) Wild Pollinator Priority Tetrads (where seven or more of 13 species of wild bee associated with the wider countryside occur together) |
High priority tetrads for the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package © BTO © BWARS/CEH |
| Farm Wildlife Package NCAs | High priority NCAs for the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package. Note, this layer is represented by a light green colour , but is a high priority. |
| Breeding Waders assemblage | © BTO |
| Woodland Bird assemblage | © BTO |
| Water quality and flood risk management Agency | All © Environment |
|---|---|
| Phosphate priorities | No notes |
| Groundwater Pesticide priorities | No notes |
| Groundwater Nitrate priorities | No notes |
| River Pesticide priorities | No notes |
| River Nitrate priorities | No notes |
| Sediment priorities | No notes |
| All water quality priorities combined | Combination of all of the water quality layers in this section |
| Flood Risk Management Priorities | No notes |
| Forestry | All © Forestry Commission |
|---|---|
| Keeping Rivers Cool / Woods for Water priority areas | No notes |
| Unmanaged Woodland | No notes |
| Woodland Close to People | No notes |
| Woodland Creation for Biodiversity | No notes |
| Woodland Creation for Flood Risk Management | No notes |
| Woodland Creation for Water Quality | No notes |
| Historic Environment | Notes |
|---|---|
| Selected Heritage Inventory for Natural England (SHINE) – High Priority | No notes |
| Selected Heritage Inventory for Natural England (SHINE) – Medium Priority | No notes |
| Archaeology Scheduled Monuments | © Historic England |
| Building/Structure Scheduled Monuments | © Historic England |
| Registered Battlefields | © Historic England |
| Registered Parks and Gardens | © Historic England |
| Landscape | Notes |
|---|---|
| Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) | No notes |
| Nature Improvement Areas (NIA) | No notes |
| Near Miss Nature Improvement Areas | No notes |
| Historic Parkland | No notes |
| Traditional Orchards | No notes |
| Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) | No notes |
| World Heritage Sites (WHS) | No notes |
| NCA level landscape features | These 11 data layers indicate the NCA-wide priority landscape features for Mid Tier as referenced in the Statement of Priorities |
| Climate Change | This group of datasets relates to habitat-based action to address climate change adaptation and mitigation |
|---|---|
| Carbon Sequestration Priority | No notes |
| Carbon Storage Priority | No notes |
| Climate Change Sensitivity | No notes |
| Climate Change Vulnerability Buffers | No notes |
| Outcome 1D restoration target | Restoration of degraded habitats |
| Refugia | No notes |
| Air quality | Notes |
|---|---|
| Sites Sensitive to Ammonia Pollution | Buffers around sites sensitive to ammonia |
| Other data | Notes |
|---|---|
| Indicative Parcel Boundaries | Indicative Rural Land Register parcels © Rural Payments Agency |
| Base Data | A number of datasets to provide general context, not directly linked to targeting and scoring |
| National Character Area (NCA) | Boundary of the named NCA covered by this map |
| Other National Character Areas | Boundaries for neighbouring NCAs |
| Outer Area Mask | When visible, this hides neighbouring NCAs. Useful to turn this layer off where the land in question falls into two or more NCAs. |