A random sample of English non-SSSI lowland heathland stands, both inside and outside of agri-environment agreements, was surveyed during 2005 and 2006 to provide baseline information on condition.
English Nature, the Rural develpoment Service (both now part of Natural England), Defra, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) commissioned this survey. This information complements similar condition data routinely collected for all statutory heathland sites and both will be used to monitor contributions towards the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) targets for the lowland heathland priority habitat.