These Natural Capital Atlases follow on from the popular National Natural Capital Atlas (Wigley et al., 2020). The best available and nationally consistent evidence is used to map out indicators showing asset quality, quantity and location. Indicators for some flows of ecosystem services are also mapped.
These atlases provide an “off the shelf” natural capital evidence base for each county or city region. They can be added to and built on. They have a wide variety of uses with more information in the How to Start Using Your Natural Capital Atlas annex. Check the Atlas Key to see which atlas your place is covered by.
The data package will be downloadable from data.gov.uk in due course, enabling users to explore the data layers in more detail. The accompanying GIS User Guide and ArcMap package will help even basic GIS users to download, open and explore the map data further. The Map Presentation Resources can be used to create attractive maps, matching those in the atlases.
Understanding the state of our natural environment is the essential first step to improving it. Natural England’s Natural Capital Indicators (Lusardi et al., 2018) were designed to inform our understanding of the state of our natural assets. These indicators measure the quantity, quality and location of ecosystems, and the flow of ecosystem services from them. The indicators highlight which properties of the environment are important for delivering which ecosystem services and benefits. Understanding the state of natural capital is essential to enable the sustainable provision of multiple benefits, now and into the future.