The England Ecosystem Survey (EES) project is part of the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme, which is funded by Defra. EES collects soil, vegetation and landscape data for a range of measured variables. This document is for the users of the England Ecosystem Survey (EES) data and those interested in its methods. It describes the field methods used to collect the Year 1 EES Vegetation and Landscape survey data. This includes detailed instructions on preparing for the survey, what data to collect and how, and the equipment required.
The basic sampling unit is a 1km² known as a monad. A stratified random sample of monads, representing the diversity of England and its regions, is surveyed. The period from March 2023 to March 2024 was the first year of the EES 5-year monitoring baseline. Detailed vegetation surveys occur at up to six points in the monad in 2m x 2m vegetation plots, co-located with soil plots. Further data is collected from the surrounding 1ha squares and from hedgerows, riparian features, ponds and lone trees associated with the 2m x 2m plots. Monad wide data is collected for small woods, groups of trees, ponds, watercourses, hedgerows and arable field margins. Landscape assessments are also carried out within the monad.
For information, please view Natural Ecosystem Survey (EES)