The Improvement Programme for England’s Natura 2000 Sites (IPENS) is developing a suite of eleven Theme Plans. These Plans will address the issues that impact on, and affect the condition of, multiple Natura 2000 sites and which are difficult to resolve on a site-by-site basis. The project has identified the need for a Theme Plan on Hydrological Functioning.
Hydrological change is the most frequently reported pressure to European habitats in England. Unfavourable hydrology is constraining the Favourable Conservation Status of many water dependent habitats. A technical workshop was held on 22 August 2013 on hydrological function and Natura 2000 in England. This workshop aimed to discuss the delivery mechanisms for hydrological restoration of Natura 2000 wetlands, and to identify barriers to implementation of solutions on the ground and how these can be resolved.