This document sets out Natural England’s view on favourable conservation status for European sturgeon and Atlantic sturgeon in England.
Favourable conservation status is the minimum threshold at which we can be confident that the two species are thriving in England and are expected to continue to thrive sustainably in the future.
This definition has been produced following the Natural England approach to defining favourable conservation status described in the guidance document Defining Favourable Conservation Status in England.
Section 1 of this document describes the species covered by this definition and their ecosystem context.
Section 2 specifies the units used to describe the three favourable conservation status parameters. These are:
• Natural range and distribution (where the species occur).
• Population (how many there are of the species).
• The extent and quality of habitat supporting the species’ populations.
Section 3 outlines the evidence considered when developing the definition. This definition is based on the best available evidence on the ecology of European sturgeon and Atlantic sturgeon. The evidence covers the current situation, historical changes and possible future changes.
Section 4 sets out the conclusions on the favourable values, that is the value for each of the three parameters when the species have achieved favourable conservation status.
This document does not include any action planning, or describe actions, to achieve or maintain favourable conservation status. These will be presented separately, for example within strategy documents.