Regional Targets

The North West has regional habitat targets, the latest version published April 2008, which are the regional contribution to UK Biodiversity targets and the England Biodiversity Strategy. The Strategy emphasises the need for large scale habitat restoration and better engagement with regional bodies to deliver the targets.

Note: although there are national targets for species, there are currently no regional species targets.

Latest Regional Habitat Targets

Natural England, on behalf of the North West Biodiversity Forum, has carried out a revision of the NW region habitat targets first published in 2002.

Revised UK and country targets were published in 2006 and the scope of the NW review has been to bring the region’s targets in line with these new national targets. In addition the NW habitat targets have been updated with respect to:

• use of standardised target categories;
• timescales, some of the 2002 targets have now expired;
• improved knowledge of the regional resource thus improving accuracy and ensuring the targets are quantitative;
• greater knowledge and understanding of relevant conservation issues;
• climate change, which is now recognised as a significant factor not taken into account when the original targets were set.

NW targets have been agreed for all terrestrial, freshwater and coastal habitats for which targets have been published at the national level.  Marine habitats, where no revised targets were set as part of the national review will be considered as a separate exercise in line with national work along with new habitats identified as part of the UK species and habitat review.

The downloads on this page are the latest NW Habitat Targets.