Approved work: Habitat restoration

Defra are currently consulting on a target to restore 500,000 ha of habitat outside of existing protected sites. The internationally agreed definition of restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of a habitat that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed, but only less complex habitats, such as wildflower meadows and wetlands have successfully been restored. Similar restoration practices may also result in different outcomes and timeframes are uncertain. Metrics for monitoring the success of restoration by the habitat ‘banks’ being set up by public and private bodies have yet to be clarified, and it is unclear how standards and outcomes can be effectively regulated. The POSTnote will summarise the different definitions of, and objectives for, restoration; the evidence base on techniques for restoring different habitat types and the use of science and data to actively support and monitor habitat recovery; and the opportunities and challenges involved.

Work on this briefing will commence in May 2022.

To contribute expertise or literature, please e-mail Rachael Holmes

Image: Meadow by Heather under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)