Approved work: Marine protected and highly protected marine areas
This POSTnote will set out the available evidence on the measures been taken to allow marine habitats to recover in English waters, including 3 areas designated for full protection.

The soil microbiome, communities of microorganisms in soils, underpin natural processes in soil habitats and are affected by environmental and land use change. This POSTnote gives an overview of the benefits provided by the soil microbiome, ways of assessing the soil microbiome, and measures to improve its condition.
Sustaining the soil microbiome (481 KB , PDF)
Soils are one of the most biodiverse habitats on Earth, with an estimated 4,000 to 50,000 species of microorganism per gram of soil. The ‘soil microbiome’ refers to communities of microbes within the soil, which include bacteria and fungi, but also archaea (single-celled organisms initially identified in extreme habitats), protists (single-celled organisms that, unlike bacteria, contain a nucleus) and viruses. However, although they constitute a large part of the UK’s biodiversity, many soil organisms remain unknown. The soil microbiome underpins many of the ecosystem services that benefit humans, which include:
Soil health is defined in the academic literature as the capacity of a soil to function as a living ecosystem and support to sustain plants, animals and humans, and maintain environmental quality. The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan highlight the importance of soil health and stated an ambition to manage England’s soils sustainably by by 2030.
Key points in this POSTnote include:
POSTnotes are based on literature reviews and interviews with a range of stakeholders and are externally peer reviewed. POST would like to thank interviewees and peer reviewers for kindly giving up their time during the preparation of this briefing, including:
*Denotes people who acted as external reviewers of the briefing
Sustaining the soil microbiome (481 KB , PDF)
This POSTnote will set out the available evidence on the measures been taken to allow marine habitats to recover in English waters, including 3 areas designated for full protection.
This briefing will identify contributors to improved and compromised indoor air quality, and subsequent effects on health.
This POSTnote will explain the data and models that allow consideration of the 'totality' of the environmental impacts of different production practices and commodities arising from their manufacture, distribution and subsequent waste parts of their lifecycle.