Habitat Networks (Combined Habitats) (England)

Habitat Networks (England) is a spatial dataset that describes the geographic extent and location of Habitat Networks for 23 priority habitats based primarily, but not exclusively, on the priority habitat inventory with additional data added in relation to habitat restoration-creation, restorable habitat, plus fragmentation action, and network enhancement and expansion zones. The Habitat Network Maps provide spatial guidance to plan and develop local ecological networks and may be used to help target action to build greater ecological resilience for habitats across England.

The Habitat Network Maps seek to apply the best evidence and principles and to use the best available nationally consistent spatial data. The habitat network maps are developed around 4 distinct habitat components sets and include 3 distinct network zones where action may be undertaken to build greater ecological resilience.  The different elements of the maps are described below:

Habitat Components
• The location of existing patches of a specific habitat for which the network is developed. This is termed the ‘Primary habitat’ e.g. lowland meadow.  The main baseline data used for this is the Priority Habitat Inventories.
• The location of additional habitat that naturally form mosaics with the primary habitat e.g. habitats that are most likely to form ecological mosaics possibly used by species associated with the primary habitat.  This is termed the ‘Associated habitat’ or 'Other Priority Habitats'. The main baseline data used for this is the Priority Habitat Inventories.
• The locations where habitat creation or restoration is known to occur, this is primarily sites under relevant agri-environment options.  This is termed the ‘Habitat Restoration-Creation’
• Sites where data suggests small fragments of the primary habitat or degraded habitat exists and where restoration may be possible, this is primarily developed from information held within the current PHI. This is termed the ‘Restorable habitat’.  

Network Zones
• Land within close proximity to the existing habitat components that are more likely to be suitable for habitat re-creation for the particular habitat.  These areas are primarily based on soils but in many cases has been refined by also using other data such as hydrology, altitude and proximity to the coast. This is termed the ‘Network Enhancement Zone 1’.
• Land within close proximity to the existing habitat components that are unlikely to be suitable for habitat re-creation but where other types of habitat may be created or land management may be enhanced including delivery of suitable Green Infrastructure. This is termed the ‘Network Enhancement Zone 2’.
• Land within relatively close proximity to  the Network Enhancement Zones 1 & 2 that are more likely to be suitable for habitat creation for the particular habitat and identifying possible locations for connecting and linking up networks across a landscape.  This is termed the ‘Network Expansion Zone’.    

Note:  For some habitat networks not all of the habitat components or all the action zones are identified either because the data does not exist or the habitat does not lend itself to identifying particular types of action.  Further details are outlined in the Habitat Network Mapping Guidance document. The Network boundary is drawn around the 4 habitat components using a variable buffering process with a generalised distance of 500m although 1km was used for Blanket Bog.  As the boundary for each habitat network is tightly drawn around the existing patches of habitat this means that at a national scale the habitat network is composed of a series of smaller ‘networks’ that encapsulates one or more clusters of existing habitat patches. These may be considered as ‘network segments’. The Network Expansion Zone has been drawn around these segments to identify areas where additional action may be undertaken to build greater ecological resilience across the wider landscape.  Please note the network component ‘Fragmentation Action Zone’ has not been used in this update.

Why is it important that NE publishes this data?

The Habitat Network Maps provide spatial guidance to plan and develop local ecological networks and may be used to help target action to build greater ecological resilience for habitats across England.  They are being used within a range of Natural England projects including the Favourable Conservation Status Project and Net Gain and to help identify possible locations for the delivery of the 25YEP target of 500,000 ha of new priority habitat.

Lineage

Created using the following data sets:
• Priority Habitat Inventory (March 2025) 
• Agri-Environment CS and ES options data (Sept 2024)
• Ancient Woodland Inventory
• Priority Rivers
• Priority Rivers Headwaters
• Priority Lakes
• Draft Wood Pasture & Parkland Inventory
• PTES Traditional Orchards HAP data layer 
• NSRI Soilscapes data
• A digital terrain model 
• Urban Settlements 
• EA Flood Risk Zone 2 and 3

The data layers listed above were geoprocessed using FME to prepare a series of individual habitat network maps that have also been combined to produce grouped habitat network maps and a combined habitat networks map.  More information on which data sets and method used is outlined within the 'User Guidance Document' and 'Updates and Improvements NHN2025'.

Some individual habitat networks have been grouped for this update to better reflect current ecological thinking and remove artificial divisions. A complete list of individual, grouped and combined habitat networks published is shown below:

•	Blanket bog
•	Limestone pavement
•	Lowland dry acid grassland
•	Lowland meadows
•	Lowland raised bog
•	Purple moor grass and rush pastures
•	Traditional orchards
•	Upland hay meadow
•	Wood pasture and parkland
•	Ancient Semi Natural Woodland
•	Coastal: (Coastal saltmarsh, Coastal sand dunes, Coastal vegetated shingle, Maritime cliff and slope)
•	Calcareous grassland: (Lowland calcareous grassland, Upland calcareous grassland)
•	Heathland: (Lowland heathland, Upland heathland)
•	Fen Reedbed: (Lowland fens, Upland flushes fens and swamps, Reedbeds)
•	Rivers and Lakes: (Rivers, Lakes)
•	Combined: (All habitats) Attribution statement: © Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right [year].

Tags:  landscape, Habitats, Habitats and biotopes, Natural England, Open Data, ecology, environment
Organization: Natural England