Species Action Plan research

Summary

The UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) sets out the government's broad strategy for conserving biodiversity. It includes measures to promote biodiversity conservation in woodlands. Within the plan around 400 species were identified as being either in rapid decline or globally threatened, and Species Action Plans (SAPs) were produced for these ‘Priority’ species. SAPs detail the status, threats and targets for conservation and recovery for each species and identify organisations tasked with carrying out the actions.

There are 135 SAPs linked to woodland where the Forestry Commission is identified as a partner in the work plan and 61 of these where the actions identified are for providing information through research. The majority are woodland species ranging from liverworts to mammals, but a few are open ground species.

The Forestry Commission has a clear commitment to the conservation of biodiversity. The aim of the SAPs programme is to provide research to support the Forestry Commission’s commitment to the UKBAP. This will mainly be achieved by:

Understanding how forest operations and woodland management impacts upon the Priority species
Passing this information on to forest managers and policy makers in a form that can be used to conserve and benefit species.

Research objectives

Carry out a review of research needs for forestry related SAPs to prioritise species for research action
Using in-house expertise and in partnership with experts/researchers in other organisations, develop and deliver a work programme for each species as directed by the targets agreed within the SAPs and based on the maturity of knowledge
Convert research findings into guidance which can range from practical management guidance through to strategic advice to support forest policy decisions.

Funders and partners

Most work is carried out in collaboration with other government and non-government organisations, details of which are given on the separate species pages.