About the Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment Programme (NCEA)
Surveying England’s land, freshwater and coastal ecosystems to produce a baseline assessment of our natural assets by 2029.
Putting nature at the heart of decisions
The Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme is Defra’s largest research programme — and the most ambitious assessment of the state of nature ever carried out in England.
It was established following recommendations from the Natural Capital Committee and the Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity, with one clear purpose: to change how we understand, measure and value nature so decisions better support people and the environment.
What natural capital and ecosystem assessments tell us
Ecosystem assessments help us understand the health of our natural environment — including habitats, species and ecological processes — and how they are changing over time.
A natural capital approach goes a step further by describing the environmental, social and economic benefits that nature provides. These include essentials like clean air and water, carbon storage, flood protection, and the spaces that support our wellbeing.
Together, these approaches provide a holistic and joined-up view of the natural environment. They help reveal connections between habitats and people, highlight dependencies and trade‑offs in environmental policy, and support better-informed, long‑term decisions.
The biggest environmental assessment of its kind
Since 2022, more than 450 scientists have been surveying England’s land, freshwater and coastal environments to build a clear picture of the nation’s natural assets by 2029.
This includes measuring:
- habitat condition
- biodiversity and species presence
- water, soil and air quality
Delivered by leading environmental organisations
The NCEA is delivered by six specialist organisations:
- Forest Research
- Environment Agency
- Natural England
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- Defra
Forest Research leads on trees and woodlands evidence, combining field surveys with advanced environmental analysis.
High‑quality environmental data, freely accessible
Under the NCEA programme, Forest Research is publishing the data we have collected, which cover areas such as:
- woodland soil health and condition
- woodland rivers and streams
- woodland structure and tree cover
- biodiversity from woodland soil eDNA
- Trees Outside Woodland field survey data
- air quality
All datasets are released under the Open Government Licence, making them freely available to policymakers, researchers and the public.
Driving a step change in environmental evidence
By bringing together high‑quality data, modern scientific methods and cross‑sector collaboration, the NCEA is creating the strongest evidence base ever assembled for England’s natural environment — helping to:
- support nature’s recovery
- address biodiversity loss and climate change
- guide long-term environmental policy and planning
