NC-UK News and Activities

If you're attending BES 2025, come and visit the UKCEH stand #L3 and speak to the team from the National Capability for UK Challenges programme. More details about our stand, speakers and workshops can be found on the link. 

A new study of 1960s maps, many of which were created by young people, has provided important fresh evidence of the timing and extent of habitat losses caused by agricultural intensification and urban growth in England and Wales. 

UKCEH hosted the 10th Cumbrian Lakes Research Forum on the shores of Windermere early this November. The day recognised the value of historical data and looked to the future, with UKCEH scientists detailing the innovative, novel approaches which are helping to develop our ecosystem understanding, to support lake managers in focusing restoration efforts and tackling the challenges which these unique ecosystems continue to face. 

Registration is now closed.
NEMC 2025, is a one-day event on Monday 15 December 2025 bringing together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to explore how environmental monitoring can drive real-world impact. This year’s theme, From Insight to Impact: Building the UK Environmental Monitoring Community, aims to move beyond knowledge-sharing of exemplars toward fostering collective momentum for a shared UK environmental monitoring vision and supporting its practical delivery.

Morning Session – Closing the Gaps
An exploration of a current programmes tackling key monitoring gaps. 

Afternoon Session – Vision to Value
Looks at collaborative efforts, new technologies, to support climate resilience and nature recovery. 

Speakers include Bangor University, DEFRA, Forest Research,  Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC),  Met Office, Mozaic Earth, National Trust, Natural England, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology,  University of Oxford, University of Stirling,  University of Bristol, Welsh Government and more.

Chaired by leading voices
Andy Nisbet - Natural England, Ann Humble - Welsh Government, Bridget Emmett - UKCEH, BES,  Ben Ditchburn - UKEOF, DEFRA NCEA, Martin Parr - CABI, Mark Nason – CIEEM, Mat Williams – University of Edinburgh

This event is organised by the British Ecological Society (BES), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, and the UK Environmental Observation Framework (UKEOF).

16 - 18 December 2025, EICC, Edinburgh
Exhibition stand L3

UKCEH is strengthening environmental monitoring with smarter, joined-up observation of land, freshwater, and air across the UK. Using advanced sensors, AI, and adaptive sampling, we aim to support science, policy, and industry.

We’re working with the community to make environmental data more accessible and useful - helping researchers, policymakers, businesses and practitioners respond to today’s challenges.

Underpinned by our Digital Research Infrastructure and our vision for an Integrated Environmental Monitoring Network, our work will bring together science and technology to better understand the UK environment.

Visit us at our exhibition stand to explore our tools, access datasets, and discover opportunities to collaborate.

The UK biodiversity monitoring landscape is fragmented: there are many schemes operating in isolation from one another, creating the potential for redundancy and duplication. There is also a disconnect between data providers, end-users and stakeholders. Although the UK is currently the best-monitored nation on earth, our monitoring networks are the result of haphazard evolution. Many nations that lack the UK's historical advantages have begun designing monitoring systems with integration at the core. Moreover, the emergence of new technologies is allowing other nations to build monitoring networks rapidly and catch up. If the UK does not act swiftly, we risk losing our position as the best monitored nation on earth. 

To address this, we need a more integrated approach to biodiversity monitoring. The Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) is a blueprint for integrated monitoring and reporting of biodiversity data across the world and is underpinned by national Biodiversity Observation Networks (BONs). 
We want to create a UK BON, a community of practice to: 
1) bring together users and providers of biodiversity monitoring data, 
2) coordinate biodiversity monitoring to support policy and conservation action and 
3) produce and share knowledge about best practices in biodiversity monitoring.  

If you want to learn more or would like to get involved please get in touch with Francesca Mancini at framan@ceh.ac.uk

Francesca Mancini will be hosting a lunchtime workshop at the BES annual Meeting, EICC Edinburgh on 17th December, 13.45 - 14.45, Moorfoot meeting room. All conference attendees are welcome.

David Robinson (UKCEH, NC-UK) will be giving a talk during the British Society of Soil Science Annual Conference, taking place from 3–5 December at King’s House Conference Centre, Manchester. This year’s theme, Resilient Soils for a Sustainable Future, brings together experts from across the built, natural, and agricultural sectors. David will contribute to the Flood and Water session, exploring the vital role of soil in climate adaptation and flood mitigation.

This week, UKCEH hosted the 10th Cumbrian Lakes Research Forum on the shores of Windermere at the Windermere Jetty Museum. Despite the week’s heavy rain and localised flooding, the day was a positive celebration of NC-UK’s 80 years of long-term lake monitoring programme, as well as looking to the future, with UKCEH scientists detailing the innovative novel approaches and findings which are helping to support lake managers focus restoration efforts and tackle the challenges which face these unique ecosystems. Dr Steve Thackeray, Group leader of the Aquatic Ecosystems Group was featured on ITV Border news describing the event and work of UKCEH, with ITV Environment correspondent for the Borders Fiona Marley Paterson.

Celebrating 80 years of continuous data collection on lakes in the Windermere catchment, and 10 years of the Cumbrian Lakes Research Forum, the Forum held its biggest ever meeting on 6 November 2025 to showcase the importance of this long-term monitoring programme and where it has influenced research and management of lakes across local, national, and international scales.

Alongside the meeting, a series of videos were released highlighting the importance of long-term monitoring, how it's carried out and looking at how they may change in the future.

Are you involved in freshwater biodiversity and water quality monitoring and research in the UK? 

We’re inviting individuals and organisations involved in those fields to take part in a short survey (approx. 15 minutes), to help us understand community needs and priorities around freshwater monitoring and research and inform the structure of a follow-up expert workshop focused on detecting and understanding pollutant impacts on UK freshwaters. 

Enhancing discoverability and access to environmental exposure data and methods

03 December 2025, 10am - 12.00 pm, Online

The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), as part of our National Capability for UK Challenges (NC-UK) programme, invite you to an engaging community conversation on the discoverability & access to environmental exposure data and methods, centred around a planned UK Environmental Exposure (UK-EEX) Hub. 

This online workshop will explore the challenges and opportunities of finding and working with disparate environmental exposure data and co-develop solutions to improve discoverability and access, building on initial ideas from the NC-UK programme.

The event is open to everyone, but it will be especially relevant for those working with environmental data. Join us to share your insights on improving data discoverability and accessibility, explore how these tools can support your research, and contribute to shaping this community-driven resource.

The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology supported by NC-UK has just launched a comprehensive Ladybird Traits Database, offering an exciting new resource for researchers, conservationists, and citizen scientists across the UK.
Thanks to this publication, detailed trait data for all known UK species is available in one place covering aspects such as diet, habitat, lifecycle, colour patterns, and ecological roles.

The database supports efforts to improve understanding on species distributions, monitor biodiversity changes, and assess the impacts of climate change and invasive species. It also helps inform conservation strategies and policy decisions by providing accessible, structured data for over 40 native and non-native species.

Dr Helen Roy, a leading entomologist at UKCEH, said:
"Ladybirds are not just beautiful beetles—like all insects they provide essential ecosystem functions including controlling pest insects. This database brings together decades of research and recording effort to help us track how these species are responding to environmental pressures."

The Ladybird Traits Database is part of UKCEH’s broader commitment to open science and biodiversity monitoring. It complements existing resources like the UK Ladybird Survey and supports data sharing through platforms like the NBN Atlas and iRecord.

Researchers, educators, and wildlife enthusiasts are encouraged to explore the database and contribute to ongoing monitoring efforts

Wild seabirds more likely to split in windy weather
A new study led by Edinburgh Napier University, with UKCEH and BioSS, shows that wild seabirds are more likely to ‘divorce’ and change partners in windier pre-breeding seasons. Analysing 20 years of data on European shags from the Isle of May, researchers found that wind speed had the strongest influence on mate faithfulness, with birds that stayed together tending to breed earlier and more successfully. The findings highlight how climate change could disrupt social behaviours in wildlife.

Seabird breeding success varies across oceans
Separate research involving UKCEH and led by the Farallon Institute reveals that seabird breeding success is declining in the Arctic, Northern European Seas and Northwest Atlantic, but remains more stable in the Pacific and Hawaiian regions. The study, which includes 30 years of UKCEH data on six seabird species, is supported by an interactive tool exploring global seabird-climate dynamics.
 

The Bloomin' Algae app allows anyone with a smartphone to report suspected blue-green algal blooms across the UK, helping to speed up public health warnings about harmful algal blooms and can help teach you how to recognise the risks to you, children and animals. UKCEH freshwater ecologist Dr Linda May spoke to the Countryside Jobs Service about blue-green algal blooms to help raise awareness of the dangers and spread the word about the app. 

Download Bloomin’ Algae today and be part of the effort to keep your community safe!

With the dry weather conditions continuing and the fourth ‘heatwave’ of the year being declared this week, media interest continues to be high on this topic. The publication of the latest UK Hydrological Outlook funded by NC-UK and Hydro-JULES provided us with the opportunity to share the latest data across our communications channels and with media directly. View Wilson Chan’s video summary  on LinkedIn. This resulted in coverage across a number of media outlets with Glenn Watts interviewed live on the BBC talking about the latest hydrological situation and the impacts of the dry weather affecting the UK. 

For NC-UK, these conditions underscore the importance of our mission: to build a resilient, collaborative response to climate and environmental challenges. The current drought is a stark reminder of the pressures facing our ecosystems and communities—and of the need for coordinated action across science, policy, and practice.

Through our partnerships with organisations like UKCEH, the Met Office, and Vodafone, NC-UK is working to strengthen data sharing, community engagement, and innovation in climate adaptation.

The sixth and final session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) for the Global Plastics Treaty took place from 5 - 14 August 2025 in Geneva. The goal was a legally binding global agreement to end plastic pollution. With negotiations at a critical stage, UKCEH and NC-UK scientists attended as official observers to ensure science and evidence guide decision-making.

Find out more.

The latest UKCEH Land Cover Map now includes easy-to-access statistics showing how habitats vary across UK counties and nations. Using high-resolution satellite data, the map reveals the distribution of broad habitats—from woodland to urban areas—down to 10-metre detail.

For the first time, users can view land cover statistics without specialist software, making insights more accessible for policymakers, NGOs, water companies and land managers. The data is available in hectares and percentages, and can be explored interactively via our new spatial explorer tool.

Maps and data are free for academic and non-commercial use via the Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC).

The development of the new dataset and the spatial explorer tool was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council through the National Capability for UK challenges (NC-UK) programme. 
 

New findings from the UKCEH Countryside Survey reveal the first national-scale evidence of recovering soil organic carbon in British croplands, reversing decades of decline. After losing around 11% of topsoil carbon between 1978 and 2007, cropland soils have shown significant recovery from 2007 to 2020.

This turnaround is linked to shifts in land management practices, such as reduced tillage and straw removal, and marks a hopeful step toward restoring soil health and resilience at scale 2.

Read more via the British Society of Soil Science or access the full study in the European Journal of Soil Science.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has relaunched its Plants for Pollinators lists, now featuring nearly 10,000 qualifying plants. Following a rigorous review led by Dr Andrew Salisbury, the updated lists ensure every plant meets strict criteria for supporting pollinators.

The review, which began in 2022, evaluated 354 plant taxa and incorporated the latest research. As a result, some plants were removed, while others were added—making this the most comprehensive update to date.

The refreshed lists aim to better guide gardeners, growers, and landscapers in choosing plants that benefit bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

Plants for Pollinators Counts project

Ongoing RHS research includes the Flower-Insect-Timed Count (FIT) surveys being led by Helen Bostock and Stephanie Bird of RHS Plant Health team as part of the NC-UK UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS).

The RHS Plants for Pollinator Counts project is collecting data using the standardised pollinator monitoring method called Flower Insect Timed (FIT) Counts, a repeatable 10-minute survey developed by the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme. This provides information on the number and type of pollinating insect (to pollinator group) visiting a flower of interest.

The recently published 2024 annual report marks the tenth year of the National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS), which since its first full season in 2015 has grown to cover over 5,000 plots surveyed by more than 1,000 volunteers, yielding upwards of 250,000 botanical records that feed into the UK Biodiversity Indicators. 

This UK-wide citizen science scheme aims to survey plant species across different habitats in the UK. The data collected from the survey allow us to look at the abundance and diversity of plants and help us to understand the health of different habitats. The survey was designed and developed by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, UKCEH, Plantlife and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

UKCEH’s contribution to the National Plant Monitoring Scheme is funded by the National Capability for UK Challenges (NC-UK) programme. 
 

UKCEH aims to co-produce, with the nature recovery practice community, a free to use data and knowledge hub.  The platform will meet the needs and requirements of different stakeholders through activities such as digitising and mapping restoration and rewilding activities and providing data on what is being monitored; species, habitats of interest, extent, wellbeing etc.