Habitat Resilience Tool

Species that rely on these vulnerable habitats are less likely to bounce back when their populations fluctuate. The challenge for all sectors is therefore clear; to restore habitat resilience, to restore the components required to secure habitats that are increased in number, larger in size, better quality and more joined up.

The most important range of factors influencing resilience have been modelled.

These include:

• Habitat conservation status – from international designation to local habitat datasets
• Positive management – an assessment of habitat condition using agri-environment and SSSI condition assessment data
• Climate sensitivity – using up-to-date assessments of how vulnerable habitats are to climate change
• Habitat fragmentation – how large are habitats, how close together are they and what lies between
• Topography – a variable landscape in terms of altitude, topography and aspect is more resilient

Each layer has a 50m resolution and is allocated a resilience score from 1 to 10. The user can then define which layer, or combination of layers, to scrutinize and uniquely apply weightings to each. New map outputs are produced at each step.

The map tool is web-based and anyone can access and use it. Map outputs show user-defined choices that are made providing a clear decision trail.