Great Crested Newt Risk Zones in Lancashire for Conservation Planning

Natural England's 2020 dataset categorizes areas in Lancashire by risk to great crested newt populations, from key red zones to rare white zones. The data is derived from multiple environmental sources including Ordnance Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, and the Freshwater Habitats Trust. It identifies zones based on species occurrence and the likely impact of development.

Use Cases

• Prioritizing conservation efforts based on red zones containing key great crested newt populations.
• Assessing development impact risk using amber and green zone classifications for habitat connectivity.
• Identifying areas for species surveys based on the presence or absence of great crested newts indicated by zone color.

Strengths

• Dataset is sourced from authoritative bodies including Natural England and Ordnance Survey.
• Provides a clear, multi-tiered risk classification (red, amber, green, white) for conservation action.
• Integrates data from multiple environmental monitoring programs and surveys.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and spatial resolution are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the Lancashire region.

Provenance

Source

Natural England, with contributions from Ordnance Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Freshwater Habitats Trust, and Lancashire County Council.

Collection Method

Likely compiled from field surveys, habitat mapping, and existing environmental records.

Time Range

Data sources range from 2007 to 2020, with the dataset attributed to 2020.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 13:01:22.303566; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Lancashire, England.