Upland Heathland Habitat Networks in England for Ecological Resilience Planning

Natural England's Habitat Networks dataset includes a record for Upland Heathland. The data maps existing habitat patches, associated habitats, and zones for potential restoration or enhancement to build ecological resilience. It was last updated on 2026-07-13.

Use Cases

• Identify priority areas for upland heathland restoration based on the 'Restorable habitat' and 'Habitat creation' components.
• Plan landscape connectivity projects using the 'Network Enhancement Zones' and 'Fragmentation Action Zone'.
• Assess habitat mosaics for species associated with upland heathland based on the 'Associated habitat' layer.
• Target land management interventions for Green Infrastructure delivery within 'Network Enhancement Zone 2'.

Strengths

• Based on nationally consistent spatial data, including the Priority Habitat Inventories (PHIv2.2).
• Defines four distinct network zones for action, providing a structured framework for planning.
• Distinguishes between primary habitat, associated habitat, and areas for creation/restoration.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to its focus on England.

Provenance

Source

Natural England

Collection Method

Developed using the best available nationally consistent spatial data, primarily the Priority Habitat Inventories (PHIv2.2), refined with data on soils, hydrology, altitude, and proximity to coast.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 13:02:10.873268; freshness should be verified.

Geography

England