Summarised Botanical Value Map for England Based on Plant Records (1970-2021)

The Summarised Botanical Value Map for England categorizes 1 x 1 km grid squares as Low, Moderate, or High botanical value based on plant records from 1970 to 2021. It was created by Natural England and the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) under the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment Pilot. The map uses records of Rare, Scarce and Threatened species and Priority Habitat Positive Indicator species to inform strategic landscape planning.

Use Cases

• Prioritize areas for conservation based on botanical value categories for Rare, Scarce and Threatened plant species.
• Assess habitat quality for different broad habitat types using Priority Habitat Positive Indicator species records.
• Identify areas with potentially poor botanical survey coverage based on the 'recorder days' threshold mentioned in the description.
• Inform strategic land-use planning to avoid damaging high-value habitats during tree-planting initiatives.

Strengths

• Categorizes data for all 1 x 1 km grid squares (monads) across England.
• Based on a vast database of plant records spanning over 50 years (1970-2021).
• Provides multiple value attributes: overall, RST-based, and per-habitat type.
• Includes metadata on survey effort, with 'good survey coverage' defined as 3 or more 'recorder days'.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The map is intended for strategic use, not detailed site assessments, as noted in the description.

Provenance

Source

Natural England and the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI).

Collection Method

Analysis of BSBI's vascular plant records to calculate botanical value scores for 1 km grid squares.

Time Range

Plant records from 1970 to 2021.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-29 12:06:15.189647; freshness should be verified.

Geography

England.