PSA 28: to secure a healthy natural environment for today and the future

1. PSA 28: to secure a healthy natural environment for today and the future Vision: Air free from pollutants Sustainable water use Land and soils managed sustainably Biodiversity valued, safeguarded and enhanced Sustainable, living landscapes Clean, healthy, safe, productive and biodiverse seas People enjoying, understanding and caring for the environment

2. PSA 28: to secure a healthy natural environment for today and the future Five Indicators: 1) Water quality: measured by the EA through river water quality monitoring programmes 2) Biodiversity: wild breeding bird populations (proxy) 3) Air quality: air quality objectives for 2 of the 8 air pollutants which most affect public health (particles and nitrogen dioxide) 4) Marine Health: fish stocks, sea pollution and plankton status (proxy) 5) Land management: impacts of agriculture on the Natural Environment (positive and negative)

3. PSA 28: to secure a healthy natural environment for today and the future Levers and Incentives: Regulation EU Directives Statutory duties and licensing Cross-cutting environmental legislation Incentives and funding Defra grants to Natural England, Environment Agency etc Grant schemes (Environmental stewardship, etc) Performance indicators (eg NCOI for RSSs)

4. PSA 28: to secure a healthy natural environment for today and the future Roles and Responsibilities: Defra Environment Agency Natural England Marine and Fisheries Agency Other Government Departments Regional and Local Government

5. PSA 28: to secure a healthy natural environment for today and the future Indicator 1: Water Quality Data Provider: Environment Agency Data Sets: River biological quality River water chemistry Desired trends are no deterioration in monitored waters and/or improvement

6. PSA 28: to secure a healthy natural environment for today and the future Indicator 2: Biodiversity Data Provider: BTO, RSPB, JNCC Data Sets: Breeding bird survey Proxy indicator Aggregate index from unweighted average of: Farmland bird index Woodland bird index Water and wetland bird index Data requires interpretation (long vs short term changes)

7. PSA 28: to secure a healthy natural environment for today and the future Indicator 3: Air Quality Data Provider: Defra Data Sets: Annual concentrations of particles and NO2 from 24 sites (cities, urban, rural, roadside) Performance measured against targets in Government’s Air Quality Strategy

8. PSA 28: to secure a healthy natural environment for today and the future Indicator 4: Marine Health Data Provider: Defra, CEFAS, ICES Defra, EA and equivalents Sir Alistair Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science Data Sets: Time series of data of finfish stocks from ACFM Riverine and direct inputs Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey Any change requires performance assessment

9. PSA 28: to secure a healthy natural environment for today and the future Indicator 5: Land Management Data Provider: Defra (EA, NE, Rural Payments Agency etc) Data Sets: Nitrate and phosphate levels in rivers Water abstractions Emissions inventory for ammonia Farmland bird index SSSI condition Status of farmland BAP habitats Extent of cross-compliance in entry-level stewardship June agriculture survey Areas of semi-natural habitat

10. PSA 28: to secure a healthy natural environment for today and the future Indicator 5: Land Management (2) Baseline index set at 2000 = 100 for both positive and negative indices Performance appraisal at +/- 10% overall Indicator is not a proxy overall, but certain components are: Farmland birds for all biodiversity N and P concentrations