Appendix 4
Blackdown Hills National Landscape Management Plan 2025-2030
Appendix 4: Indicators and data - Protected Landscapes Targets and Outcomes Framework (PLTOF)
The Protected Landscapes Targets and Outcomes Framework (PLTOF) defines the contribution that all Protected Landscapes (as areas) should make to national targets and Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) outcomes/goals.
In Appendix 4:
Part 1: Outcomes, targets and target indicators
Part 2: Additional baseline statistics made available to Protected Landscapes in 2024
The PLTOF contains 10 targets. Each target is accompanied by an indicator.
The indicator will measure progress towards each target and its related outcome, which are set out in Part 1 of this document.
The indicator is supported by statistics generated from nationally available data. Natural England has collated national statistics from a range of data providers (where available) to establish the baseline for the Framework’s indicators. Data owners include Natural England, Defra, the Forestry Commission and Historic England.
Natural England has also identified and collated a wider set of additional statistics relevant to the statutory purposes of Protected Landscapes, listed in Part 2 of this document.
Statistics for the Blackdown Hills National Landscape are listed in Part 3 of this document, organised under the four management plan themes of place, people, nature and climate.
The 2024 data release should largely be considered as a new baseline, utilising a consistent national methodology. Defra have indicated that they will review the Framework at least every five years, linked to refreshes of the EIP. Defra will adjust the targets, indicators and supporting statistics in the interim (as needed) to ensure they remain relevant and functional. Natural England will support this process and will collate and provide annual updates of statistics (where available) each April to the Protected Landscapes Partnership, Defra, and Protected Landscape bodies.
Part 1: Outcomes, targets and target indicators
Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 outcome – Goal 1: Thriving plants and wildlife
| PLTOF target | Target description | Target indicator (TI) | Provider | Release date | Licensing | Reporting cycle | Notes |
| Target 1 | Restore or create >250,000 ha of wildlife-rich habitats within Protected Landscapes, outside protected sites by 2042 | TI_1: Extent of wildlife-rich habitat created or restored | Natural England | April 2025 (tbc) | tbc | Annual | Indicator in development |
| Target 2 | Bring 80% of SSSIs within Protected Landscapes into favourable condition by 2042 | TI_2: % of SSSIs in favourable condition | Natural England | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Annual | – |
| Target 3 | 60% of SSSIs assessed as having ‘actions on track’ to achieve favourable condition by 31 Jan 2028 | TI_3: % of SSSIs with ‘actions on track’ | Natural England | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Annual | – |
| Target 4 | Continue favourable management of existing priority habitat and include newly restored/created habitat via agri-environment schemes by 2042 | TI_4: Extent of priority habitat in favourable management via agri-environment schemes | Defra | April 2025 | tbc | Annual | Indicator in development |
| Target 5 | 65–80% of land managers adopt nature-friendly farming on 10–15% of their land by 2030 | TI_5: % of land managers adopting nature-friendly farming | Defra | April 2025 | tbc | Annual | Indicator in development |
Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 outcome – Goal 7: Mitigating and adapting to climate change
PLTOF target | Target description | Target indicator | Provider | Release date | Licensing | Reporting cycle | Notes |
| Target 6 | Reduce net greenhouse gas emissions in Protected Landscapes to net zero by 2050 (relative to 1990 levels). | TI_6: Level of greenhouse gas emissions within Protected Landscapes. | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) | June 2024 | tbc | Annual | See: 2005-22-uk-protected-landscapes-ghg-emissions.xlsx |
| Target 7 | Restore approximately 130,000 hectares of peat in Protected Landscapes by 2050. | TI_7: Extent of peat under restoration in Protected Landscapes. | Natural England | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Annual | Dataset describes NCPGS-funded peatland restoration sites in England within Protected Landscapes. |
| Target 8 | Increase tree canopy and woodland cover by 3% of total land area in Protected Landscapes by 2050 (from 2022 baseline). | TI_8: Extent of tree canopy and woodland cover in Protected Landscapes. | Forestry Commission | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Annual | Indicator in development. Interim stats for woodland cover; tree canopy stats to follow. |
Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 outcome – Goal 10: enhancing beauty, heritage, and engagement with the natural environment
| PLTOF target | Description | Indicators | Provider | Release date | Licensing | Reporting cycle | Notes |
| Target 9 | Improve and promote accessibility to and engagement with Protected Landscapes for all using existing metrics in our Access for All programme. | TI_9a: Metres of accessible path as a % of total path. TI_9b: Number of accessible toilets and rest stops. TI_9c: Number of disability accessible parking spaces. TI_9d: Number of accessible gates and gaps. TI_9e: Number of visits and volunteer days facilitated by new equipment. TI_9f: Number of schools engaged (primary and secondary) both inside and outside the Protected Landscape boundary. TI_9g: Number of volunteer days. TI_9h: Number of accessible or easy access routes for which wayfinding has been created or improved. TI_9i: Policies in place to ensure Protected Landscapes are taking positive action to widen the diversity of their staff, boards and volunteers. | Protected Landscape bodies | tbc | tbc | Annual | Defra has requested this information from Protected Landscapes bodies, as part of the annual Farming in Protected Landscapes and Access for All monitoring survey/ commission. |
| Target 10 | Decrease the number of nationally designated heritage assets at risk in Protected Landscapes. | TI_10: Number and percentage of nationally designated heritage assets in Protected Landscapes to be deemed at risk. | Historic England | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Annual | Covers scheduled monuments, registered parks/gardens, battlefields, listed buildings (Grade I/II*), protected wreck sites. |
Part 2: Additional baseline statistics made available to Protected Landscapes in 2024
| Statistic | Description | Provider | Release date | Licensing | Reporting cycle | Notes |
| Statistic 1 | Extent of priority habitat and other habitats within Protected Landscapes. | Natural England | April 2024 (interim measure) | Open Government Licence | Annual | Statistics on other habitats available in April 2025, based on updated Living England data. |
| Statistic 2 | Area of land within Protected Landscapes designated at international, national and local level for nature conservation. | Natural England | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Annual | |
| Statistic 3 | Area of woodland within Protected Landscapes under sustainable management. | Forestry Commission | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Annual | |
| Statistic 4 | Extent of ancient woodland within Protected Landscapes. | Natural England | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Annual | |
| Statistic 5 | Ecological status of watercourses and water bodies within Protected Landscapes. | Environment Agency | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Every three years | |
| Statistic 6 | Area, depth and percentage cover of peatland within Protected Landscapes. | Natural England | April 2024 (interim measure), updated July 2024 | Non-Commercial Government Licence | See notes | Links to spatial data added plus note on ‘grand total % values’. Updated evidence on peat extent/depth/ condition due April ’25 (based on the England Peat Map which is due to be published at the end of March ’25). |
| Statistic 7 | Estimate of the amount of carbon stored and sequestered by habitats within Protected Landscapes. | Natural England | due June 2024 | Aiming to release under Open Government Licence | Every five years | Statistics due 2024. |
| Statistic 8 | Length of National Trails within Protected Landscapes. | Natural England | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Annual | |
| Statistic 9 | Number of nationally designated heritage assets in Protected Landscapes. | Historic England | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Annual | |
| Statistic 10 | National Character Areas which contain Protected Landscape(s), where changes to landscape and waterscape character is assessed as improving/no change/declining. | Natural England | April 2025 | tbc | Every five years | |
| Statistic 11 | Length of hedgerows and other traditional field boundaries (drystone walls) within Protected Landscapes. | Defra | April 2024 (interim measure). Reissued May ’24. | Open Government Licence | Annual | Initial figures are for hedgerow length. Reissued to correct formatting error. |
| Statistic 12 | Total area of land managed under agri-environment schemes and total value of schemes within Protected Landscapes. | Defra | April 2024, reissued July ’24 | Open Government Licence | Annual | Reissue only includes area of schemes currently. |
| Statistic 13 | Area of land under different agricultural land uses within Protected Landscapes and number of livestock. | Defra | Already released | Published on-line | Spring 2025, spring 2028 (tbc) and 2031. | See Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June – GOV.UK |
| Statistic 14 | Area and distribution of main landcover types within Protected landscapes. | Natural England | April 2025 | Open Government Licence | tbc | Derived from Living England data. |
| Statistic 15 | Number of geological and geomorphological SSSI unit features and percentage in favourable or recovering condition. | Natural England | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Annual | |
| Statistic 16 | Extent of agricultural businesses within Protected Landscapes (number and size of holdings, number of agricultural workers). | Defra | Already released | Published on-line | Spring 2025, spring 2028 (tbc) and 2031. | See Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June – GOV.UK. |
| Statistic 17 | Population estimates for Protected Landscapes. | Defra | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Every 10 years | These are refined population estimates, following the draft estimates provided by the Office for National Statistics in 2023. |
| Statistic 18 | Average age of the population living in Protected Landscapes. | Defra | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Every 10 years | |
| Statistic 19 | Proportion of the population within each ethnic group in Protected Landscapes. | Defra | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Every 10 years | |
| Statistic 20 | Median earnings in Protected Landscapes. | Defra | April 2024, reissued July 2024 | Open Government Licence | Annual | Reissued to correct estimates for a small number of Protected Landscapes. |
| Statistic 21 | House price affordability ratios in Protected Landscapes. | Defra | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | tbc | Depends on availability of refined data on estimated incomes. |
| Statistic 22 | Registered businesses by size and type in Protected Landscapes. | Defra | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | Annual | |
| Statistic 23 | Proportion of the population living in each decile of deprivation in Protected Landscapes. | Defra | April 2024 | Open Government Licence | No regular reporting cycle; potential update 2026 (tbc) | |
| Statistic 24 | Number of pupils on the school roll (against total capacity) in Protected Landscapes. | Defra | April 2024, reissued July 2024 | Open Government Licence | Annual | Reissued to correct how source data is apportioned to Protected Landscapes. |
Part 3: Protected Landscapes Targets and Outcomes Framework datasets for Blackdown Hills National Landscape
All April 2024 (unless stated otherwise).
Place
Statistic 3
Area of woodland within the protected landscape under sustainable management:
| Type of management | Hectares |
| Managed private | 1445.1 |
| Managed public | 1023.2 |
| Unmanaged | 2945.1 |
| Total | 5413.3 |
Statistic 4
Extent of ancient woodland within the Protected Landscape:
| Woodland type | Hectares | % of the Protected Landscape |
| Ancient and semi-natural woodlands (ASNW) | 426.7 | 1.2% |
| Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) | 440.5 | 1.2% |
| Total | 867.2 | 2.3% |
Location and extent of ancient semi-natural woodland (ASNW):
| Woodland Name | Area (hectares) |
| Ashcombe Copse | 7.45 |
| Bickham Wood | 16.47 |
| Blackborough Wood | 4.42 |
| Buckhayes Wood | 0.75 |
| Buckhayes Covert | 4.64 |
| Butsons Copse | 4.25 |
| Bywood Copse | 20.96 |
| Cod Wood | 2.99 |
| Combe Wood | 7.25 |
| Cotley Copse | 5.25 |
| Court Wood | 7.99 |
| Coxs Wood | 15.05 |
| Crown All Wood | 4.44 |
| Cummins Copse | 4.23 |
| Farm/Buckland Woods | 27.64 |
| Fourteen Acre Copse | 5.69 |
| Great Copse | 7.23 |
| Greyborough Copses | 3.16 |
| Hayne Wood | 3.52 |
| Hayne Wood West | 0.58 |
| Hey Wood | 0.97 |
| Higher Ash/Long Woods | 23.64 |
| Knapp Copse | 0.4 |
| Knowles Wood | 0.8 |
| Luxhay Wood | 18.29 |
| Middleroom/Castle Woods | 20.53 |
| Murlinch/Adcombe Woods | 90.15 |
| Parsonage Wood | 2.48 |
| Pen Point Wood | 15.32 |
| Rectory Wood | 3.22 |
| Sadbeer Wood | 3.74 |
| Shapcombe Copses | 4.32 |
| Summerhayes Wood | 3.7 |
| The Chase | 10.61 |
| Trotts Wood | 5.13 |
| Wellands Coppices | 4.86 |
| Wellsprings Wood | 3.14 |
| Wood Copse | 5.06 |
| Wood Moor Copse | 4.09 |
| Yarty Copse | 4.05 |
| Young/Piddle Woods | 28.77 |
Statistic 5
Water Framework Directive status – ecological status of watercourses and water bodies within the Protected Landscape:
This includes rivers, canals, and surface-water transfers.
| Status | Number of waterbody catchments | Length of water bodies (km) | Number of lakes | Number of groundwater waterbodies |
| High | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Good | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Moderate | 19 | 123 | 2 | 0 |
| Poor | 9 | 24 | 0 | 3 |
| Bad | 2 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Not assessed | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Statistic 9
Number of nationally designated heritage assets in the Protected Landscape:
(December 2023)
| Asset type | Number |
| Listed buildings – Grade I | 13 |
| Listed buildings – Grade II* | 47 |
| Listed buildings – Grade II | 710 |
| Listed buildings – Total | 770 |
| Scheduled monuments | 26 |
| Registered parks and gardens | 0 |
| Registered battlefields | 0 |
| Protected wreck sites | 0 |
Target Indicator 10
Number and percentage of nationally designated heritage assets in the Blackdown Hills National Landscape deemed to be at risk:
(November 2023)
| Asset Type | Number at risk | % at Risk |
| Listed buildings – Grade I | 0 | 0% |
| Listed buildings – Grade II* | 1 | 2.1% |
| Listed buildings – Grade II | 0 | 0% |
| Listed buildings – Total | 1 | 0.1% |
| Scheduled monuments | 3 | 11.5% |
Statistic 11
There are 4,400 kms of hedgerows within the Blackdown Hills National Landscape.
Statistic 12
The total area of land in the Blackdown Hills National Landscape managed under agri-environment schemes, i.e. Countryside Stewardship Environmental Stewardship and the Sustainable Farming Incentive, is 6,800 hectares (18% of the protected landscape).
Statistic 15
Number of geological and geomorphological SSSI unit features and percentage in favourable or recovering condition:
| Favourable | 1 | 33.3% |
| Unfavourable – no change | 2 | 66.7% |
| Total | 3 |
Wilmington Quarry
| Condition | Favourable |
| Classification | Disused quarry, pits and cuttings |
| Interest | Earth heritage, Late Cretaceous |
Furley Chalk Pit
| Condition | Unfavourable – no change |
| Classification | Disused quarry, pits and cuttings |
| Interest | Earth heritage, Late Cretaceous |
Reed’s Farm Pit
| Condition | Unfavourable – no change |
| Classification | Disused quarry, pits and cuttings |
| Interest | Earth heritage, Late Cretaceous |
People
Population data, April 2024 from analysis of 2021 Census. Note that a geographical best fit approach was used to provide these figures, whereas other analysis may have used a population-weighted centroid approach which gives different results.
Statistic 17
Population estimate for Blackdown Hills National Landscape: 16,400.
Statistic 18
Average age of the population living in Blackdown Hills National Landscape: 48
Statistic 19
Proportion of the population within each ethnic group in Blackdown Hills National Landscape:
| Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh | <1% |
| Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean, or African | <1% |
| Mixed / Multiple ethnic groups | 1% |
| White | 98% |
| Other ethnic groups | <1% |
Based on allocation of Output Areas, Census 2021.
Source: Defra analysis; Ethnic group – Office for National Statistics.
Statistic 20
Median earnings in Blackdown Hills National Landscape: £2,100 (per calendar month).
Based on apportioning of local authorities and rounded to nearest £50.
Source: Defra analysis; Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information, UK – Office for National Statistics
Statistic 21
House purchase affordability ratios in Blackdown Hills National Landscape: Affordability ratio: 9
Based on apportioning of middle-layer Super Output Areas. Ratios have been rounded to the nearest whole number. They represent the mean house purchase price to mean gross annual household income, i.e. full-time employees in the area could expect to spend around 9 times their annual earnings buying a home.
Sources: Defra analysis; House price statistics for small areas in England and Wales – Office for National Statistics; Income estimates for small areas – Office for National Statistics; Housing affordability in England and Wales – Office for National Statistics.
Statistic 22
Registered businesses by size in Blackdown Hills National Landscape, 2021/22:
| Business size | Number of units | Percentage |
| 10+ employees | 80 | 5% |
| 1-9 employees | 895 | 61% |
| 0 employees | 490 | 33% |
| Total | 1465 |
Source: Defra analysis; Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) – Office for National Statistics.
Local units of registered businesses in Blackdown Hills National Landscape by industry type, 2021/22:
| Industry type | Number of units | Percentage |
| Accommodation & food service activities | 60 | 4% |
| Administrative & support service activities | 85 | 6% |
| Agriculture, forestry & fishing | 560 | 38% |
| Arts, entertainment & recreation | 30 | 2% |
| Construction | 130 | 9% |
| Education, health, and social work | 60 | 4% |
| Finance | 15 | 1% |
| Information & communication | 40 | 3% |
| Manufacturing | 70 | 5% |
| Mining/ quarrying, and utilities | 5 | 0% |
| Professional, scientific & technical services | 155 | 11% |
| Public administration and defence; other services | 50 | 3% |
| Real estate activities | 45 | 3% |
| Transport & storage | 30 | 2% |
| Wholesale & retail trade, repair of motor vehicles | 130 | 9% |
| Total | 1465 |
Source: Defra analysis; Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) – Office for National Statistics.
Statistic 23
Proportion of the population living in each decile of deprivation in Blackdown Hills National Landscape:
Based on apportioning of Lower-Layer Super Output Areas.
| Decile 1 | 0% |
| Decile 2 | 0% |
| Decile 3 | 0% |
| Decile 4 | 0% |
| Decile 5 | 33% |
| Decile 6 | 44% |
| Decile 7 | 8% |
| Decile 8 | 15% |
| Decile 9 | 0% |
| Decile 10 | 0% |
| Average IMD decile (mode) | 6 |
| Average IMD decile (median) | 6 |
Source: Defra analysis; English indices of deprivation 2019 – GOV.UK
Nature
Target indicator 2
Percentage of SSSI features within Blackdown Hills National Landscape in favourable condition:
| Favourable | 7 |
| Unfavourable – Recovering | 19 |
| Unfavourable – No change | 5 |
| Unfavourable – Declining | 3 |
| Partially destroyed | 0 |
| Not recorded | 9 |
| Total no. of SSSI features | 43 |
| % SSSI features in favourable condition | 16.3% |
Target Indicator 3
Percentage of SSSI features within Blackdown Hills National Landscape assessed as having ‘actions on track’ to achieve favourable condition:
| Negative | 43 |
| Positive | 0 |
| Total | 43 |
| % SSSI features on track | 0% |
Note: ‘negative’ refers to actions which have not yet been undertaken, or which are resulting in a negative impact on the SSSI.
Statistic 1
Priority habitat – totals
| Priority habitat area | 4,556 ha |
| Protected Landscape area | 36,959 ha |
| Priority habitat % | 12% |
Priority habitat area – by main habitat type
| Not priority habitat | 32,402 ha |
| Coastal and floodplain grazing marsh | 60 ha |
| Deciduous woodland | 3,538 ha |
| Good quality semi-improved grassland | 285 ha |
| Lowland calcareous grassland | 24 ha |
| Lowland dry acid grassland | 19 ha |
| Lowland fens | 88 ha |
| Lowland heathland | 149 ha |
| Lowland meadows | 142 ha |
| Ponds | 0 |
| Purple moor grass and rush pastures | 169 ha |
| Traditional orchard | 82 ha |
Statistic 2
Area of land within Blackdown Hills National Landscape designated at international, national and local level for nature conservation:
| Designation | Area of land | Percentage of National Landscape |
| Local Nature Reserves (LNR) | 21.53 ha | 0.1% |
| Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) | 20.34 ha | 0.1% |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) | 638.85 ha | 1.7% |
Climate
Target Indicator 7
Area of peat committed for restoration by March 2025: 0 ha
Note: Only six National Landscapes return a result for this indicator.
Statistic 6
Area, depth and percentage cover of peatland within Blackdown Hills National Landscape:
| Type | Depth | Area | Percentage |
| Deep peaty soils | >40cm | 0 | 0 |
| Shallow peaty soils | 10-40cm | 0 | 0 |
| Soils with peaty pockets (scattered pockets) | 10,017.17 ha | 27.1% |
Target Indicator 8
Extent of woodland cover: the area (in hectares) of woodland in Blackdown Hills National Landscape, by woodland type from the National Forest Inventory (NFI).
Interim data, with extent of tree canopy cover to be released when available.
| Type | Area |
| Broadleaved | 3,766 ha |
| Conifer | 772 ha |
| Felled | 338 ha |
| Ground prepared for new planting | 11 ha |
| Mixed | 388 ha |
| Shrub | 16 ha |
| Young trees | 87 ha |
| Total | 5,379 ha |
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