Blackdown Hills National Landscape Management Plan 2025-2030

Appendix 3: Climate

In Appendix 3:

Part A: Climate change adaptation management plans

Part B: Greenhouse gas emissions 

Part C: Carbon audit – soil organic carbon 

Part A: Climate change adaptation management plans 

The Government’s 2023 Climate Adaptation Strategy under the Third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) requires all National Parks and National Landscapes to have Climate Change Adaptation Management Plans produced, embedded in, or linked with their management plans by 2028, and in all future plans.  

Background 

The UK government’s third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) introduces the requirement for all Protected Landscapes to produce Climate Change Adaptation plans by 2028. Whilst the plan can be independent of management plans, it may be easier and beneficial to an authority to complete their Adaptation plan alongside or as part of their management plan. The plans will have regard to relevant guidance and UK government policy.  

Protected Landscapes are some of England’s most important areas for delivering on national climate goals, including the government’s target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Adopting Climate Adaptation Plans will be essential in protecting England’s Protected Landscapes from the impacts of climate change. Alongside the publication of NAP3, climate change adaptation should be considered in each phase of delivering on the ambitions set out in Management Plans. Climate Adaptation should be considered in all aspects of the Authority’s remit, not just the impacts on Nature, but on the People and the Place itself.  

Timing 

Climate Adaptation plans are to be completed on a 5-year cycle, preferably in line with Protected Landscape management plans. Further to this each Protected Landscape Authority will have a climate adaptation plan in place and published by 2028.  

Content 

A Protected Landscapes Climate Adaptation Plan should contain action focused policies looking to adapt areas of the designation where climate change is projected to have an impact. Each plan will take the form of the following:  

• Identification of areas within the designation that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.  

• Identification of any new risks since the last Climate Adaptation plan.  

• Understanding of the predicted impact and identifying measures for adaptation.  

• Evidence on adaptation actions and outcomes and how these interact with socioeconomic drivers and Net-Zero  

• Production of an action plan to implement the adaptation measures, ensuring these are SMART.  

• Climate Change risk management – governance on how each risk identified is managed.  

Those preparing the plans may wish to consider the government’s latest climate change risk assessment (CCRA3). This was informed by the Climate Change Committee’s independent assessment of climate risk.  

When identifying actions, ensure there is a responsible owner, even if that is not the Protected Landscape management body – e.g. if infrastructure such as roads may be at risk of damage from extreme weather, work with the responsible authority to identify adaptations.  

Those preparing the plan should think broadly on areas at risk across the Protected Landscape designation and be ambitious in the adaptations they can identify.  

Publication / Follow up:  Climate Adaptation Plans must be submitted to Defra and Natural England once completed and published. Each subsequent climate adaptation plan produced should note in detail the progress that has been made in implementing these adaptations. 

To help inform a Climate Adaptation Plan for the Blackdown Hills an initial climate adaptation risk assessment matrix has been prepared. Taking a precautionary approach, this scoping exercise was carried out by a small task and finish group to start to identify the vulnerability of assets and features to the impacts of climate change, based on likelihood and impact. It was based on an approach used by National Parks and others, and can be refined and developed further. The following tables summarise the preliminary draft findings, indicating the effect on a scale ranging between ‘severe risk’ through to ‘significant opportunity’. 

Natural environment

Area of impact: Variety of grasslands

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Unpredictable forage yields and grazing	Severe risk
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Deeper rooted plants, including grasses favoured	Moderate opportunity
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Flora reducing or ceasing nectar production	Severe risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Unpredictable forage yields and grazing	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Stock kept inside longer, resulting in increased demand for forage	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Loss of soil	Severe risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers.	Longer growing season	Major opportunity
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	Difficulty harvesting	Severe risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	Longer growing season (grass grows when temperature is above 4°c)	Major opportunity
Increase in the risk of wildfires	Loss of grazing, natural habitat, loss of wildlife	Major risk
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Soil erosion, flooding, grazing unavailable	Major risk
Shift in the growing seasons	Longer growing season (grass grows when temperature is above 4°c )	Major opportunity
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	Loss of pollinators	Severe risk
Economic pressures leading to intensification of agriculture	Reduction in grassland leading to diversification	Moderate risk

Area of impact: Dark skies

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	n/a	None/slight
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	n/a	None/slight
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	n/a	None/slight
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	n/a	None/slight
Less snowfall, frost and ice	n/a	None/slight
Increase in the risk of wildfires	n/a	None/slight
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	n/a	None/slight
Shift in the growing seasons	n/a	None/slight
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	n/a	None/slight
Economic pressure leading to intensification of agriculture	Increase in population density, loss of character. Thoughtless developments. Many impacts of climate change will have indirect effect on dark skies	Severe risk

Area of impact: Biodiverse small rivers

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Loss of water, reduced river levels or rivers dry up. Potential total loss of aquatic life	Severe risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Reduction of water	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Higher flow, erosion, loss of biodiversity. Increase in invasive species	Major risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	Flooding, erosion, rivers changing course, silting	Severe risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	n/a	None/slight
Increase in the risk of wildfires	n/a	None/slight
Rising sea levels	Salinity levels and flood plains may be affected	Minor risk
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Flooding, erosion, rivers changing course, silting	Severe risk
Shift in the growing seasons	n/a	None/slight
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	Loss of biodiversity, new pests and diseases	Major risk
Economic pressure leading to intensification of agriculture	More abstraction, more pollution	Severe risk

Area of impact: Bat population

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Reduction in number and ranges of invertebrate species and loss of habitat	Major risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Reduction in number and ranges of invertebrate species	Major risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Reduction in number and ranges of invertebrate species	Major risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers.	Reduction in feeding opportunities	Severe risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	n/a	None/slight
Increase in the risk of wildfires	Risk to roosts	Major risk
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Risk to roosts. Risk to feeding opportunities	Major risk
Shift in the growing seasons	Reduction in number and ranges of invertebrate species at the right time	Major risk
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	Hibernation impacted	Moderate risk
Economic pressure leading to intensification of agriculture	Reduction in habitat	Major risk

Area of impact: Veteran trees

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Death and dieback of veteran trees	Severe risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Change in supported biodiversity	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	More fungal diseases	Major risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	Change in supported biodiversity	Major risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	Not predictable	None/slight
Increase in the risk of wildfires	Loss of ancient trees	Major risk
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Soil erosion, trees falling	Severe risk
Shift in the growing seasons	n/a	None/slight
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	Risk to key species, e.g. ash dieback, processionary moth etc	Major risk
Economic pressure leading to intensification of agriculture	n/a	None/slight

Area of impact: Ash dominated woodlands

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Death and dieback of trees. Particular risk to young trees	Severe risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Change in supported biodiversity	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	More fungal diseases	Major risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	Change in supported biodiversity	Major risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	Reduction in viability of some species that require chilling period	Severe risk
Increase in the risk of wildfires	Loss of woods	Major risk
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Soil erosion, trees falling	Major risk
Shift in the growing seasons	Not predictable	None/slight
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	Risk to key species, of ash dieback	Major risk
Economic pressure leading to intensification of agriculture	n/a	None/slight

Area of impact: Wildlife diversity

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Reduction / change in biodiversity	Severe risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Reduction / change in biodiversity	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Change in migration patterns.   Reduction in pollinators	Severe risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	Change in migration patterns.   Reduction in pollinators	Severe risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	Change in migration patterns	Moderate risk
Increase in the risk of wildfires	Loss of habitat	Major risk
Increase in the risk of wildfires	Rejuvenation of woodlands	Major opportunity
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Loss of habitat	Major risk
Shift in the growing seasons	Changes to food chains.   Reduction in pollinators	Severe risk
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	Reduction / change in biodiversity	Major risk
Economic pressure leading to intensification of agriculture	Reduction / change in biodiversity.   Loss of habitat.   Reduction in pollinators especially bees	Major risk

Area of impact: Soils  

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Drier, sandy soils – the top surface will blow away	Severe risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Less absorption of rainfall will be likely on clay leading to flooding	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Waterlogging	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Inability to get farm equipment into fields	Major risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Potential rotting of seeds before germination	Severe risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	Inability to get farm equipment into fields	Major risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	Potential rotting of seeds before germination	Severe risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	Freeze-thaw process compromised	Major risk
Increase in the risk of wildfires	n/a	None/slight
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Topsoil washing away, depending on crop	Severe risk
Shift in the growing seasons	n/a	None/slight
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	Pests and diseases more likely to persist	Major risk
Economic pressure leading to intensification of agriculture	Reduction in soil quality, loss of crop, loss of income	Severe risk

 Headlines   

Reduced and changed biodiversity – loss of trees, loss of pollinators, loss of water, flooding, loss of soil.   

Mitigation actions for natural environment   

• Resilient and diverse habitats help to mitigate extremes (as a result of climate change) and well-connected habitat allow species to move to new climate spaces (e.g. different aspects, slopes, feeding and breeding opportunities, shade/ sun) and avoid local extinctions.   

• Impacts of browsing regenerating woodlands and trees may need to involve control of browsing animals such as deer.  

• Mainstream soil health & regenerative farming & forestry techniques, in order to build resilience of soils, that will in turn help with infiltration of water and storage of carbon.  

 Farming and forestry  

Area of impact: Small scale agriculture   

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Change of viable crops and grass favouring deep rooted species	None/slight
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Pressure on water resources	Major risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Decreased yields and crop failure	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Increased growing season for grass and other plants	Major opportunity
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Restricted access to the land for cattle. Change in necessary farming practices	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Loss of soil	Severe risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	Restricted access to the land for cattle. Change in necessary farming practices	Severe risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	Loss of soil	Severe risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	Reduced opportunity to spread slurry	Moderate risk
Increase in the risk of wildfires	Risk to all aspects of farming	Severe risk
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Flooding and soil erosion	Severe risk
Shift in the growing seasons	Change in the viable crop range	None/slight
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	Arrival of new pests from the continent. Increased use of pesticides and medicines at greater cost. Veterinary and plant inspection costs increased	Severe risk
economic pressures leading to intensification of agriculture	Diversification and intensification. Loss of farms	Major risk
economic pressures leading to intensification of agriculture	Increase of solar panels and energy crops	Major opportunity

Area of impact: Traditional orchards   

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Fruit drop	Severe risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Better quality fruit	Significant opportunity
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Reduction of “uniqueness” of English apples	Major risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Loss of chilling period. Increase of root diseases	Major risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers.	Loss of chilling period. Increase of root diseases. Difficulty harvesting	Major risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	Better fruit set	Significant opportunity
Increase in the risk of wildfires	Loss of ancient orchards	Major risk
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	More fungal diseases, increased risk from hail damage	Severe risk
Shift in the growing seasons	New varieties, e.g. peaches and nectarines become viable. Interruption of dormant season	Major opportunity
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	Arrival of new pests from the continent. Increased use of pesticides, plant inspection costs increased	Severe risk

Area of impact: Devon banks   

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Change in vegetation profile	Moderate risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Change in vegetation profile	Moderate risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Risk of collapse	Major risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers.	Risk of collapse	Major risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	n/a	None/slight
Increase in the risk of wildfires	Destruction of banks	Major risk
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Risk of collapse	Major risk
Shift in the growing seasons	Not predictable	None/slight
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	n/a	None/slight
economic pressures leading to intensification of agriculture	Damage due to larger farm equipment	Major risk

Area of impact: Ancient hedges   

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Change in species profile, gapping	Major risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Change or reduction in supported biodiversity	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Change in growing season. More fungal diseases	Moderate risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers.	Change in growing season. More fungal diseases	Severe risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	Not predictable	None/slight
Increase in the risk of wildfires	Loss of ancient hedges	Severe risk
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Soil erosion, trees falling	Major risk
Shift in the growing seasons	n/a	None/slight
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	Risk to key species, e.g. ash dieback, processionary moth etc	Severe risk
economic pressures leading to intensification of agriculture	Removal of some hedges	Major risk

 Headlines   

Necessary changes to farming practices. Reduced and changed biodiversity – loss of trees, loss of pollinators, loss of water, flooding, loss of soil, new pests and diseases, reduction in crop yield.   

Mitigation actions for farming and forestry   

• Halo thinning and management of browsing around veteran trees will help make them more resilient.   

The built environment, community and economy  

 Area of impact: Listed buildings   

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	subsidence	Moderate risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Stability of cob construction	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Reduction in heating required	Major opportunity
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Flooding	Severe risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	Flooding	Severe risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	Increase in heating required	Major risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	Reduction in heating required	Moderate opportunity
Increase in the risk of wildfires	Risk to thatch	Major risk
Rising sea levels	Increased risk of flooding	Major risk
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Flooding, risk of lightning to thatch	None/slight
Shift in the growing seasons	n/a	Major risk
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	Increased risk from mould. Damaging species e.g. termites	None/slight
economic pressure leading to intensification of agriculture	n/a	Major risk

Area of impact: Disused farm buildings   

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Subsidence	Moderate risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Stability of cob construction	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Flooding	None/slight
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers.	Flooding	Severe risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	n/a	Moderate risk
Increase in the risk of wildfires	Risk to thatch and wooden construction	None/slight
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Flooding, risk of lightning to thatch	None/slight
Shift in the growing seasons	n/a	Major risk
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	Increased risk from mould and damaging species to timber structures	Major risk
Economic pressure leading to intensification of agriculture	Replacement of traditional farm buildings with modern replacements.  Conversion of disused building to dwellings. (class Q)	Moderate risk

Area of impact: Small villages and hamlets   

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Subsidence	Severe risk
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Reduced water table; pressure on aquifers	Moderate risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Hosepipe bans, reduced garden diversity	Major risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Increased housebuilding and infrastructure as a result of migration	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Flooding	Severe risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers.	Flooding	Severe risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	Reduced risk of parishes being cut off by snow and ice. Reduced risk of injury to people	Major risk
Increase in the risk of wildfires	Risk of injury and loss of dwellings	None/slight
Rising sea levels	n/a	Severe risk
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	flooding	None/slight
Shift in the growing seasons	n/a	Major risk
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	Risk to gardens and garden biodiversity	Moderate risk
economic pressure leading to intensification of agriculture	Reduced water table; pressure on aquifers; increased insurance premiums; higher house prices	Severe risk

Area of impact: Critical infrastructure   

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	Loss of drinking water	Severe risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Insufficient shading / cooling in urban environments	Severe risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	Increased drain on medical resources	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Increased drain on medical resources	Severe risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	Increased pressure on sewerage	Severe risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	Increased drain on medical resources	Severe risk
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	Increased pressure on sewerage	Severe risk
Less snowfall, frost and ice	Less risk of broken bones due to falls	Major opportunity
Increase in the risk of wildfires	Loss of critical buildings e.g. hospitals, surgeries	Major risk
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Strain on blue light responders	Major risk
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Increased insurance premiums	Major risk
Shift in the growing seasons	n/a	None/slight
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	Increased drain on medical resources	Severe risk
economic pressure leading to intensification of agriculture	n/a	None/slight

Area of impact: Low population density   

Headline projection and impact	Risks and opportunities	Risk rating (summary of potential effect on this feature/asset)
Drier summers, increased likelihood of drought	As people move to the countryside population density may increase. Pressure on infrastructure	Moderate risk
Hotter summers, increased likelihood of extreme heat	As people move to the countryside population density may increase. Pressure on infrastructure	Moderate risk
Milder wetter winters, increase in rainfall intensity and frequency	n/a	None/slight
Jetstream driven longer winters and milder wetter summers	n/a	None/slight
Less snowfall, frost and ice	n/a	None/slight
Increase in the risk of wildfires	n/a	None/slight
Rising sea levels	n/a	None/slight
Increase in the intensity and frequency of storms	Some villages prone to flooding may become unsustainable	Major risk
Shift in the growing seasons	n/a	None/slight
Milder winters and changes to pest and disease pressures	n/a	None/slight
economic pressure leading to intensification of agriculture	Increase in density, loss of character	Moderate risk

Headlines   

Increased flooding and pressure on infrastructure, especially medical. Pressure on sewerage and loss of drinking water.  

Mitigation actions for built environment, community and economy   

• Nature based solutions that build resilience for communities and critical infrastructure, as well as provide a range of co-benefits including for biodiversity, carbon and water quality- e.g. by reducing flooding in the built environment, providing ‘natural sponge’ type functions to store and slowly release water in times of drought and ‘natural filter’ to help improve water quality.   

• Tree and shrub canopies provide shade and significant cooling benefits for communities and more tree planting to field boundaries as well as single trees in fields gives protection to livestock and wildlife alike.   

Part B: Greenhouse gas emissions 

UK Protected Landscapes greenhouse gas emissions statistics: 2005-2022 

Greenhouse gas emissions data for the Blackdown Hills National Landscape  

Data supplied by Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 2024. Data reported in kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (kt CO2e)      

Calendar year	Industry Total	Commercial Total	Public Sector Total	Domestic Total	Transport Total	LULUCF Net Emissions	Agriculture Total	Waste Total	Grand Total	Population (‘000s, mid-yr estimate)	Per Capita Emissions (tCO2e)	Emissions per km2 (kt CO2e)
2005	5.2	7.3	0.9	41.0	57.3	-46.3	199.8	11.2	276.4	12.7	21.7	0.7
2006	5.0	7.8	0.9	42.7	55.9	-47.2	195.3	10.5	271.0	12.8	21.1	0.7
2007	5.0	7.5	0.9	40.3	54.8	-47.9	194.5	9.7	264.8	12.9	20.5	0.7
2008	4.6	7.4	0.9	40.5	56.0	-49.1	192.2	9.3	261.8	13.0	20.1	0.7
2009	4.1	6.5	0.8	38.1	53.8	-49.3	192.8	9.2	256.0	13.1	19.5	0.7
2010	4.3	6.8	0.8	41.4	53.3	-49.5	194.3	7.3	258.6	13.2	19.5	0.7
2011	3.9	6.1	0.7	35.7	51.7	-49.9	187.8	7.0	243.0	13.4	18.2	0.7
2012	4.1	6.6	0.8	37.1	51.0	-48.6	193.3	6.7	250.9	13.4	18.7	0.7
2013	3.8	6.2	0.7	35.8	51.8	-50.2	186.4	5.7	240.1	13.5	17.8	0.6
2014	3.6	5.3	0.6	30.5	53.3	-49.8	192.0	5.0	240.5	13.6	17.7	0.7
2015	3.3	4.6	0.5	28.1	57.7	-50.4	195.6	5.1	244.5	13.7	17.9	0.7
2016	3.0	3.7	0.5	25.6	61.2	-48.7	190.1	5.3	240.7	13.9	17.4	0.7
2017	3.0	2.5	0.4	23.7	61.1	-50.1	192.0	6.1	238.8	13.9	17.1	0.6
2018	3.0	2.6	0.3	23.4	61.1	-49.7	185.3	5.8	231.7	14.0	16.5	0.6
2019	3.4	2.7	0.4	22.0	61.9	-49.9	185.6	6.7	232.8	14.1	16.5	0.6
2020	3.3	2.5	0.3	21.5	50.3	-50.6	181.9	5.7	214.9	14.1	15.2	0.6
2021	3.7	2.8	0.3	21.9	57.9	-49.6	185.8	3.0	225.9	14.1	16.0	0.6
2022	3.0	2.7	0.3	19.7	58.3	-49.5	166.6	3.9	204.8	14.2	14.4	0.6

Part C: Carbon audit – soil organic carbon   

In 2022, the National Association of AONBs (now the National Landscapes Association) commissioned Cranfield University to undertake a Carbon Audit and Metric (land management) assessment.  [Zawadzka, J.E., Keay, C., Hannam, J., Burgess, P.J, Corstanje, R. (2022). National Landscapes Carbon Audit & Metric (land management), Bedfordshire: Cranfield University.]    

Before the National Landscape-specific datasets could be used for comparison with NATMAP Carbon, it was necessary to ensure that the data referred to the soil organic carbon (SOC) contents for a soil depth of 0-30cm, which is one of the depths data in NATMAP Carbon are reported at. Brief descriptions of the sampled data are available in Table 4.2.1. Samples obtained from the Blackdown Hills National Landscape covered the soil depths of 0 – 15 and 15 – 30 cm and an average value of organic carbon reported at these depths was calculated for comparison to the 0 – 30 cm depth in the NATMAP Carbon dataset. This was only possible for 59 out of 74 samples which had data for both depths. Observations that reported organic carbon for the 0 – 15 cm depth only were discarded.  

In the Blackdown Hills National Landscape (Figure 4.3.1.1) the direct comparisons were the strongest (R2 = 0.23) for the maximum SOC values in NATMAP, which was likely determined by the fact that samples within that National Landscape were taken from various semi-natural habitats, which likely store more carbon is soils. After aggregation of the site measurements to NATMAP polygons, this relationship increased to 0.98, indicating near-perfect agreement. The indirect comparison resulted in fairly good fit of the site measurements to the average value of SOC assigned to the NATMAP polygons, with R2 of 0.89. In the case of this National Landscape the relationships with the minimum SOC values reported by NATMAP was the weakest, which could be explained by the overall high SOC contents of the sampled soils.   

The aim of the comparisons carried out between minimum, mean and maximum SOC values reported by the NATMAP Carbon database at national scales to SOC data sampled on sites within selected National Landscape s was to evaluate whether soil carbon stock assessments based on the NATMAP dataset could reliably represent soil carbon within the National Landscapes. The results of these comparisons indicate that NATMAP does not represent local, i.e., within-field, variations in SOC very well, however, it can reliably represent soil carbon at wider scales such as related neighbourhoods or landscapes. Results obtained here confirmed findings of a previous study indicating that NATMAP Carbon can represent soil carbon well for areas with relatively low SOC stocks at field rather than sub-field scales (Beka et al., 2022). The results of the comparisons presented here should be treated as indicative, given that the site samples were collected for other purposes than the evaluation of the capacity of NATMAP to accurately represent soil carbon at local scales. Some other sensitivities affecting the strength of the relationship include different laboratory methods to extract soil carbon from samples or different sampling dates – NATMAP is based on legacy soil observations collected by the Soil Survey for England in Wales, spanning across 1939 to 1987, with possible changes in soil carbon contents over time due to past changes in land use and management (Kirk and Bellamy, 2010).  

Report: Soil organic carbon in the Blackdown Hills National Landscape: towards a framework for guiding land management decision-making  

A study undertaken in winter 2022-2023 in the Blackdown Hills National Landscape. This was a follow-on piece of work, building on the Cranfield carbon audit & metric study.   

Project objectives: 

• To identify which soil types are most valuable for their existing carbon stores   

• To identify which soil types have the greatest potential to sequester more carbon via land management change   

• To develop this information into the basis for practical guidance for land managers in the Blackdown Hills National Landscape    

Soil carbon: 

• UK soils store over 10 billion tonnes of carbon, roughly equal to 80 years of annual UK greenhouse gas emissions    

• Soil carbon sequestration = CO2 being removed from the atmosphere and stored in the soil in the form of soil organic carbon   

• Soil organic carbon drives the mechanisms of infiltration and retention of air, water and nutrients in the soil which provide multiple benefits to farmers and society   

Net zero: 

• The UK Government has committed to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.  

• Sectors such as industry, agriculture and aviation will be difficult to decarbonise completely by 2050.  

• Greenhouse gas removal (GGR), such as through soil carbon sequestration, is therefore essential to compensate for the residual emissions   

Agriculture, net zero and soils:   

• Estimates suggest that UK agricultural land could sequester 1-2 tonnes of CO2e per hectare per year   

• The move towards ‘blended’ finance for agricultural support – mixing Government support with private finance –means land managers will soon be encouraged to store more carbon on their land, and realise a market value for that carbon by selling carbon credits   

• A ‘carbon market’ is rapidly evolving, but we lack an understanding of current soil carbon stores and metrics for measuring it, both at a landscape and single farm scale.  

Soil type and carbon storage:   

• This project focuses on the carbon in the soil, rather than in the vegetation    

• Soils vary across the landscape, and each soil type has a different inherent capacity to store carbon. That capacity remains the same, though land use and vegetation may vary    

• If a soil type has a high inherent carbon-storing potential, then carbon sequestration efforts directed towards that soil type will yield the best results   

Headlines 

Different soil types vary greatly in their carbon stores, and their potential to hold more carbon.     

Soil carbon storage can be increased both through productive, in-field practices, and habitat creation or management.    

Managing productive soils to store more carbon also improves soil health.    

Managing wildlife habitats and creating new habitat also increases soil carbon storage.   

Each soil type can be managed to maximise its ability to store carbon, and the opportunities for doing so vary between soil types.     

Vegetation with high nature conservation value generally has the highest level of soil organic carbon (SOC), with wet woodland, mire, and wet heath having the highest of all.    

The peaty and organic ‘Blackdown’ and ‘Hense’ soil types store the most carbon per hectare.   

Medium brown soils with a large area in the landscape, such as the ‘Whimple’ and ‘Batcombe’ soil types, can play a significant role in carbon sequestration via good soil management practices.   

 A focus on soil carbon can offer a triple-win, for carbon sequestration, soil health, and biodiversity       

• Humic soils (e.g. Hense) – found on the springline​   

• These naturally wet soils have high carbon levels when carrying semi-natural vegetation. Where they have been drained and agriculturally improved, rewetting them and restoring semi-natural vegetation could yield significant carbon gains​   

• Brown Earths (e.g. the Batcombe) – found on the plateau​   

• These have a lower capacity for holding carbon (compared with wetter soils), but their extent means that the raising their soil carbon by just a small amount would have a significant impact on total carbon stocks in the landscape​   

Soil map unit	Area (ha) in Blackdown Hills	Tonnes Soil Organic Carbon per ha	Total SOC (tonnes) in Blackdown Hills
Batcombe	8,690	11.60	100,838
Bearstead	4,786	11.25	53,847
Blackdown	2,000	32.36	64,720
Brockhurst	5,561	16.33	90,801
Charity	3,035	9.70	29,450
Denchworth	4,729	17.16	81,130
Dunkeswell	3,318	14.79	49,069
Evesham	2,553	18.68	47,701
Fladbury	915	32.29	29,548
Hallsworth	302	18.03	5,455
Hense	5,607	44.87	251,608
Hollington	1,236	17.66	21,844