Protected Landscapes Targets and Outcomes Framework
The Protected Landscapes Targets and Outcomes Framework (PLTOF) published in January 2024 established 10 ambitious targets for Protected Landscapes (National Parks and National Landscapes).
The targets set the ambition for how Protected Landscapes are expected to achieve 3 outcomes from the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2023:
Goal 1: Thriving plants and wildlife
Goal 7: Mitigating and adapting to climate change
Goal 10: Enhancing beauty, heritage and engagement with the natural environment.
The targets create a shared ambition for all 44 of England’s Protected Landscapes and are designed to support them in meeting their potential for nature, climate, people and place. The targets are for the Protected Landscapes as places (the geographic area covered by the designation), rather than an individual body or organisation.
It is the responsibility of all stakeholders, partners and land managers in the area to support their delivery. The targets and indicators are expected to be the priorities for Protected Landscapes over the coming years and decades, enabling partners across Dartmoor National Park to come together and drive activity towards these outcomes. As the targets are for the place, and to support their delivery, the targets are required to be embedded or linked to Protected Landscape Management Plans (often referred to as Partnership Plans).
What are the targets?
The full list of targets is below. While many of the national targets and measures are standardised across all Protected Landscapes, each Protected Landscape has had the opportunity to set the ambition for three of the targets:
· Target 1: Protect and restore wildlife-rich habitats outside of Protected Sites (e.g. SSSIs) by 2042
· Target 7: Restore peat by 2050
· Target 8: Tree and woodland cover by 2050.
Natural England has proposed initial ambitions for each of these targets, based on a methodology applied consistently across all Protected Landscapes. During the Partnership Plan review process, we will establish short-term targets that contribute to achieving the long-term goals and determine the appropriate ambition for the three targets apportioned by Natural England, using local evidence.
How will we monitor and evaluate our progress?
While Natural England will monitor indicators, we will work with partners across Dartmoor through a new Partnership Plan monitoring framework to develop our own methods for tracking progress and identifying areas where additional support is needed to achieve PLTOF targets and other targets established in the updated Partnership Plan.
| PLTOF Target | Dartmoor Partnership Plan Target (short term target) | Long Term Targets/ taken from PLTOF targets (provisional) | Target indicator |
|---|---|---|---|
Target 1 Restore or create more than 250,000 hectares of a range of wildlife-rich habitats within Protected Landscapes, outside protected sites by 2042 (from a 2022 baseline). | No target in 2021-2026 Partnership Plan. | 7,548ha by 2042 (apportioned figure) | Extent of wildlife rich habitat created or restored within Protected Landscapes, outside of protected sites (in development) |
Target 2 Bring 80% of SSSIs within Protected Landscapes into favourable condition by 2042. | By 2026 SSSIs will have achieved favourable or recovering status if still feasible. | 80% by 2042 | Percentage of SSSIs within Protected Landscapes in favourable condition. |
Target 3 For 60% of SSSIs within Protected Landscapes assessed as having ‘actions on track’ to achieve favourable condition by 31 January 2028. | No target in 2021-2026 Partnership Plan. | 60% by 2028 | Percentage of SSSIs within Protected Landscapes assessed as having ‘actions on track’ to achieve favourable condition. |
Target 4 Continuing favourable management of all existing priority habitat already in favourable condition outside of SSSIs (from a 2022 baseline) and increasing to include all newly restored or created habitat through agri-environment schemes by 2042. | By 2026 identify opportunities with landowners and land managers to restore fragmented priority habitats that contribute to landscape scale change. By 2024 work with farmers, their advisors and other partners to help inform ELMS development and secure the funding required to create and maintain these habitats on the ground. | 100% of priority habitat and newly restored or created habitat through agri-environment in under management by 2042. | Extent of priority habitat within Protected Landscapes, outside of protected sites, in favourable management through agri-environment schemes. |
Target 5 Ensuring at least 65% to 80% of land managers adopt nature friendly farming on at least 10% to 15% of their land by 2030. | No target in 2021-2026 Plan. | At least 65% of land managers have adopted nature-friendly farming on at least 10% of their land by 2030. | Percentage of land managers adopting nature-friendly farming on a percentage of their land. |
Target 6 Reduce net greenhouse gas emissions in Protected Landscapes to net zero by 2050 relative to 1990 levels. | Carbon negative by 2045. | Carbon negative by 2045. | The level of greenhouse gas emissions within Protected Landscapes. |
Target 7 Restore approximately 130,000 hectares of peat in Protected Landscapes by 2050. | Restore an additional minimum of 1000ha of priority blanket bog by 2026. | 8,030ha peatland restored by 2050 (apportioned figure). | Extent of peat under restoration in Protected Landscapes. |
Target 8 Increase tree canopy and woodland cover (combined) by 3% of total land area in Protected Landscapes by 2050 (from 2022 baseline). | By 2026 facilitate and fund the establishment of at least 500ha of new valley native broadleaf woodland. | 2,867ha of tree canopy and woodland cover created by 2050 (apportioned figure). | Extent of tree canopy and woodland cover in Protected Landscapes. |
Target 9 Improve and promote accessibility to and engagement with Protected Landscapes for all using existing metrics in our Access for All programme. |
| Long term target not established. | Improve and promote accessibility to and engagement with Protected Landscapes for all using existing metrics in the Access for All programme. |
Target 10 Decrease the number of nationally designated heritage assets at risk in Protected Landscapes. | Remove 40 at risk scheduled monuments from the heritage at risk register by 2025. | Long term target not established. | Number and percentage of nationally designated heritage assets in Protected Landscapes to be deemed at risk. To separately cover the categories of:
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