The UK faces many environmental challenges. From declining wildlife populations to concerns about water quality. Therefore, we need to protect and enhance our natural world. Within the UK, farming and forestry account for 80% of the main land management activities. Consequently, farmers and foresters play a key role in helping the natural world regain and retain good health. That’s where agri-environment schemes (AES) come in.

Stanner Rocks National Nature Reserve (NNR) covers just five hectares, yet it is one of the most important botanical sites in Wales. Its steep rocky outcrops support some of the UK’s rarest bryophytes (non-vascular plants, including mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, that lack true roots and reproduce via spores), including rigid apple moss (Bartramia aprica), Dog Screw-Moss (Tortula canescens) and Black Crystalwort (Riccia nigrella). These mosses rely on drought-prone, nutrient-poor soils more typical of Mediterranean landscapes than Welsh habitats. Unfortunately, historic land use change, reduced grazing and increased atmospheric nitrogen have encouraged scrub to spread through Stanner Rocks NNR, altering the light and moisture conditions.

Yemen, a nation at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula (Figure 1), boasts a remarkably diverse geography – from rugged mountains to arid plains. This varied landscape, coupled with its predominantly arid climate, profoundly shapes agriculture. Farmers have historically adapted, developing three main irrigation methods: ancient highland terraces, natural and artificial channels in wadis and river valleys, and groundwater fed irrigation.

The UK Overseas Territory of Anguilla faces increasing threats from climate change; rising sea levels, more intense hurricanes, and coastal degradation. These threats are placing homes, livelihoods, and biodiversity at risk. In recent decades, hurricanes, like Irma and Lenny, have caused extensive flooding and considerable financial damage. Unfortunately, traditional mitigations through hard infrastructure are often costly and limited in resilience.

A resilient ecosystem is one that can resist, recover or adapt to change while continuing to support people and nature. However, resilience is tricky to measure. That’s where spatial data, ecological insight, and Earth observation step in. Learn how we’ve identified and mapped ecological networks in action to support resilience in Gwent, south east Wales.