Harnessing geological diversity for species recovery, ecological connectivity, and climate resilience

Description:: The pilot project aims to enhance species recovery by integrating geological data into climate suitability maps, identifying strongholds and connectivity corridors, and providing site managers with practical advice based on ecological and geological insights.
This pilot project will improve recovery prospects for species with tightly defined geologies by identifying where they can persist or expand under climate change. It will seek to enhance Natural England's climate suitability maps with geological data to identify future strongholds and connectivity corridors. For identified species, ecological and geological knowledge will be collated; and it is anticipated that for a subset, field surveys will document fine-scale site conditions (e.g. slope, hydrology, soils, geological facies).
Species-level reports will provide practical advice to site managers and support local, and wider scale regional and national survival planning. By integrating predictive mapping with ecological insight, the project informs targeted management and landscape-scale planning. It focuses on features we can manage (habitat, land use, and connectivity), recognising that fixed geology may both constrain and guide species' climate-driven range shifts.