Welsh Countryside Monitoring : Glastir Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (GMEP); and Environment & Rural Affairs Monitoring and Modelling Programme (ERAMMP)
The purpose of GMEP is to monitor the impact on the countryside of the Welsh Government sustainable land management scheme, Glastir. Agriculture covers 81% of Welsh land, and Glastir provides financial support to implement environment-friendly food production practices that improve biodiversity whilst reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The purpose of ERAMMP is to model, scenario-test and review evidence on the complex environmental and economic consequences for the Welsh countryside of 60 potential agricultural and woodland management interventions.
Category
Surveys
Capabilities
Specialist GMEP teams survey 300 x 1 km squares across Wales over 4-year periods to provide integrated measurements of the whole ecosystem: plant species; soil; soil erosion; headwater streams; ponds; woodland; woody linear features; pollinators; birds; cultural/historic features; footpaths; and landscape features. Welsh Countryside Monitoring uses UKCEH Countryside Survey methods (listed elsewhere in this Catalogue) to reveal longer historical trends and comparisons, but uses more measures including access, cultural features, birds and pollinators. GMEP models forecast the improvements Glastir expects to deliver, so that adjustments can be made to land management payments to maximise impact. To date ERAMMP has delivered nine evidence reviews and tested the possible ecosystem outcomes, interactions and feedback of nearly 60 potential agricultural and woodland management interventions.
Lifecycle
Welsh Countryside surveys for GMEP/ERAMMP were conducted 2013-2016 and then, after a break, re-started in 2020 for an expected 10 year period.
Uniqueness
Compared to the UKCEH Countryside Survey, the Welsh Countryside Monitoring for GMEP/ERAMMP uses a greater density of sample locations (three times more) and measures a wider range of ecosystem features (including access, cultural features, birds and pollinators). This enables more detailed reporting of trends and change in Welsh countryside, together with the impacts of agri-environment schemes and other policy initiatives such as Net Zero and the new National Forest.
Access
GMEP and ERAMMP data at 10km resolution are openly available via the UKCEH Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC). Raw data can be requested through Welsh Government. Soil samples can be requested through UKCEH Bangor.
Location
GMEP and ERAMMP cover 300 survey sites across Wales, representing a range of land use and habitat types.
Funding sources
GMEP and ERAMMP are funded by the Welsh Government and co-funded by UKCEH (through NERC National Capability Institutional Funding and aligned work).
Users
GMEP and ERAMMP users include: Welsh Government policy makers; and researchers working on sustainable environmental management.
Scale
UK
Contact