Monitoring indicators
Food, LAND AND SEA
This page is dedicated to tracking Devon’s efforts in promoting sustainable practices across agriculture, land use, and marine environments. We monitor key indicators such as the uptake of the Environmental Land Management Scheme, the area of significant carbon sequestering key habitats, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from food production and land use. Our goal is to develop demand for nutritious and sustainably produced food, reduce GHG emissions and improve carbon storage from farming, and maximise carbon storage in the environment.
Milestones
- 50% of arable lands under ELMS options for soil carbon conservation by 2030
- 80% of all salt marshes are managed under ELMS by 2035
Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) rolled out
Natural carbon sequestration potential of Devon’s environment
| Category | Sequestration potential of habitat | |
|---|---|---|
| wdt_ID | Category | Sequestration potential of habitat |
| 1 | Woodland | 83,961 |
| 2 | Seagrass | 164 |
| 3 | Peatlands | 4,810 |
| 4 | Species-rich grasslands | 1,143 |
| 5 | Saltmarshes | 454 |
| 6 |
No. ELMS projects in Devon
| Indicator | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| wdt_ID | Indicator | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| 1 | No. projects under ELMS management. | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3.80 | 5.70 |
- 2025: Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) rolled out.
EUNIS codes of seagrass in the Natural England dataset
| Genus | Common name | EUNIS codes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| wdt_ID | Genus | Common name | EUNIS codes |
| 1 | Zostera | Eelgrass | A2.611 |
| 2 | A5.533 | ||
| 3 | Ruppia | Widgeonweeds | n |
- 2030: Establish the extent and condition of all sea grass meadows within the coastal waters of Devon.
Seagrass meadow sites in Devon. Coordinates point to approximate locations
| Area code | Area name | Latitude | Longitude | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| wdt_ID | Area code | Area name | Latitude | Longitude |
| 1 | 1 | Plymouth Sound | 50,351,001.00 | -4,144,766.00 |
| 2 | 2 | Cellars Cove | 50,311,153.00 | -4,068,402.00 |
| 3 | 3 | Kingsbridge Estuary | 5,025,728.00 | -3,771,834.00 |
| 4 | 4 | Salcombe Harbour | 50,228,405.00 | -3,773,555.00 |
| 5 | 5 | Brixham | 50,405,627.00 | -3,529,546.00 |
| 6 | 6 | Torquay | 50,453,947.00 | -3,535,007.00 |
| 7 | 7 | Hope’s Nose | 50,461,679.00 | -3,488,235.00 |
| 8 | 8 | Dawlish Warren | 50,607,951.00 | -3,437,787.00 |
| 9 | 9 | Exmouth and Lympstone | 50,637,414.00 | -3,428,892.00 |
Established extent of seagrass meadows across the nine areas by surveying year
| Area code | Area name | Pre-2017 Area | 2017 Area | 2018 Area | 2019 Area | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| wdt_ID | Area code | Area name | Pre-2017 Area | 2017 Area | 2018 Area | 2019 Area |
| 1 | 1 | Plymouth Sound | 6.78 | – | 5.3 | – |
| 2 | 2 | Cellars Cove | 15.5 | – | 8.2 | – |
| 3 | 3 | Kingsbridge Estuary | 15.2 | 15.6 | 17.9 | – |
| 4 | 4 | Salcombe Harbour | – | 10.4 | – | – |
| 5 | 5 | Brixham | – | – | – | 14.1 |
| 6 | 6 | Torquay | 3.5 | 6.1 | 1.9 | 35.2 |
| 7 | 7 | Hope’s Nose | – | – | – | 2 |
| 8 | 8 | Dawlish Warren | 35.6 | 38.3 | 43.9 | 49.4 |
| 9 | 9 | Exmouth and Lympstone | 73.7 | 103.3 | 152.8 | 162.7 |
Seagrass extent in Devon’s coastal waters
| Indicator | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| wdt_ID | Indicator | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| 1 | Total area of seagrass in Devon’s coastal waters based on latest observation (ha). | 196 | 241 | 305 | – | – | – | – | – |
National Forestry Inventory (NFI) Interpreted Forest Type (IFTs) of different woodlands in Devon and their associated area
| Category | NFI IFTs | Current area (ha) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| wdt_ID | Category | NFI IFTs | Current area (ha) |
| 1 | Broadleaved woodland | “Broadleaved” | 51.01 |
| 2 | Conifer woodland | “Conifer” | 16.62 |
| 3 | Mixed woodland | “Low density”, “Mixed mainly broadleaved” and “Mixed mainly conifer” | 3.71 |
| 4 | Growing woodland | “Assumed woodland”, “Coppice”, “Coppice with standards”, “Ground prep”, “Nursery” and “Young trees” | 7.90 |
Sequestration potential of Devon’s woodlands
| Category | FR option | Carbon stock change (tCO2e·ha-1yr-1) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| wdt_ID | Category | FR option | Carbon stock change (tCO2e·ha-1yr-1) |
| 1 | Broadleaved woodland | “Broadleaves light management” | 54.00 |
| 2 | Conifer woodland | “Conifer mixture” | 7.00 |
| 3 | Mixed woodland | “Complex conifer/broadleaf mixture” | 7.00 |
| 4 | Growing woodland | N/A | 94.00 |
Summary of sequestration potential of Devon’s woodlands
| Category | Current area (ha) | Carbon stock change (tCO2e·ha-1yr-1) | Sequestration potential (tCO2e·yr-1) | Sequestration potential (haTrees·yr-1) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| wdt_ID | Category | Current area (ha) | Carbon stock change (tCO2e·ha-1yr-1) | Sequestration potential (tCO2e·yr-1) | Sequestration potential (haTrees·yr-1) |
| 1 | Broadleaved woodland | 51.01 | 54.00 | 275.45 | 47.04 |
| 2 | Conifer woodland | 16.62 | 7.00 | 116.33 | 19.87 |
| 3 | Mixed woodland | 3.71 | 7.00 | 26.00 | 4.44 |
| 4 | Growing woodland | 7.90 | 94.00 | 73.89 | 12.62 |
| 5 | TOTAL | 79.25 | 0.00 | 491.67 | 83.96 |
Area and classification of saltmarsh in Devon
| Classification | Area (ha) | |
|---|---|---|
| wdt_ID | Classification | Area (ha) |
| 1 | Mid-Low | 13,518.00 |
| 2 | Pioneer | 135.00 |
| 3 | Reedbeds | 7,804.00 |
| 4 | Spartina | 3,889.00 |
| 5 | Unclassified | 11,901.00 |
| 6 | Upper Marsh | 14,833.00 |
| 7 | Total | 53,295.00 |
Targets
- 2035: 80% of all salt marshes are managed under ELMS.
- 2050: 55% of Devon’s peatland is restored.
ELM agreements in Devon, 1st April 2024
| Agreement type | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| wdt_ID | Agreement type | Number |
| 1 | Countryside Stewardship (CS) options | 4.30 |
| 2 | Environmental Stewardship (ES) options | 300.00 |
| 3 | Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options (2022 and 2023) | 1.40 |
Summary of Agricultural Land Classification Grades
| ALC grade | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| wdt_ID | ALC grade | Description |
| 1 | Grade 1 | Excellent quality. |
| 2 | Land with no or very minor limitations, suitable for a very wide range of agricultural and horticultural crops. Yields are high and consistent. | |
| 3 | Grade 2 | Very good quality. |
| 4 | Land with minor limitations affecting yield, cultivation or harvesting. Reduced flexibility and consistency compared to Grade 1 | |
| 5 | Grade 3 | Good to moderate quality. |
| 6 | Land capable of producing moderate to high yields but with a narrower range of crops. Likely to be suited to cereals, grass, oilseed rape, potatoes, beet and non-horticultural crops. | |
| 7 | Grade 4 | Poor quality. |
| 8 | Land with severe limitations restricting the range of crops and yields. Mainly suited to grass or forage but with variable yields. Includes land that is vulnerable to drought. | |
| 9 | Grade 5 | Very poor quality. |
| 10 | Land with very severe limitations, generally restricting use to permanent pasture or rough grazing. May be suitable for pioneer forage crops (used to bring derelict land back into production). |
Breakdown of ELMS in Devon available on request from RPA
| Scheme | Agreements | Organisations | Total Area (Ha) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| wdt_ID | Scheme | Agreements | Organisations | Total Area (Ha) |
| 1 | Environmental Stewardship (ES) | 321.00 | 300.00 | 67.23 |
| 2 | Countryside Stewardship (CS) | 4.21 | 3.50 | 194.78 |
| 3 | Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 22 | 223.00 | 177.00 | 17.42 |
| 4 | Sustainable Farming Incentive Mid Tier (SFIMT) | 1.22 | 1.17 | 98.16 |
| 5 | Total | 5.97 | 5.15 | 377.60 |
| 6 | All unique | 5.97 | 4.25 | 313.65 |
Devon’s agricultural fuel consumption
| Indicator | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| wdt_ID | Indicator | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| 1 | Fuel consumption from agricultural activities (ktoe) | 777.00 | 772.00 | 69 | 66 | 779.00 | – | – | – |
Target
- 2050: All farm machinery runs on hydrogen, electricity or bio-methane.
