State of the Environment Report

The Worcestershire Partnership Environment Group, one of the Worcestershire Partnership Theme Groups, has developed a process to annually report on and monitor the condition of the Worcestershire environment. At the end of each year a State of the Environment Report is prepared to publicise the findings. The information collected aims to give a key indication of the State of the Environment in Worcestershire. The Report is reviewed every 3 years with annual data collection.

Environmental sectors with indicators include:

• Water: water quality; flooding; pollution
• Biodiversity: habitats; key species; designations
• Land Use/Built Environment: heritage; landscape change; designated buildings; changes in land use
• Countryside Access: rights of way; open space
• Waste: waste produced, recycled, land filled
• Air quality: emissions; climate change

The Report has many functions which include:

• Offer a central Report of collective responsibility that offers shared information on the state of the environment
• Provide accessible and scientifically sound information to inform the preparation of policy
• Increase public understanding of environmental issues in the County
• Provide early warning of potential problems
• Identify key pressures influencing the environment of Worcestershire
• Determine the condition of the environment in response to these pressures.
• Propose targets and make recommendations for outcomes that are needed to respond to the pressures and trends being observed, including identification of data gaps and future areas of research
• Report on the effectiveness of policies and programs in their response to environmental issues.

The Report provides information on the condition of the environment to be used for a number of reasons and by a range of people and organisations. Since environmental interests are recognised as vital to the quality of life, decision-making exercises include environmental considerations. Without the provision of accessible and scientifically sound information it is not possible to make informed decisions. State of the Environment reporting is a tool that helps to overcome this problem. For more information about the State of the Environment Report, please visit the Worcestershire Partnership website at www.worcestershirepartnership.org.uk

• Countryside Service
• About the Countryside Service
• Team Roles
• Key Partnerships
• Key Strategies
• Biodiversity Action Plan
• Landscape Character
• State of the Environment Report
• Rights of Way Improvement Plan
• Countryside Access Recreation Strategy
• Unit Performance Plan
• Dog Fouling Campaign