With increasing pressure on land and sea to deliver for nature, climate and development, the role of spatial planning has never been more important.
At the end of March, the second annual Spatial Nature Planning (SNaP) Forum brought together researchers, practitioners and policymakers to share experiences of spatial and systematic conservation planning (SCP) and help tackle this challenge.
Organised by the DICE Biodiversity Consulting Team through the E3 Sharing Space for Nature Initiative, the Forum is part of a growing effort to build a community of practice around SCP in England. While originally planned as an in-person event, it was held online this year because of the outbreak of meningitis in East Kent. Although unexpected, this enabled almost 100 attendees to join us from across the UK and internationally.
Introduction: Bob Smith and Pete Brotherton
Director of DICE, Professor Bob Smith opened the event and introduced SCP as a decision-science approach used globally to support conservation planning. By combining ecological evidence with socio-economic data and stakeholder inputs, SCP helps to identify where actions can most effectively deliver target outcomes. He introduced the SNaP Community, which aims to foster cross-sectoral collaboration to ensure SCP can meaningfully support policy and practice in England.
In the keynote address, Pete Brotherton, Director of Science at Natural England, set out the evolving legal and policy context. He highlighted a shift from focusing on protecting species and sites towards more strategic, landscape-scale approaches. This includes the introduction of Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) in the Environment Act 2021, Environmental Delivery Plans in the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, and the publication of England’s first Land Use Framework just days before the Forum.
This section is now available to watch on YouTube, with more talks to follow.
Systematic conservation planning (SCP) best practice from around the world
The first session of talks explored international applications of SCP.
Jen McGowan showcased how tools such as Marxan have been applied to real-world planning challenges across diverse contexts. From zoning of timber production landscapes in the United States to informing marine spatial planning for debt restructuring in Barbados, a consistent theme was the ability of SCP approaches to combine evidence-based analysis with participatory decision-making. This is increasingly important as countries work towards global biodiversity targets with a whole-of-society approach.
Fabrice Stephenson then presented a case study from New Zealand, demonstrating how SCP can support marine planning even with data limitations. By integrating statistical modelling, the project generated spatial datasets representing ecological communities and bioregions. Collaboration with the Department of Conservation enabled validation of model outputs, with their integration into spatial prioritisation showing how strategic additions to existing protected areas could deliver substantial gains in ecological representation.
The session concluded with Dominic Muenzel, who explored the future of social forestry in Indonesia. This applied spatial prioritisation in Prioritizr to identify areas where forest restoration, biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation could be jointly maximised. By testing different weightings across these objectives, the analysis highlighted trade-offs and synergies, with outputs shared through an online app.
Examples of and opportunities for SCP in England
After a short break, the focus returned to England, with presentations highlighting current practice and emerging opportunities.
Karen Faux provided an overview of the challenges and opportunities for delivering landscape-scale nature recovery in Kent. She highlighted the county’s LNRS as a central framework in an increasingly complex spatial planning landscape. Kent benefits from strong partnerships, active landscape initiatives, and an improving evidence base, but challenges remain in strengthening spatial data and integrating frameworks.
From the south west, David Baker presented the application of the Ebrel spatial prioritisation model to support the development of Cornwall’s LNRS. Grounded in SCP principles, the tool helps identify priority areas for habitat creation where multiple options exist, enabling more transparent decision-making.
The final presentation, delivered by James Barton, explored how spatial analysis can support large-scale investment in nature across England. By combining habitat transition potential with estimates of revenue from existing financial mechanisms, this work identified “Nature Investment Zones” with strong potential for generating financial investment and ecological outcomes across 13 bioregions.
SCP in discussion
The Forum concluded with breakout discussions, giving participants the opportunity to discuss key themes with the presenters. Discussion Group A looked at international examples that highlighted the challenges of balancing science, policy and civic voice in SCP, while Discussion Group B focused on delivering SCP within England’s evolving policy landscape.
The Forum highlighted both the growing relevance of spatial approaches and the practical challenges of implementation. SCP offers a structured way to balance competing objectives and support better-informed decisions about where and how to act.
Looking ahead, a summary report of the Forum will be published and the technical training sessions will be rescheduled for later in the year. We look forward to continuing to build the SNaP Community and welcome your involvement. Thank you to all organisers, presenters and attendees – we hope to see you again, in-person, at the SNaP Forum 2027!