The Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) is Defra’s largest research and development programme, responding to recommendations by the Natural Capital Committee and the Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity it was established to change the way we think about and value nature.

Ecosystem assessments tell us about the health of our natural environment and how this is changing over time. A natural capital approach describes the environmental, social, and economic value our natural environment holds for people.

Together, these approaches provide a holistic and joined-up view of our natural environment. They enable us to identify connections, dependencies, and trade-offs between policy ambitions, and to make better-informed decisions that truly benefit people and nature.

To ensure we have adequate data sets, NCEA is combining remote sensing (such as satellite and aerial photography) with boots-on-the-ground professional field surveying, in addition to developing our citizen science capability.

To strengthen the UK’s position as a science leader, the programme is capitalising on ground-breaking scientific developments, new technology and innovative systems, such as eDNA (environmental DNA) and acoustic surveying for species such as bats and birds.