This stream allows you to develop overviews of how much BAP Priority Habitat resource is contained within different types of areas. You can select one of the following datasets as the Primary Information layer to display on your map: English Nature Area Teams, Natural Areas, Landscape Description Units, NUTS3 Areas, NUTS4 Areas, English Parishes, or European / Government Regions.

National Character Areas, Natural Areas and Landscape Description Units describe landscapes. Natural Areas are sub-divisions of England each with a characteristic association of wildlife and natural features. National Character Areas (NCAs) nest within Natural Areas and describe common landscape types; they are also the area framework through which the priorities of Defra's Environmental Stewardship Scheme are expressed. Landscape Description Units are smaller areas characterised by their natural and cultural attributes.

NUTS3, NUTS4, English Parishes and European / Government Regions are administrative boundaries. The Government Regions are a set of 9 administrative areas that England is divided into. NUTS (which stands for Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) is a European Union classification, used for statistical purposes, which divides European countries into areas at different hierarchical levels. Level 3 equates approximately to county and unitary authority boundaries. NUTS4 is a more details subdivision of these boundaries. The English Parishes are local administrative areas covering most of England.

Once you have developed your Thematic Map (see How does the Thematic Map layer work), you can select a BAP Priority Habitat layer to be displayed on your map. This will display the locations within England of rare or threatened semi-natural habitats that are part of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

You can also add one or two designated sites layers to the map. The types of sites that you can select are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), National Nature Reserves (NNRs), Local Nature Reserves (LNRs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Ramsar Sites.

The first two are the same sites as appear on the Nature Reserves and Country Parks Map and the Sites of Special Scientific Interest Map. SACs are European protected sites for species and habitats. SPAs are European protected sites for birds. Ramsar sites are internationally designated sites for their import wetland habitats for wildfowl.

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