Dr Jenny Hodgson and Daneen Cowling gave a workshop about Condatis at the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) Autumn Conference.
The conference, entitled “Bridging the Evidence Gap in Ecology and Environmental Management” took place in Nottingham on 26 – 27 November 2025.
Together, Jenny and Daneen introduced how the habitat connectivity tool Condatis has supported Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) preparation and delivery. As spatial strategies required by the Environment Act (2021) to map out priorities for nature recovery, Condatis has and will play an important role in the spatial prioritisation of measures that can have the biggest impact for species connectivity.
The workshop was attended by over 20 of the delegates at the CIEEM Conference, 60% of which said they were not familiar with any connectivity tool. Those who were familiar, had used a great variety of tools, ranging from simple to complex.
Asked about the applications of Condatis, some participants responded that they would use it for the delivery of LNRS, helping developers, landowners and local authorities in their environmental planning (e.g. biodiversity net gain offsetting, great crested newt district licensing, etc.) as well as mapping connectivity and opportunities to improve biodiversity.
Top tips from attendees to each other included thinking carefully about the question you want to ask, to make clearer whether a planning tool is the right one for you, and consider situations where connectivity is not the only option or could even be detrimental, like in the spread of diseases or invasive species.
A good introduction to the range of connectivity tools available is the website https://conservationcorridor.org/ or the Natural England Nature Networks Evidence Handbook (NERR081) https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6105140258144256.
