Environmental policy is a top priority for South West England. The region boasts a rich and diverse environment with one third designated nationally for its landscape quality. 
 
The environment is one of the richest in the UK, with over 60% of the UK's Heritage Coast, almost half the UK's designated bathing waters, and high proportions of the UK's rarest and most endangered habitats (for instance, 57% of the UK's flower rich meadows). 
 
Five million people live in the region and over 15 million visitors are drawn here annually by its natural, built and cultural heritage. So the region's environment is vital not just for its own sake, but because of the contribution it makes to the economy and overall quality of life in the South West. 
 
Approximately 80% of the UK's environmental legislation originates from EU Directives and a significant percentage of that is implemented at or impacts on the local level. EU environment policy is therefore of prime importance to the South West, which follows it closely, seeking to influence it where necessary. 
 
The report, State of the Environment 2006, looks at the key environmental trends in the Environment Agency's South West region.  
 
Information held on this website supports the Regional Strategy for the South West's Environment.

The Scoping Study, SW Climate Change Impact Scoping Study, has been initiated and supported by the South West Climate Change Impacts Partnership (SWCCIP), a group of key stakeholders in South West England. It recognises the importance of the mitigation of climate change (reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases) as part of a wider sustainability agenda. The focus of this study, however, is on adapting to the potential impacts of climate change.