putting natures services on the map what, why and how€¦ · • soil and geology features - e.g....

Dr. Katie Medcalf, Environment Director

www.envsys.co.uk

Putting natures services

on the map

what, why and how

Leading edge environmental & geographic information consultancy & services

The importance of our environment

£ €

$


Where are societal needs pushing

ecosystem limits?

Feeling the pressure / making

choices

Can this land keep providing all

of societies needs?

© John Lucas

© Ian Yarham

© Andrew Carpenter

© Nigel Williams © MNV Consulting

© Harrogate Council

© Janet Baxter © Jim Asher © BBC


Why are ecosystem goods and services important?

Fe

llin

g in

cre

as

es

run

off

Woodlands regulate

water run off © David Gearing

© CADW

Social and economic

losses

© The Guardian

Well-

being

© Tom

Blaze

© UK

Agricu

lture


The Ecosystem Approach

$ Economic

Society Environment

Leading edge environmental & geographic information consultancy & services © Ian Medcalf

Integrated land management encompasses the

ecosystem approach

Environment

Economic

Society

Diagram adapted from:

Scott Cato, M (2009)


What are Ecosystem Services?

Pro

vis

ion

Cu

ltu

ral

Reg

ula

tin

g

Supporting

Ecosystem services are the

sometimes hidden aspects

that the land provides us

with such as:

• clean water

• climate regulation

• food and fuel

• a sense of wellbeing


Green Infrastructure and Ecosystem

services

“Green infrastructure is a network of multi-functional green space, urban and

rural which can provide a wide range of benefits to local communities”

Be

ne

fi

ts

Climate Change

Health & wellbeing

Wildlife & Habitats

Stronger

communities

Economic growth

Land regeneration

Heat regulation, reducing flood risk and air

quality

Increase habitat area, increased species

movement

Physical activity, psychological health,

reducing health inequality.

Social interaction, inclusion and cohesian

Inward investment and job creation

Regeneration of previously developed land


England

• The Natural Environment White

Paper:

Introduced a number of policies and

initiatives, including:

• Local Nature Partnerships

• Nature Improvement Areas

• Biodiversity offsets

• The green infrastructure partnership

(proposal respond to recommendations

outlined in The Lawton Review)

• The Biodiversity Strategy for England

(2011)

• The Localism Act 2011

• The National Planning Policy

Framework

• Green infrastructure Guidance


Wales

• Sustaining a living Wales Green Paper

Proposes the adoption of the ecosystem approach

to management of the natural environment.

• Development of an ecosystem approach

• Creation of a single environment body

• Development of new legislation and reviewing existing

legislation and;

• Development of a National Resource Management

Plan

• Natural Resources Wales – a single

environmental body - April 2013.

• The Wales Strategy (Environment Strategy

for Wales).


Scotland

• The Scotland Land Use Strategy

(2011)

• First land use strategy for Scotland, building

on current activities regarding land and

natural resource management.

• It includes providing information on

embedding an ecosystem approach in land

use decision making.

• Biodiversity Strategy (2004)

• Currently being revised by the 2020

Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity

public consultation (September 2012).

• 25 year plan to conserve biodiversity for the

health, enjoyment and wellbeing of the

people of Scotland now and in the future.


Placed based approach to Ecosystem

service mapping

Multiple provisions from the land

Renewable energy

Climate regulation

Recreation opportunities

Water regulation

Pollination (gardens)

Fibre

Scenic landscape Food production


Four key factors

What the habitat is on

Soil

Geology

Four key influencing factors for any area of land

What is the land use /

management

What is the habitat / land cover Where in the landscape is

the habitat


Habitat type and location in ecosystem

service modelling

Woodlands:

• Capture carbon,

• Slow water infiltration

• Provide many niches for

species biodiversity

• Provide fibre and fuel

• Are fundamental to our

‘sense of place’

• Allow recreation

opportunities

• A woodlands role in each of these functions will depend on the type of

woodland, its position in the landscape and its management

• So for each area the habitat, soil, landscape and management need to be

described

A

B


1. Identifying the ecosystem services.

• Regulating Services

• Cultural Services

• Provisioning Services

• Opportunities to enhance provision and

multifunctional service layer

2. Gathering data to represent environment,

social and economic features.

3. Linking ecological knowledge and data

together – building a rule base

4. Run analysis

5. Iterate analysis

How can we map and model ecosystem

services


Example ecosystem services

• Regulating Services Carbon storage in vegetation

Carbon storage in soil

Water quantity / quality regulation

• Cultural Services Historical and cultural identity

Landscape aesthetics

Recreation provision

• Provisioning Services Pollination provision

Agricultural goods provision

• Opportunities to enhance provision and multifunctional

service layer Opportunity to enhance water regulation capacity

Natural Environmental Ecosystem Service Layer


Assessing the appropriateness and

confidence of data based on:-

• Fit for purpose

• Scale

• Resolution

• Audience

• Coverage

• Age & update cycle

• Accessibility

Assessing Data


Method overview

Data resolution of outputs is limited

by the coarsest dataset used


Essential data: a habitat map

Areal photography needed for checking

and additional data analysis


Other essential data

Environmental

Social

Economic

Examples include:

• Other land cover data

• Soils

• Geology

• Landform

• Climate

• Land use

Examples include:

• Recreation

• Landscape Character

• Historic

• Archaeological

• Demographic

Examples include:

• Industrial

• Financial (tourism)

• Survey output

e.g. contingent valuation.


Identify land

cover/use

Ecosystem services knowledge fed in

• Land cover/use descriptions - e.g. habitat

maps, garden classification

• Locational characteristics - e.g. slope angle,

position in relation to water and sealed surfaces

• Soil and geology features - e.g. clay content of

topsoil

• Drivers of change: threats and opportunities -

e.g. susceptibility to erosion / habitat recreation

• Sedimentation characteristics – e.g land

management information

Identify

processes

Identify

attributes

Identify

suitable data

Identify

measures

Data fed in

• Data of various themes – e.g. land

cover, land use, soil, hydrology,

historic land use, riverine features.

• Assessed appropriateness of scale

– e.g. national, regional, local

• Limitations of data access and use

– e.g. licensing issues, how current

the data is

Linking knowledge to data


Linking knowledge to data:

SCCAN ecosystem service rules

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Framework

Regulating

Ecosystem

Service Typology

Most significant

effects

Primary

Factor

Secondary

Factor

Climate Regulation

Carbon Storage in Soils

Largest effects are the

soil type and how the

vegetation is

contributing to active

peat formation

Peat soil High

Sandy soil low

Active peat forming

vegetation high

Modified vegetation low

Carbon Storage in

Vegetation

Largest effects are the

amount of woody

material in the

vegetation and the

management imposed

on the land use.

Woodland high

Grassland low

Unmanaged high

Annual cropping low

http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-6359


Assigning value to each attribute

Phase 1 A1.1.1 High

A1.2.2 Mod-High

A1.3.1 Mod-High

A1.3.2 Mod-High

A2.1 Moderate

A4 Neutral

B1.1 Low-Mod

B1.2 Low-Mod

B2.2 Low-Mod

B3.1 Low-Mod

B4 Very low

B5 Mod-High

B6 Very low

C1.1 Moderate

D1.1 Moderate

D2 Moderate

E1.6.1 Moderate

E2.1 Moderate

E3.1 Moderate

F1 Swamp Low-Mod

F2.2 Low

G1 Neutral

I1.2 Neutral

I2 Neutral

J1.1 Negative

J2.1 Mod-High

J3.6 Neutral

J4 Neutral

Veg

eta

tio

n C

arb

on

Ru

les


Linking knowledge to data

Building the data layers


Examples

These projects are where we have applied a place based

approach to ecosystem service mapping which have been

successful in a wide range of locations for example:

• Bridgend(SCCAN- CCW project)

• Torfaen (SCCAN- CCW project)

• Wales wide strategic project SCCAN (CCW project)

• Dorset ANOB and Frome and Piddle catchments (Dorset

ANOB / CORDIALE/ Wessex Water)

• Island of Anguilla – Caribbean (Government of Anguilla)

• Galloway and South Ayrshire Biosphere (GSAB)

It is an adaptable and flexible approach

Place based mapping illustrates the hidden value of what is on

the ground but can be build upon using other approaches


Carbon Storage in

Vegetation

Ecosystem Service: Regulating

Carbon Storage in Soil


Water Quantity regulation

Ecosystem Service: Regulating

Regulation of surface water run off

Vegetation Slope Soil Rainfall (proxy)

Rule Base Considered

Anguilla


Historic and Cultural Identity

Ecosystem Service: Cultural

whc.unesco.org

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/984


Recreation provision:

Upland and Lowland

Ecosystem Service: Cultural

•Recreation has been

split because

although the

uplands have open

access, far fewer

people are happy to

wander on the

moors. The main

recreation resource

are the lowland

footpaths and

playing grounds

•Adequate access to

the countryside for

recreation in the

fresh air had been

shown to have

profound health

related benefits


Pollination:

Ecosystem Service: Provision

Genetically Viable

Population

© wild seed © AP

© Trish Steel © Nigel Brown


Ecological Opportunities

Existing Woodland Woodland Opportunities


Ecosystem Service: Multi-benefit

Multiple benefit ecosystem service

layer

A multiple service model can be

used to identify areas of multi-

functionality.

Such layers can indicate areas

that provide the largest number of

services and can be used in green

infrastructure mapping to highlight

natural assets providing most

benefit to society.


Q: Where to plant woodlands to maximise benefits to

biodiversity and recreation?

Evaluating scenarios – maximising benefits (1):

1. Identification of ecosystem services occurring in the area of understanding


Evaluating scenarios– maximising benefits (2):



2. Creation of the ecosystem service bundle for optimising the benefits for

biodiversity and recreation.

Additive approach applied

to layers

=


Evaluating scenarios– maximising benefits (3):

3. Identification of opportunity areas for habitat connectivity and expansion of

networks to optimise biodiversity



4. Apply opportunity areas to the ecosystem services bundle to identify areas with

high and low benefit potential

Potential sites

for planting to

optimise benefits

to biodiversity

and recreation


Putting the information together to show conflicts

and synergies?

Conflicts

Synergies

Maps allow

areas of land

to be

examined and

described

Bundles

Trade offs

Economic

revitalisation

Smart

sustainable

economic growth =


Other approach examples

Other techniques and

approaches include:

• Community engagement

• Participatory Mapping

• Stakeholder mapping

• Valuation (e.g. cost benefit)

• Incentive tools

• - INVEST - http://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/InVE

ST.html

FORCE Dr Clare Fitzsimmons

http://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/InVEST.html

http://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/InVEST.html


Ecosystem

mapping approach

enhances

Evidence Knowledge

Decision

making

Communication

Benefits of the approach


Conclusions

• It is possible to produce ecosystem services layers using

ecological theory and existing data sets.

• These layers can be used to give extra information on the

value of the green infrastructure

• They can show the best place to enhance exiting resources

to give multiple benefits.

• Ecosystem service layers are an extremely useful tool for

decision makers, land managers and stakeholders giving

them an understanding of the hidden roles our habitats

play.


Thank you

putting natures services on the map what, why and how€¦ · • soil and geology features - e.g....

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