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Ecosystems NewsIssue 13 • Summer 2016

The UK National Ecosystem Assessment five years on

Life after the UK NEA

Using economics to improve

delivery of ecosystem services

Community engagement with

Birmingham and Black Country NIA

Place Standard tool

Strathard - a landscape to live,

work and play

In this Issue

ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 13 • Summer 2016 •

Ecosystems Knowledge Network●

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Contact

Bruce Howard, Network Co-ordinator

Web: http://ecosystemsknowledge.net

Email: [email protected]

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Cover photo: Shadow of a hot air balloon flying over rural farmland © cgandy425 iStock 60078302

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Contents

Contents

Welcome 4

Cover theme - The UK NEA fi ve years on

Perspective: Life after the UK NEA 5

Feature: Policy responses to the NEA: fi ve years on 8

Feature: Using economics to secure and improve delivery of ecosystem services 10

Feature: Applying the NEA in Birmingham 13

Feature: Understanding urban ecosystems to deliver improved green infrastructure 18

Project Profi le

Community engagement with Birmingham and Black Country NIA 21

News

EKN wins prestigious CIEEM Awards for Best Practice 25

Using an ecosystem approach in Strategic Environmental Assessment 26

Green Infrastructure conference makes concept a reality 27

EKN provides training on incorporating ecosystem services into environmental assessment 29

Place Standard tool evaluates, ‘How good is our place?’ 30

Strathard – a landscape to live, work and play 31

Book Review

The Ecology of Everyday Things, Mark Everard 32



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Welcome!

The UK NEA fi ve years on - where are the outcomes? Welcome to this 13th issue of Ecosystems News

Outcomes. Wherever we work, our funders and our bosses are always asking us to show the effect of what we do.

For everyone who wants to make the environment relevant to all in society, showing the outcomes of what we do is always a challenge. We deal with social, political and environmental systems of monumental complexity. Progress is seen over decades not months.

As the UK’s leading network for sharing knowledge about the connection between the environment and people, our role is to show the ‘added value’ of all the evidence, the policy, the guidance and ‘tools’. In other words, what difference does it make, especially at the local level?

The UK National Ecosystem Assessment (UK NEA) was a world first in the way it communicated the positive role of the environment in society. Thousands of hours went into drafting the 1,465 pages of the Technical Report published in June 2011. Even more went into the Follow-on Reports published in 2014. Some will ask what has happened ‘on the ground’ in response. Others remain bamboozled by talk of ‘ecosystem services’ and the ‘value of nature’.

In this issue of Ecosystems News, we take stock of the UK NEA five years on. There is lots to celebrate, from innovative policy (such as new legislation in Wales) to brilliant local partnerships that achieve remarkable things for the people and the environments they serve.

Despite the progress, important questions remain. Over the next 25 years will Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland be recognised on the world stage as places where the environment is managed as an asset at every level? Or will they be places where knowledge is simply amassed?

Five years on from the UK NEA, the research and public policy machines are busy. Evidence of outcomes for ordinary people is, however, in short supply. Outcomes that convince the sceptical professional, such as the local GP or housing developer. Outcomes that reassure ordinary members of the public, and the politicians who represent them. As a Network we’ll do what we can to share the outcomes arising from innovative projects around the UK

In these times of change in the relationship between the UK and the rest of Europe, the Ecosystems Knowledge Network will continue to demonstrate the benefits of a joined-up approach to managing the environment as an asset we all depend on, whatever our background or perspective.

http://ecosystemsknowledge.net

Bruce Howard, Network Co-ordinator



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The UK NEA fi ve years on: perspective

Life after the UK National Ecosystem AssessmentDr Mark Everard is an author, scientist and broadcaster who was very involved in the UK National

Ecosystem Assessment. Here he provides a perspective on our progress and responses to it.

Chesil beach linking the Isle of Portland to the mainland with Fortuneswell in the foreground © Natural England/Lucy Heath

For those deeply immersed in the UK National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA), both the Main Report published in 2011 and the Follow-on in 2014, this crescendo of activity was suffused with the sense that we were really beginning to influence the ‘mainstream’. Some of us were also involved heavily with the 2011 Natural Environment White Paper for England, The Natural Choice, and activities such as the PES (Payments for Ecosystem Services) pilot programme. The ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to seriously influence at the top table was palpable. So what happened next?

Five years on from publication of the Main Report of the NEA, we have something of a ‘curate’s egg’: good and bad in places, but also some grey areas between the wholesome and the unpalatable. Let’s start with some rotten bits of the egg, working our way upwards so we can end on the good bits.

“Using the term ‘ecosystem service’ to describe managing one benefit from nature

in isolation is not in the spirit of the ecosystem approach. Instead, it is old-school

reductionism dressed up in new, ill-fitting clothes.”



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We live today in a world where the terms ‘economic growth’ and ‘austerity measures’ are played as trump cards. The promise of the tangible monetary and less tangible non-market values of ecosystems seriously influencing political and corporate decision-making seem now a nostalgic dream. UK politics is often preoccupied with short-term financial returns and the courting of a populist agenda.

Then we have the parts of the curate’s egg where the good and the bad merge. The language of ecosystem services is gaining more popular and public policy traction. It is doing so even amongst some who professed to ‘like the idea but not the language’; in reality, often a shorthand justifying failure to step out from the comfortability of reductionism into the ‘messiness’ of systemic practice. It remains a personal mission to ensure that policy-makers, academics and anyone else using the term actually spot the word ‘system’ barely concealed within the word ‘ecosystem’. Using the term ‘ecosystem service’ to describe managing one benefit from nature in isolation is not in the spirit of the ecosystem approach. Instead, it is old-school reductionism dressed up in new, ill-fitting clothes. A leap into systemic thinking and practice is what this transition is all about!

“Have we turned a corner, bringing the value of natural capital fully into market

consideration and sectoral regulation? Only time, tangible commitment to a workable

plan and associated investment, and the judgement of future generations will tell.”

Finally, some good bits of the egg. We have three excellent reports from the Natural Capital Committee (NCC) for England. The third, Protecting and Improving Natural Capital for Prosperity and Wellbeing, published in 2015, sets out a justified recommendation to UK Government for a 25-year plan to restore England’s natural capital. This comprises, as one of three strategic themes, a strong economic case for investment in creation or restoration of several optimally located habitat types – 250,000 hectares of woodland, 140,000 hectares of upland peatland and 100,000 hectares of wetland – as well as restoration of commercial fish stocks, intertidal habitat and urban greenspaces. The NCC report projects that returns on investment from rebuilding natural capital will be at least as great as those from investment in traditional engineered infrastructure.

Amazingly, the NCC has been extended beyond its initial three-year term. Even more remarkably, a formal response to the NCC’s third report states that “The Government and interested parties endorse the Natural Capital Committee’s proposed 25 year plan to maintain and improve England’s natural capital within this generation”. Have we turned a corner, bringing the value of natural capital fully into market consideration and sectoral regulation? Only time, tangible commitment to a workable plan and associated investment, and the judgement of future generations will tell. At a global level, we also have a rather better set of international commitments to constraining global carbon emissions to avert runaway climate change. Balancing this out at a grassroots level are the continually impressive activities of the Rivers Trust network and other NGOs mobilising local will and energy into practical projects that rebuild our world from the bottom up.

We live in a parlous time: a booming population, an unstable climate, rising distress migration and politics often inflected more with short-termism and jingoism than by the deep, long-term commitments implicit



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in realising the vision of the NEA. But we are where we are, and have a job to do to create the secure and more fulfilling world the NEA helps us envisage.

Further resources

• HM Government Natural Environment White Paper for England, 2011, The Natural Choice. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-natural-choice-securing-the-value-of-nature

• Third Natural Capital Committee report, 2015, Protecting and Improving Natural Capital for Prosperity and Wellbeing. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-capital-committees-third-state-of-natural-capital-report

Dr Mark Everard is Associate Professor of Ecosystem Services at the University of the West of England. He is also the Vice President of the Institution of Environmental Sciences. He is an author, scientist and broadcaster with extensive involvement in the worlds of environment and sustainability, angling and music. Mark’s work, books and other publications span these topics and others besides, all forming part of his personal mission to contribute to cleaner waters for all in a sustainable world.



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The UK NEA fi ve years on: features

Policy responses to the UK National Ecosystem Assessment

Nick Kirsop-Taylor, University of Exeter, provides a perspective on this central aspect of responses to

the NEA.

Field © FreeImages.com/MaxMitenkov

The UK National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA) was not intended to be a purely academic exercise. Influencing policy and policy-makers towards greater consideration of nature and its services in institutions, legislation, policy and instruments was always its key aim. In this regard it has been successful. Much like the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment that preceded it, the NEA has ‘spoken’ to policy makers, and has stimulated significant responses in policy from both the UK Government, as well as from the devolved administrations that comprise the contemporary sub-national environmental governance of the UK. This can be seen in the 2011 HM Government Natural Environment White Paper for England 1 which reinforced many of the key messages of the NEA as well as offering a stated intention to follow the NEA’s lead and create a more joined up national programme of environmental monitoring to better observe and scrutinize ecosystem health (commitment 88). This commitment has been met2 through the creation of the UK Environmental Observation Framework.

At the sub-national scale, the key policy messages from the NEA are referenced in policy-strategy responses to the Aichi biodiversity targets, such as the 2020 Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity (2013)3 and Biodiversity 2020: A strategy for England’s wildlife and ecosystem services (2011)4. Using slightly different language they both reiterate the importance of healthy UK ecosystems, the contemporary challenges of climate change and population growth that they are facing, and that solutions to these challenges need to be both long-term and integrated. The NEA is also referenced in the recent Valuing Nature: A biodiversity strategy for Northern Ireland to 2020 (2016)5 which recognized the value of the NEA’s evaluative framework, as well as directly endorsing the ecosystem approach.



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“Much like the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment that preceded it, the NEA has

‘spoken’ to policy makers, and has stimulated significant responses in policy from both

the UK Government, as well as from the devolved administrations that comprise the

contemporary sub-national environmental governance of the UK.”

Furthermore, the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 is a legislative response which specifically makes reference to the NEA in helping to highlight the scale of the biodiversity challenge, as well as pointing towards integrated solutions which support the emergence of the Natural Resources Wales programme6.

Finally, the NEA has also influenced responses in policy instruments such as payments for ecosystem services7 and biodiversity offsetting. It is referenced as offering particular value to these instruments where its pronouncements on biodiversity loss supports their fundamental rationale, as well as where it has helped instigate a new dialogue about the critical need for joined-up environmental monitoring and data collection to build the evidence base for these instruments.

Five years on the NEA has clearly had an impact on public policies and public policy makers. This can be seen through its reference in foundational, enabling and instrumental national and devolved policy responses. These seek to carry forward its goal of a more integrated ecosystem approach towards biodiversity protection. However, whilst the NEA may have started a truly productive dialogue between policy makers and biodiversity practitioners, more work is needed to consolidate the conversation and ensure that policy makers continue to hear what nature is saying.

References

1. HM Government (2011) The Natural Choice: Securing the Value Of Nature2. Defra (2014) The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature: implementation update3. Scottish Government (2013) 2020 Challenge for Scotland’s biodiversity4. Defra (2011) Biodiversity 2020: A Strategy for England’s Wildlife and Ecosystem Services5. Department of Environment Northern Ireland (2016) Valuing Nature: a biodiversity strategy for

Northern Ireland to 20206. Welsh Government (2015) Natural Resources policy statement

7. Defra, (2013) Payments for ecosystem services: a best practice guide

Nick Kirsop-Taylor is a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Exeter’s Land, Environment, Economics and Policy Institute.



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Using economics to help secure and improve the delivery of ecosystem services

Ece Ozdemiroglu and Ian Dickie, economics for the environment consultancy (eftec).

Medmerry managed realignment, Sussex © J Akerman for the Environment Agency

The UK National Ecosystem Assessment (UK NEA) was part of major developments in the use of environmental economics over the last decade. It published data that showed the value of nature in the UK. Alongside global studies such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) and The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), this brought attention to the concept of ecosystem services and the use of economics to understand their value. Naturally, it also raised questions about the capacity of the environment to produce ecosystem services into the future.

Capacity for production (of services as well as goods) is what economists refer to as ‘capital’. This is why work that developed after the UK NEA has used the term natural capital. The term is more familiar in business circles and more comprehensive than ‘ecosystem-services’ (in including abiotic services). Conversations about natural capital are also an opportunity for a more positive communication focusing on the usefulness of ‘capital’ and how to maintain this.

The focus on action to maintain and enhance natural capital and its ecosystem services has been key in recent years. The UK NEA helped lay the ground for the formation of the Natural Capital Committee for England, which is currently starting its second incarnation. The Committee’s work has included examining the risks to the UK’s natural capital, which built on the UK NEA Follow-On work package to developing an ‘asset check’.



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“Conversations about natural capital are an opportunity for a more positive

communication focusing on the usefulness of ‘capital’ and how to maintain this.”

More recently, the links between maintaining natural capital and adapting to climate change have been recognised more explicitly. The Synthesis report for the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017, which was published in July 2016 by the Committee on Climate Change, covers the importance of healthy ecosystems for adaptation to climate change.

The economic analysis of scenarios in the UK NEA highlighted choices we can make about how the natural environment is managed, and the different combinations of ecosystem services it can provide. This evidence supports use of economic instruments, including different payments for ecosystem services mechanisms, such as:

• Agri-environment schemes, that continue to be a key policy instrument for biodiversity and ecosystem services;

• Woodland and peatland carbon codes, which have been developed to support putative bio-carbon markets; and

• Catchment management schemes, which have expanded exponentially across successive rounds of water industry business plans in England.

Economic analysis on securing and improving ecosystem services continues to develop. For example, a report on the economic case for investment in natural capital (eftec et al, 2015) informed the Natural Capital Committee’s proposals for a 25 year investment plan to protect and improve natural capital in England. It built on UK NEA thinking and results, such as Work package 3 (Bateman et al. 2014) on woodland expansion options, in recognising choices about how we manage the landscape. It continues a key aspect of the UK NEA: the merger of natural science and economics, to consider opportunity costs and how we best target investments to secure and improve ecosystem services. This is the challenge the new Natural Capital Committee faces, a challenge that is only realistic to address thanks to the UK NEA.



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Further resources

• eftec, CEH, ABPmer & Regeneris (2015) The Economic Case for Investment in Natural Capital in England. Report to Natural Capital Committee Secretariat. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/516725/ncc-state-natural-capital-

third-report.pdf

• Bateman, I.; Day, B.; Agarwala, M.; Bacon, P., Baďura, T., Binner, A.; De-Gol, A.; Ditchburn, B.; Dugdale, S.; Emmett, B.; Ferrini,S.; Carlo Fezzi, C.; Harwood, A.; Hillier, J., Hiscock, K.; Hulme, M.; Jackson, B.; Lovett, A.; Mackie, E.; Matthews, R. Sen, A.; Siriwardena, G.; Smith, P.; Snowdon, P.; Sünnenberg, G.; Vetter, S. & Vinjili, S. (2014) UK National Ecosystem Assessment Follow-on. Work Package Report 3: Economic value of ecosystem services. UNEP-WCMC, LWEC, UK. Available via: http://uknea.unep-wcmc.org/

• Millennium Ecosystem Assessment website: http://www.millenniumassessment.org/en/index.

html

• The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity: http://www.teebweb.org/

Ece Ozdemiroglu is the founding director of eftec. She specialises in interpreting economic value evidence for natural capital, ecosystem services, cultural heritage, charitable sector, value of information and education. Her clients include most UK government departments, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, and the governments of many countries.

Ian Dickie is a Director at eftec. During his work at eftec has included studies on habitat banking and biodiversity finance for the European Commission, and developing approaches for regional economic analysis of the marine environment for OSPAR. Previously Ian was head of economics for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.



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Applying the UK NEA in Birmingham

In this issue of Ecosystems News, we look at how a whole city has responded to the ideas in the

UK National Ecosystem Assessment. Nick Grayson, Birmingham City Council and University of

Birmingham, shares his opinion on the challenges faced by cities, his hopes for the future, and how

Birmingham has responded to the UK NEA.

Birmingham Smithfield Masterplan © Birmingham City Council

In my opinion the UK NEA was a remarkable achievement. I foresee it will affect environmental policy and thinking for years to come and potentially be seen to also bring substantive changes to economic policy. The development of the UK NEA, was in no small part down to the influence of Sir Jon Lawton MBE. The UK NEA was the real inspiration behind Birmingham’s Green Living Spaces Plan (2013)1, which sought to re-think urban living and development. Sir Jon Lawton very generously provided an endorsement to that plan:

“A healthy natural environment is not a luxury - something that we think about after we have fixed the economy, or problems with physical and mental health and education. The natural environment provides the fundamental underpinnings for a healthy, successful society. Nature’s services include cleaning up water and air, free pollination for crops, soil to grow food and fibre, locking up carbon dioxide from the air in wood and peat, flood-control, and the infinite pleasure we get from contact with the living world, with well-proven benefits for health and well-being.

Birmingham’s Green Living Spaces Plan is visionary in recognising the fundamental value of the City’s natural capital, and how the services this capital provides underpin economic opportunities. ‘Pioneering’ and ‘best practice’ can be over-used terms. But not here. The City is to be congratulated in recognising the value of green living spaces, and making them fundamental to its future.”



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Liveable Cities logo © Liveable Cities

Through the Green Living Spaces Plan, Birmingham became the first UK city to apply the UK NEA methodology at a municipal scale. This was closely followed by mapping the supply of six ecosystem services, with the demand of the city’s population for those services. As these were mapped using GIS they could then be combined into a single multiple challenge map; a global first. This provided a totally new perspective on the city. It allowed us to ask, just how well was the current natural environment able to meet the needs of the city and its citizens? It provided an essential new baseline from which to plan both new services and new development. Birmingham is predicted to grow by 150,000 people, requiring the city to find room for close on 50,000 new homes; all in a 20 year timeframe.

The Green Living Spaces Plan also saw the introduction of seven new over-arching principles. These are deliberately designed to be cross-cutting; a direct mechanism to challenge the in-built siloed approach in city systems that in itself acts as a barrier to future change. This document not only serves as a green infrastructure policy, but also climate change adaptation.

Furthermore, Birmingham is participating in the Liveable Cities project2, which is seeking to devise new and radical solutions to cities. A key aspect of this study is to research the question, ‘What would an ecosystem serviced city look like?’

Another way of reading the outputs from ecosystem service assessments is to consider that all developments, and all cities, exist in nature. For centuries we have had the perception that nature ‘should’ exist in cities. We have cities populated by inherited nineteenth and twentieth century urban parks and green spaces; cities largely disconnected from themselves and from the population they most need to serve; so poor in habitat value that they are disconnected from ‘nature’ itself.

There is also a disconnection at the political and governance level3, with questions of land ownership and budgetary responsibility etc. How can our relationship with nature and the natural world not be seen as a statutory duty? This reflects the wider global disconnect in our economic models and values that currently exclude the natural world from the calculation of our dependencies. The final disconnect is on the individual level, where urban populations (and therefore by definition, all decision-makers!) are personally becoming further disconnected from nature; something that is having a profound effect on our well-being and thus our lifestyles.



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“ Birmingham became the first UK city to apply the UKNEA methodology at a municipal

scale.”

The process of ecosystem services and the translation of these into natural capital values and economics provides renewed hope for the future. Working with the Natural Capital Committee4 for England, Birmingham has produced a Corporate Natural Capital Account balance sheet. This demonstrates how over a 25 year timeframe, the current natural environment in the city is ‘paying back’ a value of nearly £400 million pounds - over and above the maintenance costs for that environment.

Birmingham also participated in the UK NEA Follow On project5 at two levels. Firstly, it was involved in UK NEA Work Package 10 in the tools project. This sought to implement the ecosystem approach in policy and decision-making. Secondly, it was involved in the public dialogue6 process entitled Naturally Speaking. The public dialogue was fascinating; members of the public were totally enthused and behind this whole idea and concept. In no time at all they got it!

From the Tools project the city proposed a new challenge: if the science of ecosystem services could be applied at the global scale through the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment7, the national scale through the UK NEA, and the city scale through the Green Living Spaces Plan; why couldn’t it be applied at the site scale for all developments?

The Library of Birmingham © Elliott Brown



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“How can our relationship with nature and the natural world not be seen as a statutory

duty?”

To address this challenge, the city formed a consortium steered by the UK Business Council for Sustainable Development8 to formulate such a ‘planning’ tool. This Tool was applied to live planning schemes in 2015 thanks to the support of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Research Trust, who have published a concluding report9. In 2016 the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)10 agreed to fund a national trial of this Tool for two years, co-sponsored by RTPI and RICS. This will be to test whether it has sufficient merit to become a new national standard for development. In essence this is not about achieving more green space, but recognising the in-built complexity of an ecosystems approach; whereby the same space might be able to address ten different services rather than just one - as is the case with the principle behind biodiversity offsetting11.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)12 has also selected Birmingham as a global pilot for their Zero Emission City (ZEC) initiative13, with a focus on the Smithfield area14. Through working with Birmingham, and in recognition of the wider dimensions achieved through an ecosystems approach and a natural capital focus, the WBCSD have amended their ZEC model to create a ZEC PLUS model that they will now take to all other sustainable city initiatives they undertake, globally.

“A 25 year Natural Capital Investment Framework for Birmingham…would sit at the heart

of the city’s growth agenda”

In October 2016 the United Nations will publish their New Urban Agenda15. This will be a new framework for cities to uniquely apply the 17 Sustainable Development Goals16 and the COP21 Paris climate targets17 over a 20 year timeframe. The Liveable Cities project wants to build this into a 25 year Natural Capital Investment Framework for Birmingham. The Framework would sit at the heart of the city’s growth agenda. It would introduce new finance models, new governance arrangements and critically provide a mechanism that is fit for the 21st Century to address all the disconnections that exist within cities. This will allow Birmingham to achieve its generational transformational target of becoming the UK’s first Biophilic City18; enabling every citizen to enjoy their ‘daily dose of nature’19 and a step towards re-wiring the economy20.



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References

1. http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/greenlivingspaces

2. http://liveablecities.org.uk/

3. http://www.apse.org.uk/apse/index.cfm/members-area/briefings/2015/15-28-local-authority-

parks-and-green-space-services-state-of-the-market-survey-report-2015/...

4. https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/natural-capital-committee

5. http://uknea.unep-wcmc.org/Resources/tabid/82/Default.aspx

6. http://www.sciencewise-erc.org.uk/cms/public-dialogue-for-the-uk-national-ecosystem-

assessment/

7. http://www.millenniumassessment.org/en/Synthesis.html

8. http://ukbcsd.org.uk/

9. http://www.rics.org/uk/knowledge/research/research-reports/natural-capital-tool-planning-/

10. http://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_them.asp?them=Innovation+-+GI

11. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/biodiversity-offsetting

12. http://www.wbcsd.org/home.aspx

13. http://action2020.org/business-solutions/zero-carbon-cities

14. http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/birminghamsmithfield

15. http://citiscope.org/habitatIII/explainer/2015/06/what-new-urban-agenda

16. http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

17. http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/international/negotiations/paris/index_en.htm

18. http://biophiliccities.org/

19. http://www.thenatureofcities.com/2012/08/07/exploring-the-nature-pyramid/

20. http://www.cisl.cam.ac.uk/about/rewiring-the-economy

Nick Grayson is the Climate Change & Sustainability Manager at Birmingham City Council, and Senior Research Fellow in Natural Capital and Liveable Cities at the University of Birmingham. He favours a wholesale rethink of nature in cities, seeing cities existing in nature rather than needing to find a place for nature in cities.



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Understanding urban ecosystems to deliver improved green infrastructure

‘Urban’ was one of the eight broad habitats in the UK National Ecosystem Assessment. In this

article, Martin Faulkner from Scottish Natural Heritage tells us how the new Green Infrastructure

Fund in Scotland will help progress data collection and monitoring of Green Infrastructure in urban

ecosystems.

Edinburgh Park and old town © Robert Breuer

Delivering green infrastructure

Green infrastructure has well documented benefits for people and communities. Despite this, implementation and take-up in mainstream urban developments is still a huge challenge. Scottish Natural Heritage aims to change this through leading a major project funded through the European Regional Development Fund.

The Green Infrastructure Fund is an opportunity to fund projects that will create new, or improve existing, green infrastructure in major urban areas of Scotland. It will also encourage innovation in designing green infrastructure to deliver multiple benefits. In order to attract funding, applicants need to demonstrate that there are deficits in the ecosystem services within the project area and show how their project will address these deficits to bring about transformation in their communities.

It is, therefore, an opportunity to demonstrate the concept and encourage mainstreaming of multi-functional green infrastructure in Scotland. It provides the opportunity to record and collect evidence for changes in both urban ecosystems and the benefits that flow from them.



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The benefi t and need

Access to natural and semi-natural habitats has significant positive impact on physical and mental well-being. It has the potential to reduce the causes of many illnesses of modern life such as cancers, diabetes, obesity and anxiety and depression1.

Communities suffering from multiple deprivation can often have poorer access to green space near to where they live than less deprived communities2. This can become a contributory factor to deprivation and reduces their ability to live healthy and active lives.

The opportunity and problem

The UK National Ecosystem Assessment (UKNEA) recognised ‘Urban’ as an important habitat in the national classification. Whilst urban areas only cover 7% of the UK land surface, they are home to 80% of the human population (70% in Scotland). As a result, the potential of green (and blue) components of urban ecosystems to address cultural ecosystem services is disproportionate to their land cover. Urban ecosystems at present rely heavily on the other broad habitats within the NEA for provisioning and regulatory functions. It is likely that a good understanding of urban ecosystems would help mitigate the reliance and pressure on other habitats.

“Recognition of the ecosystem role of abiotic features such as roofs, walls and pavements

would assist in understanding the functioning of urban ecosystems.”

Despite its acknowledged importance, the UK NEA recognises that there are problems in managing urban ecosystems as there is no agreed definition of the habitat3. For example, all of the urban sub-habitats describe the ‘green’ and ‘blue’ components, but none include the hard surfaces such as buildings and roads. These abiotic surfaces and structures are as much part of the urban ecosystem as the biotic structures. They affect the urban micro-climate, and are used by species such as gulls, pigeons, oystercatchers and peregrine falcons as nesting habitats. Abiotic and biotic factors provide opportunities for green infrastructure in the same way that cliffs and scree form part of their respective natural and semi-natural ecosystems. Recognition of the ecosystem role of abiotic features such as roofs, walls and pavements would assist in understanding the functioning of urban ecosystems.

The UKNEA Follow-On also recognised that data collection on management and impact is not systematic or co-ordinated. This needs to be addressed if the connectivity of urban habitats and the biodiversity they support is to be managed successfully in the face of climate change and development pressure. Data collection is, therefore, required to drive delivery and prioritise investment in green infrastructure.

Contributing to a solution

Successful applicants under the Green Infrastructure Fund will be required to monitor the impact of their project. There is already some interest from health research groups in studying the long-term



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impacts of these projects. Monitoring the implementation of the Green Infrastructure Fund could help improve the understanding of urban ecosystems and the services they provide. Further interest from academic and researchers would be welcomed.

References

1. Presentation by Dr William Bird MD OBE at Green Infrastructure Partnership conference, London, June 2016. Available at: http://www.tcpa.org.uk/data/files/GIP_June_2016_conf/Green_Infrastructure_16_06_2016.pdf

2. Scottish Natural Heritage (2014) Attitudes to greenspace in Scotland. Available at: http://www.snh.gov.uk/docs/A1366651.pdf

3. McIntyre, N. Chapter 4, Urban Ecosystems referenced in National Ecosystem Assessment

Martin Faulkner is Green Infrastructure Project & Funding Officer at Scottish Natural Heritage.

Contact: [email protected]



Contents

Project profi leIn this profile, Georgia Stokes, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black

Country, provides an overview of the achievements of multiple initiatives to connect people and

the environment. It highlights the value of practical projects that apply the UK National Ecosystem

Assessment and ‘restore natural capital’ in ways that are meaningful to ordinary people.

Delivering for people and the environment in Birmingham and the Black Country

Castle Vale Meadows, before and after improvements © Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country is uniquely focused on protecting and enriching the habitats and wildlife of Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall. Our focus is to create a Living Landscape for Birmingham and the Black Country.

In 2012 we were successful in our bid to develop one of twelve Nature Improvement Area’s (NIA) and were unique in being the only NIA with an urban focus. Our lead partner, The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country, has ensured that our approach is similarly unique, building a partnership of nearly 60 organisations to make significant improvements to natural greenspace. Government funding lasted for three years and we were successful in bidding for continuation funding from The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

In a densely urban area with a population exceeding 2 million across Birmingham and the Black Country, engaging people with nature has been a cornerstone of our NIA development. Since 2012 we have worked with more than 2,000 volunteers, 50 schools and over 100 community groups. Overall, volunteers have contributed more than 40,000 hours of their time to improve their local area for people and for wildlife (see below for further statistics).

We have developed a shared ecological strategy for Birmingham and the Black Country that all our partners, volunteers and groups support.



Contents

The Shared Strategy for the Birmingham and Black Country Ecological Network © Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust

The NIA ecological strategy describes the ecological network of Birmingham and the Black Country and allocates all parts of the landscape to one of three broad categories: core ecological areas; ecological linking areas; and ecological opportunity areas. This strategy mapping has been used to prioritise action for biodiversity and allocates actions to each broad category: protecting core ecological areas; enhancing ecological linking areas; and creating new sites in ecological opportunity areas.

One of our most successful engagement projects ‘Growing Local Flora’ has provided millions of seeds and thousands of plants to NIA projects. Groups of volunteers visited our best ancient woodlands, collecting seeds and cuttings of species including bluebell, primrose, yellow-archangel and greater stitchwort. These once regionally common species are now restricted to the remnants of our ancient woodland network.



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As poor colonisers, many are unlikely to reach new woodlands which are isolated by the built environment. The project is overcoming this isolation by sowing and planting these locally-sourced wild flowers that bring life to the young woodland. A dedicated team of volunteers has made Growing Local Flora possible. The team has learnt new skills and are now helping to train other volunteers who are working on woodland enhancement projects across Birmingham and the Black Country.

Another successful project is the Freshwater Invertebrate Network (FIN). The NIA has established a network of ‘stream champions’: teams of volunteers who monitor the quality of their local watercourse by carrying out regular freshwater wildlife surveys. The volunteer teams have been provided with training, on-going support and mentoring which has enabled them to continually monitor the health of their chosen watercourse.

Birmingham and the Black Country NIA in numbers

sites improved for nature

250250

volunteers worked with

2,0002,000 hectares of grassland improved

7474

schools engaged

5050

km of corridor enhancements

1212

hectares of heathland

6

hectares of woodland improved

111111

community groups engaged

100+100+

hours of volunteer time contributed

40,00040,000



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Freshwater Invertebrate Network, Woodgate © Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust

FIN brings together communities and partner/statutory organisations to protect and improve the local water environment. Records are kept and information provided to the Environment Agency and others by EcoRecord, the local ecological records centre based at the Wildlife Trust. Crucial to FIN’s success so far has been a very strong and effective collaboration between the Environment Agency’s officers, EcoRecord, The Wildlife Trust and the local community. A bespoke website has been launched for FIN (see further information below).

As we continue developing our Nature Improvement Area work we are developing new ways to engage with more people. Our current challenge is to work more closely with communities where wild spaces are in short supply, and develop projects that make space for nature everywhere.

Further resources

• Birmingham and Black Country Nature Improvement Area: http://www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/NIA

• Freshwater Invertebrate Network (FIN) website: www.yourstream.org.uk

Georgia Stokes was appointed Chief Executive Officer of The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country in 2014. She now also serves as Chair of the Birmingham and Black Country Nature Improvement Area and Chair of the Birmingham and Black Country Local Nature Partnership. Georgia is a Board member of Birmingham’s Green Commission.


●ContentsEcosystems Knowledge Network

News

EKN wins prestigious CIEEM Awards for Best Practice

Bruce Howard receives the awards from Stephanie Hilborne OBE © Chartered Institute for Ecology and Environmental Management

The Ecosystems Knowledge Network won two awards at the 2016 CIEEM Awards in June 2016. The Network was awarded the Tony Bradshaw Award for Outstanding Best Practice in ecology and environmental management and was also declared winner of the Best Practice in Knowledge Sharing category. The Awards were presented on the 30th June 2016 by the Chartered Institute for Ecology and Environmental Management. They were presented to Bruce Howard, the Network’s Co ordinator, by Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of the Wildlife Trusts.

The Network is grateful to all members for their contribution to the success of the Network, as well as Defra, which provided funding during the first four years of its development. Financial support from Scottish Government and NERC (via the BESS Programme) have also played an important part in the development of the Network since it became a registered charity in early 2015.

On receiving the Tony Bradshaw Award, Bruce Howard said “there is a wealth of knowledge throughout the UK to ensure that the environment plays a full part in the big challenges facing society, such as obesity and the need for more places where people can live fulfilling lives. This Award recognises the value of an impartial network to share this knowledge across the UK.”

If you’re not yet a member of the Network and would like to be kept up to date with news and events, join free at http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/join

Partner with a winner!

The Network is inviting Corporate Partners to play a part in our growing Network. We have opportunities for organisations big and small to sponsor with us in return for certain benefits. For further information, please contact [email protected]



Advice on using an ecosystem approach in Strategic Environmental Assessment Scottish Government have produced an information note on how the ecosystem approach can be integrated into Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). The note is aimed at those who have an interest in the ecosystem approach and may want to explore using it to meet their needs when undertaking an assessment.

The note complements the Scottish Government SEA Guidance, and provides detailed advice on the linkages between the ecosystem approach and SEA. It sets out the ways in which undertaking an ecosystem approach can frame how the environment is considered, and consequently, can help structure how the environmental effects of a plan are considered.

A range of benefits of using the approach are set out in the note. These include: consideration of the environment in a more holistic way; affirmation of a strategic direction in plan development; greater clarity on interactions in the environment; improvement of transparency and consultation with stakeholders; and helping decision-makers understand the environment as an asset.

The note states that using an ecosystem approach, ‘has the potential to better describe the environment and the interactions between SEA topics in a more holistic manner, and avoid assessment in silos.’

It also sets out how the approach can be integrated into the main stages of SEA, and presents a range of case studies to illustrate how this has been done at various assessment stages.

Whilst the note sets out the many benefits of using the approach, it also highlights the pitfalls. The key pitfall described is the relationship between SEA topics and the ecosystem approach, as some issues will not fall neatly within the scope of ecosystem services. It recommends that practitioners ensure that weight is given to any significant effects that ecosystem services may not clearly describe; and to avoid using overly complex reporting and assessment methods.

Overall, the note states that using the ecosystem approach in the SEA process should not result in additional work, but that some familiarisation of the approach is recommended. It emphasises that proportionality is essential in the application of the ecosystem approach, and that if undertaken with care, can contribute to an effective SEA.

Further resources

• Download the note at the Scottish Government website: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/

Environment/environmental-assessment/sea/SEAGuidance/Ecosystems-Approach



Green Infrastructure conference makes concept a reality

London © FreeImages.com/Alejandra Montemayor

The Green Infrastructure Partnership in collaboration with the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) held a conference in London in June 2016. The conference, ‘Green Infrastructure: from concept to reality’ brought together those working in policy and practice to share examples of Green Infrastructure (GI) being delivered in the UK and beyond. The conference placed a focus on projects that could be learned from; and future opportunities for embedding GI in the delivery of other priorities such as housing, public health and transport.

The conference Chair Julia Thrift (TCPA and Green Infrastructure Partnership) remarked that whilst there is much evidence of the benefits of GI, we need to address the practical problems of delivery, and to address them at a range of scales.

Nick Barter gave an overview of the upcoming Defra 25 Year Plan for the Environment, placing an emphasis on use of a Natural Capital Framework. The new datasets for greenspace mapping were also presented by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. These publicly available datasets will capture greenspaces not picked up in existing datasets, and may be helpful in influencing policy on health, air quality and biodiversity.

Tom Armour from Arup made the case for high quality GI projects in cities across the world. One innovative project closer to home was Belford’s natural flood management scheme, a project that highlights the benefits nature can provide under certain management regimes.

The afternoon sessions focused on local case studies, with The Land Trust presenting the Beam Parklands in East London, a wetland park that is improving habitat quality and reducing anti-social behaviour.



Beam Parklands © The Land Trust

The large regeneration project in Old Oak and Park Royal in West London was also introduced as a

significant opportunity to deliver high quality GI. The project lies at the convergence of various rail lines and aims to provide increased green space, new homes and employment opportunities, with an emphasis on health, wellbeing and place making.

The afternoon sessions continued with a focus on the strong link between health and green spaces. Graham Duxbury (groundwork) focused on the environmental inequalities for children in cities; whilst Charles Johnson (Sport England) and Dr William Bird made the case for GI to encourage physical activity and create huge social impact by improving health and ultimately saving on healthcare costs.

Further resources

• Belford’s natural flood management scheme: https://www.parliament.uk/documents/post/QuinnPOST.pdf

• Beam Parklands: http://thelandtrust.org.uk/space/beam-parklands

• Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC): www.london.gov.uk/OPDC

• Download presentations from the conference: http://www.tcpa.org.uk/pages/tcpagreen-

infrastructure-partnership-conference-green-infrastructure-from-concept-to-reality-thursda



EKN provides training on incorporating ecosystem services into environmental assessment

Manchester training day © Ecosystems Knowledge Network

Ecosystem services are being used more prominently as a framework to link the environment and people’s wellbeing. They can help draw out and recognise the wide range of benefits that the environment provides for people.

The Ecosystems Knowledge Network has recently delivered training days in London and Manchester on how the ecosystem service concept can be incorporated into environmental assessment processes. Trainees learned how the concept of ecosystem services can be used in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Sustainability Appraisal. The course covered the legislative and policy context for using ecosystem services, and provided an overview of the challenges and opportunities of incorporating them into environmental assessment.

Trainees were drawn from the public and private sectors and across flood, marine, landscape and policy sectors.

The trainers were Bill Sheate, Technical Director of Collingwood Environmental Planning and Reader in Environmental Assessment at Imperial College London; and Peter Philips, Associate RTPI, Senior Consultant at Collingwood Environmental Planning and guest lecturer in environmental planning and research methods at the University of Strathclyde.

Participants fed back that the most useful aspects of the day were, “to be able to put into context how ecosystem services are being used across the industry; and how they are received by / what are the views of the regulators”; and to gain an understanding of “how participatory mapping can support development of ecosystem service assessment particularly in data poor areas.”

If you are interested in developing knowledge in this area and would be interested in attending a training event, please get in touch. We are also interested in to know what you want to learn more about and where you need more training. Get in touch if you have any ideas for training topics on [email protected].



Place Standard tool: ‘How good is our place?’

Example outcome of the Place Standard tool © Place Standard

The Place Standard tool has been developed to help users assess the quality of places. The tool evaluates places by measuring how they perform against a series of 14 criteria, which cover both physical and social elements of a place. It has been developed in partnership by Scottish Government Architecture & Place, NHS Health Scotland and Architecture & Design Scotland.

The tool is free to use and works by asking users to answer 14 questions. Prompts are provided to help users answer questions and facilitate discussions. When all the questions have been answered, the results are shown in a simple spider diagram, allowing users to see the strongest and weakest aspects of their place.

The Place Standard tool can be used to evaluate places that are well-established, undergoing change, or are still being planned. The assessment can allow users to consider all the elements of a place in a methodological way. It can also help people determine which elements are the highest priority in their place, which are the assets, and inform where there could be improvements.

The tool is designed to be accessible for everyone to use, whether this is communities, the public sector, third sector or private sector. It can used at a range of scales, from whole towns to neighbourhoods, in urban or rural areas. Different people and groups will use the tool in different ways and for different purposes. However the tool allows different groups to work together across sectors and boundaries in a methodical and consistent way.

Further resources

• The tool can be found at: http://www.placestandard.scot/#/home



Strathard – a landscape to live, work and play

Lendrick Hill and Dam Walk, Trossachs © Jim Barton

The Strathard Community Partnership are launching a new initiative which seeks to engage local people in the benefits and challenges of their landscape. The Strathard Community Partnership covers an area around the Trossachs, stretching westwards from Braeval to Inversnaid taking in the communities of Aberfoyle, Kinlochard, Inversnaid and Stronachlachar.

The initiative, called ‘Strathard - a landscape to live, work and play’ is a collaborative initiative that aims to capture the views of everyone who interacts with the area. During 2016 local residents, visitors, landowners and local businesses will be encouraged to say what they think are the benefits, environmental challenges, resources, and important factors of visiting, living and working in the Strathard landscape.

The initiative will also foster closer working relationships between agencies, visitors, land owners, local businesses and the community. This collaborative approach will influence how the land, forest and water within the Strathard area is managed.

The initiative is engaging people in two ways. Firstly, an online survey is collecting responses from people that live and work in the area and those that are visitors. It seeks to find out what people value most from nature and the different habitats in Strathard. The results will be used to help protect and improve the Strathard landscape. Secondly, people can contribute using an online interactive map, which collects information on specific locations. The Map-Me tool uses satellite maps and allows users to ‘paint’ areas in response to questions about what they value and why, and what they’d like improving. The results will be used to improve land and water management plans.

Further resources

• The Strathard - a landscape to live, work and play webpage: http://www.thecommunitypartnership.org.uk/project/strathard-a-place-to-live-work-play/



Book Review

The Ecology of Everyday Things – Mark EverardCultured Llama Publishing, 2015

Review by Rosie Walls, an intern at the Ecosystems Knowledge Network over summer 2016

As implied by the title, Mark Everard’s book explains the environmental origin of an array of ‘things’ we use and require in daily life. Refreshingly positive, he doesn’t overemphasise our environmental crisis (though comments that this is important). Instead, he presents a ‘celebration’ of the environment. He uses everyday objects to illustrate the principles of the ecosystem approach. Whilst not explicitly referring to it, Everard subtly suggests that an awareness of our dependencies on ecosystems is extremely important. Consequently the ecosystems narrative is suitably simplified, and the book invites a larger audience beyond already converted environmentalists.

Each ‘everyday thing’ has its own chapter. Here, not only is the importance and use of the ‘thing’ explained, the detail of its history, story, journey and culture is also referred to. For instance, he investigates the political significance of tea and its beneficial properties; the value of rice as a sign of deep respect; and the origin of cotton. The abundance of fascinating facts about ‘everyday things’ that pepper the text may, for some, make this quick and easy read and simply a reminder of what one already knows. However, in an era of serious concerns about people being disconnected from nature, many may find it enlightening with regard to our ecological reliance. In fact ‘The Ecology of Everyday Things’ might be a good resource for anyone trying to convince others of the importance of the environment to people.

This informative and interesting body of facts serves as a strong baseline for the overarching argument about how we depend upon nature. This being said, there is no harm in simply being grateful or aware of our ‘rootedness in nature’ and, in fact, recognising this may lead to the much required safeguarding of the environment.

the uk national ecosystem assessment five years on · 2016-08-18 · the uk national ecosystem...

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