New tools developed to capture the full value of nature
26 Jun 2014 04:26 PM
UK researchers provide new
information and tools to help decision-makers in Government, local authorities,
land managers and businesses to understand the wider values of our ecosystems
and what they offer us. In 2011 UK National Ecosystem Assessment (UK NEA)
concluded that the natural world and its ecosystems are important to our
wellbeing and economic prosperity. Yet they have been consistently undervalued
in conventional economic analyses and decision making.
The UK National Ecosystem
Assessment Follow-On (UK NEAFO) project was commissioned to address this
problem. The project has developed a range of tools for decision makers to make
use of the research from the UKNEA and has carried out new research to
understand and capture the shared cultural values of the natural
environment.
Our interactions with natural
spaces can be experienced in a number of ways; we might take a stroll in a
woodland or picnic with friends in a park. Previously it has been difficult for
land managers to capture what value people place on these experiences outside
of the monetary value.
This new research found that by
using a range of approaches we can understand the strength and depth of
feelings that people hold about a natural space. By understanding an
individual’s spiritual connection, identity and the aesthetic values that
they place on nature, land managers will be able to have much fuller picture of
the total value of the decisions that they make in financial terms and the
value that people place on these decisions.
The findings and tools developed
from the UK NEAFO project provides a useful resource for policy-makers and
practitioners with advice on which methods and tools are best for a given
situation, how they should be used, and in which combination.
Natural Environment Minister
Lord de Mauley said: “This has been a truly productive partnership with
the Research Councils. A healthy and resilient natural environment underpins
our economy and wellbeing. This research is an important step forward in our
efforts to reflect the value of nature more widely in
decision-making.”
The UK NEAFO has been a
collaborative effort between the Department of Environment Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Economic
and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Natural Environment Research Council
(NERC) and the Welsh Government.
For further
information:
Notes to
editors
- The main report and background
technical reports for each work package will be published and can be found at
the UK National Ecosystem
Assessment website.
- The Arts and
Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funds world-class, independent
researchers in a wide range of subjects: ancient history, modern dance,
archaeology, digital content, philosophy, English literature, design, the
creative and performing arts, and much more. This financial year the AHRC will
spend approximately £98 million to fund research and postgraduate
training in collaboration with a number of partners. The quality and range of
research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social
and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the
UK.
- The ESRC funds research into the
big social and economic questions facing us today. We also develop and train
the UK's future social scientists. Our research informs public policies and
helps make businesses, voluntary bodies and other organisations more effective.
Most importantly, it makes a real difference to all our lives. The ESRC is an
independent organisation, established by Royal Charter in 1965, and funded
mainly by the Government.
- NERC is the UK's main
agency for funding and managing research, training and knowledge exchange in
the environmental sciences. Our work covers the full range of atmospheric,
Earth, biological, terrestrial and aquatic science, from the deep oceans to the
upper atmosphere and from the poles to the equator. We co-ordinate some of the
world's most exciting research projects, tackling major issues such as
climate change, environmental influences on human health, the genetic make-up
of life on Earth, and much more. NERC is a non-departmental public body. We
receive around £370 million of annual funding from the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).