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Ecosystems Knowledge Network

Ecosystems News Issue 11 • Winter 2015

Tools for the job

Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA)

EcoServ-GIS

The Llŷn Partnership

Childhood obesity in West Yorkshire

Making connections in Belfast

In this Issue

ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 11 • Winter 2015 • Page 1

Ecosystems Knowledge Network●

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Contact

Bruce Howard, Network Co-ordinator

Web: http://ecosystemsknowledge.net

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +44 (0) 333 240 6990

This newsletter has been designed for screen viewing and ebook readers. Ecosystems News is available in PDF and ebook formats. Use the navigation arrows alongside the contents page in the PDF to go to the relevant articles.

The views expressed in Ecosystems News are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily those of the Ecosystems Knowledge Network team. Ecosystems News welcomes new contributions but can assume no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations.

The Ecosystems Knowledge Network is operated as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered with the Charities Commission for England and Wales (No. 1159867) and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (No. SC045732). It receives funding contributions from Defra, the Natural Environment Research Council (through the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability Programme) and Scottish Government.

The Network is a resource for anyone wanting to share knowledge or learn about the practical benefits of the ecosystem approach. We draw together experience from the UK and elsewhere to help organisations understand how the ecosystem approach can help us build sustainable communities. The Network provides the expertise and experience of a growing UK-wide active community.

Opportunities to get involved

There are lots of ways to participate in the Network, which is free to join.

The best starting point is http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/join where you will find links to:

● register as a Member and tell us what the Network can do for you;

● a form to propose an activity that is aligned with the aims of the Network (limited practical and financial assistance is available to support these activities); and

● contact us with details of a relevant project, tool or scheme that will be of interest to other members.

Cover photo: AdobeStock_85579642 © 4Max - Fotolia

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http://ekn.defra.gov.uk



Contents

Contents

Editorial 3

Cover theme - Tools for the job

Perspective: ‘Tools’ for ecosystem service assessment 4

Feature: National Ecosystem Approach Toolkit (NEAT Tree) 8

Feature: Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA) 9

Feature: EcoServ-GIS 13

Project Profile: The Llŷn Partnership 17

News: Childhood obesity in West Yorkshire 22

News: Investing in a Green Infrastructure for London’s future 23

News: Connecting people and their environment in South Wales 24

News: Mapping nature’s services in the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel 26

News: Making connections in Belfast 27

News: River catchment partnerships focus on urban areas 28

News: Surveying the ecosystem approach at the landscape scale 30



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Editorial

Tools for the jobWelcome to this next issue of Ecosystems News. You are reading it alongside many others across the UK and beyond who are part of the growing Ecosystems Knowledge Network. Our membership includes a real mix of people from park rangers to public health specialists, and estate managers to environmental engineers.

In this issue, we feature several ‘tools’ for managing information about the connection between the environment and society. It is a vast topic – not least as the term ‘tool’ and ‘toolkit’ has become a catch all for so much. It is a theme we will return to over the coming year as many are now seeking ways of turning the talk of natural capital and ecosystem services into better outcomes for places around the UK. If there are tools you find useful, do let us know.

As ever, we include a round-up of news. We also hear from an initiative that is linking landscape, the marine environment and local communities on the Llŷn Peninsula in Wales.

http://ecosystemsknowledge.net

Bruce Howard, Network Co-ordinator



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Tools for the job: perspective

‘Tools’ for ecosystem service assessmentSteve Smith, a Technical Director at multi-disciplinary consultancy AECOM, keeps a close eye on what support is available to make the links between the environment and society. We invited him to provide us with a perspective on the tools available to help with the ecosystem services assessment process.

What’s needed?

The emergence of the ecosystem services agenda and, more recently, the natural capital concept has been accompanied by the development of a range of so-called decision-support ‘tools’. In common parlance, the terms ‘tool’ and ‘toolkit’ are used to refer to something that makes a complex task more tractable. Ideally, they should render the task easier and cheaper. When it comes to appraising natural capital and ecosystem services, we need to understand that tools and toolkits are not just about techniques taken off the shelf to process data and return a simplistic answer. Any problem concerning the relationship between people and their environment requires those involved to have the right mind set and to initiate good dialogue with their partners and the public. Hence, guidance on stakeholder engagement can be regarded as a tool or toolkit as much as something that performs complex mathematical calculations.

In this article, I have focused on support for a process known as ‘ecosystem services assessment’. This involves:

• Identifying the natural capital and ecosystem services associated with a specific spatial area generally on the basis of the broad habitat types present, including those that are ‘natural’ and ‘man-made’.

• Establishing the beneficiaries of the identified ecosystem services; these will likely include local people but also people further afield in the case of services such as water quality regulation and globally in the case of climate regulation (carbon storage and sequestration).

• Determining the values that the beneficiaries attach to the ecosystem services from which they benefit. These values can be expressed qualitatively, quantitatively or potentially on a monetary basis.

• Assessing the impacts of the decision under consideration (e.g. a new policy or proposed project) and any alternatives on the flow of ecosystem services to beneficiaries and consequently their wellbeing (NB the assessment may also reveal dependencies, for example, a project’s reliance on the continued flow of a certain ecosystem service).

• Identifying measures to mitigate any adverse impacts on beneficiaries resulting from a disruption in the flow of ecosystem services and/or measures to enhance the flow of services where possible.

• Reflecting assessment findings including mitigation and enhancement measures in the relevant decision-making process (e.g. in the Strategic Economic Plan for a Local Enterprise Partnership area, the Strategic Environmental Assessment of a Local Development Plan or the Environmental Impact Assessment for a new development).

What’s available?

A wide range of tools have emerged that can assist with one or more of the stages in an ecosystem services assessment. The things we call ‘tools’ can take a variety of forms including guidance documents, checklists, and quantitative models using Geographical Information Systems (computer mapping software).



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Individual tools can perform many different functions including:

• Mapping broad habitat types and, in doing so, identifying the natural capital assets and ecosystem service flows likely to be associated with a specific spatial area.

• Facilitating beneficiary analysis: establishing those individuals, communities or businesses that benefit from identified ecosystem services through establishing the ‘reach’ of those services (e.g. the visitor catchment area for local publicly accessible greenspace or the role the area plays in flood regulation for communities downstream).

• Quantifying the extent of the benefits provided by different ecosystem services and potentially assigning a monetary value to these;

• Identifying mitigation measures to minimise adverse effects on the flow of ecosystem services and enhancement measures to maximise service provision; and

• Providing guidance on the ecosystem services assessment process as a whole and how to integrate this within different decision-making contexts.

Examples of support for ecosystem services assessment

Software applications

• InVEST – Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (www.naturalcapitalproject.org/invest/)

• i-Tree Eco (www.itreetools.org/eco/)

• Land Utilisation and Capability Indicator (LUCI) (www.lucitools.org/)

• ARIES – Artificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services (www.ariesonline.org)

• Eco-SERV GIS (http://arcg.is/1HFLHHv)

• Co$ting Nature (www.policysupport.org/costingnature)

Identifying and selecting methods

• Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-Based Assessment (TESSA) (http://tessa.tools/)

• Ecosystem Service Mapping Gateway (www.nerc-bess.net/ne-ess/)

• National Ecosystem Approach Toolkit (NEAT) (http://neat.ecosystemsknowledge.net/index.html)

• An Introductory Guide to Valuing Ecosystem Services (www.gov.uk/government/publications/an-introductory-guide-to-valuing-ecosystem-services)

• Biodiversity Planning Toolkit (www.biodiversityplanningtoolkit.com/default.asp)

• Ecosystem Services Assessment: How to do one in practice (www.the-ies.org/sites/default/files/reports/ecosystem_services.pdf)

• Ecosystem Services Review for Impact Assessment (ESR for IA) (www.wri.org/publication/ecosystem-services-review-impact-assessment)

• Talking About Our Place (SNH) (http://www.snh.gov.uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/looking-after-landscapes/communities/talking-about-our-place/)



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Several of the tools in the box above use GIS to map major habitats or land-uses as a basis for identifying ecosystem services. The Ecosystem Service Mapping Gateway developed by the NERC Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BESS) Directorate, with funding from Natural England, brings together information on the growing number of projects focused on mapping ecosystem service delivery at the landscape scale. InVEST uses models based on production functions that define how changes in an ecosystem’s structure and function are likely to affect the flows and values of ecosystem services across a terrestrial or marine area. The models account for both the supply of a service and the location and activities of beneficiaries. LUCI compares the services currently provided by a landscape to estimates of that landscape’s potential capability to deliver a variety of ecosystem services, and uses this information to identify areas where change might be beneficial, or where maintaining the status quo might be appropriate.

Some tools have a particular focus on assessing the relative merits of different options or alternatives. The TESSA tool emphasises the importance of comparing estimates for alternative states of a site (e.g. before and after conversion to agriculture) so that decision-makers can assess the net consequences of such a change, and hence the benefits for people that may be lost or gained through the change. Several tools seek to combine scientific and economic information. InVEST, for example, presents results in biophysical terms (e.g. tonnes of carbon sequestered) or economic terms (e.g. net present value of that sequestered carbon). Other innovative tools include the i-Tree Eco tool which was the subject of a recent Ecosystems Knowledge Network webinar.

“When we open the box labelled ‘cultural ecosystem services’, we encounter an amazing array of links between people, their environment and their heritage.”

Alongside the more technical methods, some more general support is available in the form of guidance on how and why to go about an ecosystem services assessment. For example, the Institution of Environmental Sciences has published ‘Ecosystem Services Assessment: How to do one in Practice’, which will be an invaluable tool to many. Similarly, the World Resources Institute has developed the Ecosystem Services Review for Impact Assessment (ESR for IA) which provides practical advice on how to incorporate ecosystem services throughout environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA).

There is a danger that tools for ecosystem services assessment are focused on things that are relatively easy to measure and categorise – the provisioning, regulating and supporting services. When we open the box labelled ‘cultural ecosystem services’, we encounter an amazing array of links between people, their environment and their heritage. We need to remember that all ecosystem services are culture-bound, but that we don’t yet have the tools to readily assess cultural ecosystem services. Identifying, measuring, analysing and communicating them is very much about involving people, listening, learning and reporting how people see and value the environment around them. This, in turn, suggests that well designed stakeholder engagement should be integral to ecosystem services assessment.

Conclusion

It is evident that a wide range of tools are available to guide and inform ecosystem services assessment.



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Undertaking a robust ecosystem services assessment requires a logical process, arguably some element of stakeholder engagement and, crucially, sufficient data. Furthermore, the assessment needs to be suitably timed and able to actively influence the decision-making process it was designed to inform.

All this raises a series of questions such as:

• How much data are necessary to generate findings in which practitioners and decision-makers can have confidence?

• How far can freely available national data sets take an assessment and what level of bespoke more localised data collection is necessary?

• Who will bear the costs associated with data collection and analysis?

• What technical skills are required to undertake an ecosystem services assessment (bearing in mind the interdisciplinary nature of the field)?

• What level of stakeholder engagement is appropriate?

• What value will the process add relative to business-as-usual (e.g. a ‘standard’ EIA)?

A comparative assessment of decision-support tools for ecosystem services quantification and valuation by Bagstad et al (2013) described 17 ecosystem services tools and rated their performance against eight evaluative criteria that gauged their readiness for widespread application in public-and private-sector decision-making. A key conclusion from the study was that most decision-makers felt that the time and cost requirements of running quantitative ecosystem service models remained too high for the tools to become widely used in decision-making1.

Ultimately, perhaps the best advice is to decide in advance why an ecosystem services assessment might be helpful given the decision-making context and how its findings are likely to be used. In this way, the process, the data requirements and the extent of stakeholder engagement can be carefully tailored to reflect the nature of the decision-making process and the time and resources available for the assessment.

Reference

1 Bagstad, K.J., Semmens, D.J., Waage, S. and Winthrop, R. (2013). A comparative assessment of decision-support tools for ecosystem services quantification and valuation. Ecosystem Services, 5: 27–39.

Dr Steven Smith is a Technical Director at AECOM with over 13 years’ experience in environmental policy and sustainable development. He manages a team of consultants specialising in policy research, environmental economics and strategic appraisal. His areas of specialism include natural capital and ecosystem services, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Sustainability Appraisal and spatial / land use planning.



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Tools for the job: features

National Ecosystem Approach Toolkit - NEAT Tree

NEAT Tree © Alister Scott

The NEAT Tree is an output of the Tools: Applications, Benefits and Linkages for Ecosystems (TABLES) project, conducted between 2012 and 2014 to deliver Work Packages 9 and 10 of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment Follow-On research. The aim was to aid the incorporation of the ecosystem approach in decisions taken by professions involved in both the built environment and natural environment.

The NEAT Tree team, led by Professor Alister Scott of Birmingham City University, used the twelve principles of the ecosystem approach as guidance for selecting, improving and using tools as specific stages of a policy, plan, project or programme. The tools are situated within six stages of a typical decision-making or policy cycle:

Ideas - Survey - Assess - Plan - Deliver - Evaluate

First-time users can use this cycle as portrayed on the NEAT Tree with dedicated sections for those with natural environment, built environment , community or private sector interests . Those with some prior knowledge or that want to know more about specific types of tools can explore the roots of the tree. The Tree includes guidance on the incorporation of ecosystem services in a range of regulatory and incentive based tools covering impact assessment, cost benefit analyses and PES schemes. There are a range of case studies covering local government, planning, Local Enterprise Partnerships and environment with videos to highlight progress that has been made across the UK

The Ecosystems Knowledge Network website now provides a home for NEAT Tree:

http://neat.ecosystemsknowledge.net/tree.html



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TESSA: Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment

The Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA) allows non-specialists to carry out an ecosystem service assessment for a ‘site-based’ area. It was created to make ecosystem service assessment cheaper and less technically challenging. It aims to promote better land use planning decisions. The tool was developed through collaboration across six institutions, academic and NGO, as part of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative. Michael MacDonald, Senior Conservation Scientist at the RSPB’s Centre for Conservation Science, explains how the tool works and where it has been used in the UK.

Ouse Fen. Image © M MacDonald

The motivation behind developing TESSA was the desire to create an accessible tool that could be used with relatively little scientific expertise and without requiring large amounts of resources. It guides the user to help them identify the most significant ecosystem services at their site, how and where best to measure or estimate them; and it also provides information on how to present and communicate the results. It is freely available to download from the BirdLife website (see link at the end of the article).

TESSA was created with an emphasis on practicality. For this reason it does not presume to be able to assess all possible ecosystem services at a site. Currently, TESSA includes modules on five classes of ecosystem service: climate change mitigation, water-related services, harvested goods, cultivated wild goods, and nature-based recreation. Two further modules are under development: cultural services, and coastal protection.



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TESSA has been specifically developed to work on a smaller scale than many ecosystem services tools, a decision aimed at supporting management decisions which are often made at the site scale. There is a strong emphasis on collecting primary data or using site-specific data where possible, and users are guided to measure the marginal differences between potential alternative states arising from different management decisions.

“ The process of carrying out assessments itself has proven to be useful in addition to the results... It has helped to highlight the multiple benefits that people get from nature conservation.”

The tool has been developed by individuals with an interest in conservation, with the goal of informing decision-making by supporting traditional moral or ethical conservation arguments. Therefore, it is expected that the most common users of TESSA will be those working in conservation. However, it can also prove useful to land managers, planning authorities, and other site stakeholders who are interested in generating information to help with decisions about how land and water are used. The process of carrying out assessments itself has proven to be useful in addition to the results gained from the assessment, as it has helped to highlight the multiple benefits that people get from nature conservation.

Where has TESSA been used?

As a founding TESSA partner, scientists from the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science have been involved in developing the tool through application in various projects. In a major EU Interreg-funded project, Restore, we used TESSA to compare the ecosystem services provided by different rehabilitation strategies at mineral extraction sites in northwest Europe. The assessments of two of these sites, Ouse Fen and Fen Drayton, both RSPB nature reserves in eastern England, were published in 2015 (see reference below).

At Ouse Fen, we found that rehabilitation to nature conservation provided a more diverse array of ecosystem services than would be delivered if the site were restored to agriculture, another common post-extraction land-use. At Fen Drayton, we explored the effects of rehabilitating different areas of the site in different ways to better understand potential trade-offs between ecosystem service provision and targeted conservation activity. Areas with a high degree of management intervention for conservation purposes provided good carbon storage and livestock grazing; while areas rehabilitated with less focus on nature conservation were important for greenhouse gas sequestration, fishing, recreation and flood risk mitigation.

The RSPB are also using TESSA at two upland sites in England, Haweswater and Eastern Moors, where conservation friendly management has been implemented for different reasons: to improve water quality at Haweswater, and to improve the visitor experience and access at Eastern Moors.



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Haweswater. Image © M MacDonald

Elsewhere, two managed realignment sites are being assessed, Hesketh Outmarsh on the Ribble Estuary, where realignment has already taken place and more is planned; and the Inner Forth, where realignment is being considered at several sites as part of a strategic vision for the estuary.

At these sites, we are following the approach of TESSA and using a combination of dedicated on-site field data collection (e.g. visitor interviews and counts to determine visit rates in different scenarios), benefits transfer (e.g. greenhouse gas sequestration rates from appropriate habitats), and modelling (e.g. estimating dissolved organic carbon content of water under different land cover). These will be used to estimate the ecosystem services provided by conservation-oriented management compared with alternatives, such as intensive agricultural production. The results of these assessments will be available in the near future.

“ TESSA can be one important tool in the decision-making process and can demonstrate that conserving sites for biodiversity conservation has additional benefits for people”

The results from TESSA can also be useful in demonstrating the effects of conservation management, which can sometimes prove to be important when such management has been controversial or contested. They can also be used as examples of what may happen elsewhere if similar changes were made under similar circumstances. At some RSPB sites in the UK, such as the Inner Forth (Scotland),



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management changes are still under consideration and TESSA results will help inform future decisions. We do not presume that conservation-oriented management will maximise ecosystem service provision in all instances; nor do we claim that a TESSA assessment will replace the need to carry out cost-benefit analyses. However, TESSA can be one important tool in the decision-making process and can demonstrate that conserving sites for biodiversity conservation has additional benefits for people in ways that may not have previously been considered.

Further resources

TESSA can be downloaded free from BirdLife:

http://www.birdlife.org/worldwide/science/assessing-ecosystem-services-tessa

RSPB Centre for Conservation Science:

https://www.rspb.org.uk/forprofessionals/science/

Restore:

http://www.restorequarries.eu/

The Ouse Fen and Fen Drayton ecosystem service assessment paper can be found through open access:

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0121010

Dr Michael MacDonald is a Senior Conservation Scientist at RSPB’s Centre for Conservation Science. He has worked at the RSPB for ten years. His work has included research into the causes of low productivity of wading birds on farmland and measuring the benefits provided by agri-environment schemes. Michael is increasingly involved in research into the link between biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service provision.



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EcoServ-GIS

EcoServ-GIS is a software tool for mapping ecosystem services (things that the natural environment does for people) at the county and landscape scale. It can be used to identify where there is capacity for provision of these services and where there is a need. The current tool was developed by Jonathan Winn whilst at the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Here Jonathan tells us where the tool has been used and provides an update on the latest version.

Ecosystem service benefits included in EcoServ-GIS. © Jonathan Winn

What does the tool do?

The tool generates maps that illustrate both the demand for ecosystem services, and the capacity of the natural environment to provide these services. These can then be overlaid to demonstrate how well demand and capacity coincide spatially. This enables users to identify the areas that have a high level of service provision and should be conserved or protected. It also shows the areas that are most in need of actions to improve single or multiple service provision. These findings are then illustrated through maps of management zones, aimed at maintaining existing ecosystem service provision, and enabling increased provision in areas where there are gaps.

“ The tool currently maps nine regulating and cultural services. Some of these grade greenspaces according to the opportunities they provide for the enjoyment of nature.”

The tool currently maps nine regulating and cultural services. Some of these grade greenspaces according to the opportunities they provide for the enjoyment of nature. Another valuable output of the process is a digital habitat map which can prove useful for landscapes and urban areas that do not have existing habitat mapping. The habitat map can be used to produce automated ecological network maps and to map biodiversity opportunity areas.



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What is needed to run EcoServ-GIS?

EcoServ-GIS requires Ordnance Survey MasterMap data (available in England, Scotland and Wales) to create the analysis. It can also include a range of optional data if it is available. It uses national freely available datasets, and several datasets are supplied with the tool.

The tool has been produced using ArcGIS ModelBuilder and requires ArcGIS Desktop (version 10.2.2). This is a commonly used proprietary computer mapping software. It also requires an advanced level license with the Spatial Analyst extension (these are readily available to charitable organisations under a charity licence scheme). The tool includes a set of pre-formatted ArcMaps which speeds up the dissemination of results. Maps can be easily produced for a number of sub areas within a wider study area, for example, within cities, neighbourhoods or catchments.

To get the best results from the tool locally sourced habitat, open space or green infrastructure data should be included in addition to the datasets provided. It’s also important to allow time for iterative feedback between producing maps and re-running analysis with locally appropriate parameters.

“ Outputs have been used to inform Heritage Lottery Fund Landscape Partnership applications, active travel strategies and route mapping, connectivity conservation planning and the promotion of the wider benefits of nature.”

Where could EcoServ-GIS be used?

The tool is suitable for use by statutory bodies, charities and other organisations that have responsibility for areas of land. Examples include National Park Authorities, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, local authorities, wildlife or conservation groups, or Landscape Partnerships. The tool was designed for use at the county or regional scale (between 1,500 and 5,000 square kilometres). It requires between one and four months of staff time using the Geographic Information System (GIS) ArcMap to create all the mapped outputs for an area of this size.

The tool is more appropriate for use in assessing multiple ecosystem services together, rather than individual ones. Many of the services relate to urban or peri-urban areas. As such, it is currently less applicable in upland landscapes or in regions with few urban areas.

Where has EcoServ-GIS been used?

The tool has been used by Wildlife Trusts, local authorities, researchers and conservation agencies in locations across Great Britain, including Northamptonshire, North Lanarkshire, Sussex, Kent, Essex, Durham, Glasgow, Stirling, the Inner Forth area and Ayrshire. The outputs have been used to inform Heritage Lottery Fund Landscape Partnership applications, active travel strategies and route mapping, connectivity conservation planning and the promotion of the wider benefits of nature.



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Broad habitat classification map, Cumbernauld. © Jonathan Winn

Cumbernauld case study

EcoServ-GIS has also been used in Cumbernauld where it sits within the context of the Central Scotland Green Network and the Cumbernauld Living Landscape initiative. The tool was used to show where green networks were beneficial to the local population and where these green networks were most needed.

In this case, it was used to create a map of greenspaces which was then overlain with built environment data on housing, roads, pathways, and schools. It then matched the data against local population characteristics derived from the census and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. Using this information, the tool evaluated and mapped nine types of benefit provided by Cumbernauld’s green network: air purification, carbon storage, local climate regulation, noise regulation, pollination, water purification, accessible nature, outdoor education and green travel.

An online story map of the Cumbernauld case study illustrates the project through an interactive map with corresponding text. It gives examples of how different ecosystem services are analysed, such as how demand and capacity of air purification is shown spatially, and how management zones can be created to improve air purification where it is needed. The story map is available at:

http://arcg.is/1HFLHHv



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EcoServ-GIS: updated to Version 3.3

Numerous upgrades to the tool have taken place and it now functions across England, Scotland and Wales. The user guide has been updated and parameters have been altered to allow the default settings to be altered by users where local knowledge is available.

Further Information

The tool is free to use or modify, including for commercial use. It can be downloaded at the following link, where an executive summary and user guide explain the tool in more detail.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_v9QO2jyC4eNlVUbzY1UUstZU0&usp=sharing

Dr Jonathan Winn MCIEEM CEnv is a field ecologist, landscape ecologist and ecosystem services analyst. He began his career with the Scottish Wildlife Trust before spending eight years as an ecologist for the Peak District National Park. He spent a year supporting the UK National Ecosystem Assessment whilst at the World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge. During recent work with Durham Wildlife Trust and Scottish Wildlife Trust, he developed EcoServ-GIS. Jonathan holds a PhD in Landscape Ecology. See more at his LinkedIn profile.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanwinnspatial



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Project profileIn each issue of Ecosystems News, we profile initiatives around the UK that are reflecting the ecosystem approach in their work. In this issue, Arwel Jones from the Llŷn Landscape Partnership describes how the ecosystem approach is helping them to take a holistic approach to managing the Llŷn Peninsula. He sets out the activities of the partnership, and tells us what has been happening on the ground.

Managing the Llŷn Peninsula for multiple benefits

Bychestyn Ysgol Glan y mor. © Llŷn Landscape Partnership.

The Partnership

The Llŷn Partnership works at the landscape-scale on the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales. It brings together a number of environmental, statutory, educational and community agencies to collaborate for the benefit of the Peninsula.

The partnership focuses on a wide spectrum of issues that include fishing, nature conservation, heritage and tourism. This wide array of dimensions fits well with the ecosystem approach and enables the project to have a broad reach and to draw in a range of stakeholders. The ecosystem approach is a set of principles for ensuring the integrated and people-centred management of land and water.

The Llŷn Landscape Character Assessment (Burum, 2010) undertaken for the partnership identified projects that could be delivered through the Heritage Lottery Fund. These included the protection of coastal habitats, particularly the heath, coastal grassland and sea cliffs, which are under threat from intensive agriculture, visitor pressure and climate change. A Coastal Connectivity Strategy was created to develop strategic priorities to ensure that these habitats are protected.



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Llŷn Peninsula. © Llŷn Landscape Partnership.

The partnership is one of seven Nature Action Zones receiving funding from the Welsh Nature Fund, with which actions from the Connectivity Strategy now being implemented. The Nature Fund is also being used to develop an aspirational Llŷn Connectivity Business Plan that will set out a work programme for numerous ecosystem approach projects over the next ten years. These projects will extend inside and outside designated sites on land and sea.

The work of the partnership is grounded in the ecosystem approach. The partnership considers the long term economic sustainability of land management, food production and recreation whilst strengthening ecosystems. There is a strong focus on the long-term, a valuable way of working and ensuring that what is being planned and implemented now will be worthwhile and will continue long into the future.

The partnership identified through public consultation that inclusion of local opinions and expectations for the landscape were a crucial part of looking after the peninsula. They noted that the people of Llŷn appreciate the natural beauty of the area, the diverse habitats and land-forms, the industrial heritage, and the Welsh language and culture.

“ There is a strong focus on the long-term, a valuable way of working and ensuring that what is being planned and implemented now will be worthwhile and will continue long into the future.”



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What is the partnership hoping to achieve?

The partnership’s vision for Llŷn is;

“A Landscape of Special beauty and Heritage which evokes pride and support from the community and visitor alike and which is managed and maintained for the benefit of the environment, economy and the community.”

The partnership aims to be an exemplar of good practice for other landscape-scale projects in Wales and other peripheral areas in Europe, illustrating how incorporating the ecosystem approach on a landscape-scale can bring measurable environmental, economic and social benefits to the wider community.

How is the partnership using the ecosystem approach?

The knowledge and experience built up by the Llŷn partnership over the past ten years has meant that they are able to translate the principles of the ecosystem approach into practical actions on the ground.

The partnership’s working model encourages co-production on a local level and nurtures an open and transparent approach to managing land, allowing problems to be solved through negotiation and compromise. This open and collaborative approach also facilitates the inclusion of local knowledge, allowing the partnership to engage, develop and implement practical plans with stakeholders, fostering a positive multi-agency working relationship.

Tyddynnod Rhiw. © Llŷn Landscape Partnership.



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The ecosystem approach places emphasis on the importance of local knowledge. Local people have a strong sense of how a landscape’s characteristics are central to identity, culture and community. The retention of this connection to the natural environment means that there is a common aspiration for safeguarding the Llŷn Peninsula.

The long-term sustainability of projects is also a key consideration of the partnership, aspects of which are again illustrative of the ecosystem approach.

“ By sharing the long-term aims and objectives for the area, more people are involved in the process of achieving a sustainable future for the peninsula and its inhabitants.”

What lessons might other projects benefit from?

The knowledge and experience of the partnership, culture of trust between partners, and positive multi-agency working have facilitated negations between organisations and stakeholders. This open communication has proven to be the strongest element in delivering projects efficiently and seamlessly.

The use of the ecosystem approach has encouraged engagement with the public by using traditional and electronic interpretation techniques. Working with partners in the agriculture, tourism, education and economic sectors and with local communities, the partnership has ensured that end users are included in the projects. By sharing the long-term aims and objectives for the area, more people are involved in the process of achieving a sustainable future for the peninsula and its inhabitants.

Blas y Mor Porthdinllaen. © Llŷn Landscape Partnership.



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Nature Fund Film

To showcase the work carried out through the Nature Fund projects, a seven minute film has been made in Welsh and English. It will provide a legacy to the project work and enable organisations and other projects to see what has been achieved by the Llŷn Partnership (see below for links).

Llŷn Ecomuseum - Ecoamgueddfa

To build on the success of the heritage work undertaken to date by the Llŷn Landscape Partnership, an ecomuseum (Ecoamgueddfa in Welsh) has been created on the Peninsula. Ecomuseums celebrate the identity of a place and are largely based on local participation, with the aim of improving welfare for local communities. The Llŷn Peninsula ecomuseum is the first to be developed in Wales and is one of 200 across Europe. It operates in partnership with seven of Peninsula’s heritage organisations. Its vision is to increase cultural tourism, bringing economic and social benefits to the area (see below for links).

Further Information

Llŷn Landscape Partnership website:

http://www.ahne-llyn-aonb.org/36/en-GB/Landscape-Partnership

Nature Fund film:

Welsh www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xmj6tChoUk

English www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtFUeaK4erk

Llŷn ecomuseum website:

www.ecoamgueddfa.org

Arwel Jones is the Project Manager at the Llŷn Landscape Partnership. He facilitates the development and implementation of projects on the ground. He also works with project partners to develop the capacity and skills within their organisations through practical coaching and training of staff.


●ContentsEcosystems Knowledge Network

News

Childhood obesity in West Yorkshire

Part of an obesity system map taken from ‘Tackling Obesities: Future Choices’ Project Report 2nd Ed. © Government Office for Science, 2007

The initiatives that improve access to the natural outdoors have always been part of our ‘national health service’. Many now believe that they can play a bigger and more tangible part in preventing ill health and promoting good health.

The obesity challenge - is there space for your local initiative?

One way of turning this aspiration into action is to focus efforts on local partnerships to tackle specific health priorities. On 25th November, the Ecosystems Knowledge Network organised a workshop in Bradford on tackling childhood obesity in West Yorkshire. It was organised in partnership with the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare and the South Pennines Local Nature Partnership. There were 30 participants from environmental, education and food initiatives from West Yorkshire, as well as some public health specialists.

Among the expert contributors to the event was obesity expert Professor Harry Rutter. He encouraged participants to understand their place in the complex system that determines obesity. Participants heard that, while there is certainly a role for individual level behaviour change, the choices people make are framed by the environment in which they make those choices. For this reason, there is a need for major changes to the food and physical activity environments.

Professor Rutter also pointed out that while cost-effectiveness arguments can be very powerful tools in attempting to secure funding for improved access to the natural outdoors to tackle health issues there is a need for caution in their use. It is essential to consider the multiple benefits of local nature, of which health is just a part, and not all of which can or should be monetised.



Participants at the Bradford event started to formulate a pilot project that would demonstrate a co-ordinated response to tackling childhood obesity in West Yorkshire through improved access to the natural outdoors. These opportunities range from getting children active through community food growing projects to making the ‘open country’ of the South Pennines more open to urbanites. The Local Nature Partnerships in the area are working together to deliver the leadership and strategic oversight necessary.

A short report and links to selected presentations from the day are available at:

http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/about/events/bradford

Our website contains links to guides and examples on the health benefits of improved access to the environment:

http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/resources/tools-guidelines/health

The Bradford meeting followed a conference in Northern Ireland on linking health, wellbeing and the environment. Presentations from this conference are available at:

http://www.nienvironmentlink.org/news/Health-and-the-Environment

Investing in a Green Infrastructure for London’s future

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park legacy visualisation © Arup / London Legacy Development Corporation

A Green Infrastructure Task Force was established following the publication of the London Infrastructure Plan 2050, which sets out the infrastructure needs for London over the coming decades. Green infrastructure is a term used to describe the networks of natural and semi-natural features that provide benefits to people. These features range from street trees to woodlands, ponds and rivers.

The Task Force has now published its report on London’s green infrastructure, ‘Natural Capital: Investing in a Green Infrastructure for a future London’. The document emphasises that individual features such



as parks and trees should not be considered in isolation, but that green infrastructure forms an integral part of the urban environment and should be considered alongside the roads, rail and pipes upon which the prosperity of the city depends.

The report sets out the following vision:

“A high quality and well-maintained green infrastructure is integral to keeping the city healthy, happy, moving and functioning. By 2050, all neighbourhoods will be able to benefit from, enjoy, and take pride in London’s green infrastructure.”

The vision aspires for better community access and use of green infrastructure for walking, cycling and exercise. It also sets out that green infrastructure will ensure London’s resilience to climate change, and that it will help improve the city’s water and air quality.

The vision also includes an aspiration to use new funding models that are informed by green infrastructure’s key functions; and for decision-makers to recognise that green infrastructure is necessary for high quality of life and sustainable economic growth.

The report makes the case that green infrastructure can help address the socio-economic and environmental challenges that London faces, which require more than simply maintaining and improving the use and aesthetics of London’s green spaces. It considers the multiple roles and purposes of urban green spaces, such as the combined roles of recreation and flood risk management, or heritage and urban cooling. It also considers their configuration, just as would be done for upgrades to other forms of infrastructure.

The report sets out a series of goals for future Mayors to achieve the vision by 2050. This includes clarity on the purpose of green infrastructure, and how it should be governed across an area so large and diverse. It also points to the reframing of the benefits of green infrastructure through the concept of natural capital and natural capital accounting.

The report can be downloaded from the Greater London Authority website:

http://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/environment-publications/green-infrastructure-task-force-report

Connecting people and their environment in South WalesA community consultation project in South Wales has trialled various methods for community engagement in natural resource management. The project, led by Swansea Environmental Forum, was one of several funded by Natural Resources Wales as part of the Tawe Natural Resource Management trial.

The consultation explored natural resource management and the ecosystem services concept through a variety of methods to target a range of different groups of people. Four methods were used including a public survey; community evening events; an interactive website; and a one day conference. The project then assessed both the effectiveness of each method in community engagement and the outcomes of public opinion and priorities for natural resource management.

The results of the public survey suggested that local people easily recognise how the environment benefits them. Respondents had many suggestions for improving the way in which their local environment is managed. There was also a recognition of a shared responsibility amongst organisations and the general public to look after natural resources.



Smart Nature illustration, Swansea © Mike Hill

Attracting people to the community evening events proved difficult, however the techniques used were useful at gathering opinions and ideas. The interactive website – Smart Nature: Beacons to Bay – has attracted interest through its attractive illustration of Swansea. It is, however, too early to determine its success as an engagement tool.

The conference attracted 90 delegates from a range of organisations and communities and demonstrated local projects that are using a holistic, integrated and innovative approach to natural resource management. Workshops on creating a vision and action plan also brought out a substantial amount of information.

The Tawe Trial Consultation report is available from the Smart Nature website:

http://www.smartnature.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/TAWE-CONSULTATION-PROJECT-REPORT.pdf

Smart Nature website:

http://www.smartnature.net

Natural Resources Wales’ Tawe trial webpage:

https://naturalresources.wales/about-us/how-we-work/natural-resource-management-in-the-tawe/?lang=en



Mapping nature’s services in the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel

Shipping Intensity © Plymouth Marine Laboratory

A recent study has considered the social and economic benefits provided by habitats in the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel. The research project was funded by the NERC Marine Renewable Energy Knowledge Exchange Programme, and carried out by Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the RSPB.

The project considered the range of ecosystem services provided by the estuary and Bristol Channel.

It focused on five service categories that are widespread across the project area and of high importance to the region:

• Access for shipping (including the ports of Cardiff and Bristol)

• Carbon storage

• Flood risk management

• Fisheries and habitat for migratory fish

• Archaeology and sense of place

Service provision was mapped to illustrate the most important areas in providing these services. The ecosystem services were then assessed in economic value according to how much they benefit society. For services such as fisheries and ports, assessing the economic value was relatively straightforward. It was more complex however for services where the benefits were not so clear cut, or where there were



multiple beneficiaries. For example, valuation was more complex when assessing the estuary’s role in preventing flooding (and a reduction in the demand for ‘hard engineering’ flood defences); and the slowing of climate change due to the capacity of saltmarsh and mudflats to store carbon.

The research is expected to guide development that balances all the benefits that the estuary and Bristol Channel’s habitats provide, not just those that are easy to value and therefore easier to plan and manage. It highlights the most important services arising from the Estuary, and how the flow of these relies upon the continued maintenance of the natural environment, and the importance of appropriate marine planning.

The project reports can be found at:

http://www.pml.ac.uk/Research/Projects/Ecosystem_service_mapping_in_the_Severn_estuary_an

Making connections in Belfast

Sam Thompson Bridge, Victoria Park © Bruce Marshall

The pioneering Connswater Community Greenway being built across East Belfast is putting the environment at the heart of connecting and reviving communities. The £40 million project involves a 9 kilometre long park from Belfast Lough to the Castlereagh Hills. It is connecting the Connswater, Knock and Loop Rivers with a series of green routes. This includes 16 kilometres of new walking and cycle routes, 26 new or improved bridges, 5 kilometres of restored water courses, and a new civic square at Holywood Arches to be known as the C.S. Lewis Square that will feature seven sculptures based on The Chronicles of Narnia. It will also clean up the rivers including the Connswater River, making it a safer, attractive and more accessible place to visit.



The project is expected to deliver multiple benefits:

• Recreation and health: It has been estimated that 100,000 people in the vicinity of the Greenway may benefit from improved opportunities for physical activity. This includes some of the most deprived communities in Northern Ireland.

• Community: the Greenway design includes space for community events and activities.

• Economy and tourism: The Greenway will improve economic prospects for the area by creating the potential for new jobs, tourism and investment in the areas surrounding the project.

• Flood risk reduction: The Connswater Community Greenway is working in partnership with The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s River Agency to deliver elements of the East Belfast Flood Alleviation Scheme which will help to reduce flooding to 1,700 properties in East Belfast.

The Centre of Excellence for Public Health in Northern Ireland is now conducting a detailed study to determine the impact of the Greenway on promoting physical activity, health and wellbeing. A review of likely health benefits from the Greenway published in 2013 concluded that:

“Although the direct health gains are predicted to be small for any individual, summed over an entire population, they are substantial.”

The Connswater Community Greenway has been developed by EastSide Partnership and is being delivered with Belfast City Council. It is being funded by the Big Lottery Fund, Belfast City Council and the Department for Social Development.

Construction of The Connswater Community Greenway is expected to be completed by the end of 2016. It is envisioned that the entire Greenway will be open 24/7.

For further information on the project see:

http://www.connswatergreenway.co.uk/

Belfast City Council website:

http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/business/regeneration/regeneration-connswater.aspx

River catchment partnerships focus on urban areasThe Catchment Based Approach helps people to understand the key issues facing river catchments, and provides know how on how to involve local communities in making decisions about them.

Catchment Partnerships have been established to work with local stakeholders across England’s river catchments and those that border Wales. They are working to improve water quality and deliver more ambitious River Basin Management Plans prepared for the European Water Framework Directive.

A conference in Birmingham in October showed how projects that are following this approach are delivering benefits in urban areas. The event brought together environmental groups (including those hosting Catchment Partnerships), planners and academics.

The conference was convened by the Catchment Based Approach Urban Working Group, the Defra Urban Ecosystem Services Project (which includes Defra, the Joint Water Evidence Group, and the Westcountry Rivers Trust), and the Susdrain (sustainable drainage) team of Ciria (the construction industry research organisation).



CaBA workshop © Nick Paling

The Catchment Based Approach Urban Working Group aims to champion the Catchment Based Approach in urban areas as well as provide support to Catchment Partnerships. This includes helping Catchment Partnerships to build capacity and engage with stakeholders, funders and businesses; and raising awareness of partnership work in the urban environment.

A ‘Show and Tell’ session involving a range of initiatives illustrated how the approach is being put into practice in urban areas. This included:

• The Environment Agency’s Street Trees Demonstration Project, which is seeking greater use of street trees and tree pits to manage surface run-off and remove pollutants from surface water.

• Lewisham Council’s project at Ladywell Fields, where the green space was transformed to make the river more visible, increase access and safety, and improve biodiversity.

The workshop sessions during the event included discussions on the tools that urban groups can use to manage the urban water environment, the benefits of partnership working, and how to observe and measure the outcomes of projects in urban areas.

For more information on the event see:

http://urbanwater-eco.services/conference-urban-benefits/



Surveying the ecosystem approach at the landscape scale

Applying the ecosystem approach at the landscape scale © Ecosystems Knowledge Network

The ecosystem approach is a set of principles to guide the planning, design and management of land and water for the benefit of society. It can be applied at a wide variety of spatial scales and settings, ranging from local neighbourhoods to international marine areas.

Ecosystems Knowledge Network has recently published a review of how the ecosystem approach is being applied across some of the UK’s most treasured landscapes. The land areas that people view as ‘landscapes’ are a logical setting in which to apply the ecosystem approach because they are determined by a combination of historical, social, cultural and environmental factors.

The findings show that the ecosystem approach is reinforcing existing good practice in how land, water and nature are managed at the landscape scale. This includes helping local people to communicate their values for the landscape and ensuring that projects are delivered in accordance with a long-term vision. The approach is also helping to define new good practice. An example is the way that some landscape scale initiatives are working to influence spatial plans and development plans for local areas.

A set of challenges for greater application of the ecosystem approach were identified by the review, together with ways of overcoming them. The responses include, for example, the provision of guidance on how existing readily accessible data can be used to provide new angles on how people value nature across a landscape area.



The report is available at:

http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/resources/review-2015-landscape-scale

See also a report from National Parks England for insight into how the ecosystem approach can be applied at the landscape scale:

http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/resources/BiodiversityOutcome1C

The Ecosystems Knowledge Network is planning to undertake additional reviews of how the ecosystem approach is being applied in different settings. Send us your ideas via [email protected]

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