Cultural Ecosystem Services

Ecosystems Ecosystems News Knowledge Network Issue 12 • Spring 2016

Cultural ecosystem services

In this Issue Heritage and cultural ecosystem services Towards a framework for cultural ecosystem services in Scotland Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area 8-point Plan for England’s National Parks New experience of payments for ecosystem services ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 1

Contact Bruce Howard, Network Co-ordinator Web: http://ecosystemsknowledge.net Email: [email protected] Phone: +44 (0) 333 240 6990

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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 has received 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.

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Cover photo: Man Paragliding at Uffington White Horse © iStock 000020563192 ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 2

Contents

Welcome 3

Cover theme - Cultural ecosystem services

Introduction: Cultural whatsits? 4 Feature: BESS programme applying cultural ecosystem services 7 Feature: Heritage and cultural ecosystem services 10 Feature: Towards a common framework for cultural ecosystem services in Scotland 15

Project Proﬁ le: Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area 19

News: 8-point Plan for England’s National Parks 24

News: Online ‘Tool Assessor’ resource to be launched late April 2016 25

News: New experience of payments for ecosystem services 26

News: Second Scottish Land Use Strategy published 28

News: WWF put natural capital at the heart of economic policy 29

News: Green Infrastructure Challenge Fund for Scotland 30

● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 3

Welcome! Cultural Ecosystem Services Welcome to Ecosystems News. This newsletter is one of the ways in which the Ecosystems Knowledge Network shares news, perspectives and know-how among its members. A special welcome if you are new to the Network. We are a growing UK-wide network for people that are putting the environment at the heart of decision-making. We are driven by the ecosystem approach, a framework for considering the environment as a system and recognising the services that nature provides. If you’re not yet a member, do sign up on our website. It’s free! In each issue of this newsletter we focus on a theme that is important in applying the ecosystem approach. This time around we’re considering cultural ecosystem services, one of the four categories of ecosystem service. My colleague Bruce Howard provides an introduction to this theme on the next page. We believe that sharing our members’ project experiences is key to helping others learn. In this issue we profile the North Devon Nature Improvement Area. This project is an encouraging example of what can be achieved in a short space of time in terms of engaging local communities to gather views of what the environment means to them. As ever, we include a round-up of news. This includes the publication of the Scottish Land Use Strategy for 2016 to 2020, one of an increasing number of policy documents that reinforce the value of the ecosystem approach. First and foremost, the Network is for sharing know-how about managing the environment as an asset for people. Please keep us up to date with projects that you would like to share and activities that you would like us to run. You can find details of our upcoming events at: http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/about/events/future

Roisin O’Riordan, Project Officer ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 4

Cultural ecosystem services: introduction Cultural whatsits? Cultural ecosystem services might seem like a mysterious and specialist topic. Here Bruce Howard, Network Co-ordinator at the Ecosystems Knowledge Network, provides an introduction to the key ideas behind the term. In everyday language, it is rare for words relating to culture and ecology to be found side by side. Put the word ‘services’ after ‘cultural’ and ‘ecosystems’ and it is hardly surprising that confusion – and disinterest – result. We need to know what it means for the way we think. We need to know what the implications are for the diverse array of professions represented in the Ecosystems Knowledge Network, from public health to permaculture. While language fails us, the idea behind cultural ecosystem services gets to the heart of the relationship between people and their environment. Throughout the UK our landscapes are shaped by cultural values. Arguably, ecosystems have people at the very centre. Ecosystems are, after all, systems. It is as impossible to keep people out of them conceptually as it is physically. ‘Cultural ecosystem services’ is one of four categories of ecosystem service identified in the UK National Ecosystem Assessment. The existence of a separate category for all things ‘cultural’ is indicative of the natural science origins of the term ecosystem service. When we stop to think about it, surely nearly all of the services provided by the environment in the UK are influenced by culture to some extent. For instance, food production – a key provisioning service – is the result of centuries of social, cultural, technological and historical factors.

“Cultural ecosystem services is not an isolated category for understanding people’s relationship with their environment. It gets to the heart of the relationship between society and the environment within which it exists.”

The UK National Ecosystem Assessment Follow-on Project addressed the topic of cultural ecosystem services with considerable depth, building on a chapter in the original 2011 report. In particular, it considered cultural ecosystem services as both: • outdoor spaces, such as parks and beaches, within which people interact with the environment; and • cultural practices, such as exercise and play, that define interactions with the environment. According to the Follow-on Project, both spaces and practices shape and reflect cultural values about the environment. ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 5

List of cultural ecosystem service categories from the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) This understanding of cultural ecosystem services puts people centre stage in the understanding of all ecosystem services. The UK NEA Follow-on Project highlights the need for a participatory approach to assessing cultural ecosystem services. It identifies the benefit of producing maps with communities to enable them to deliberate the cultural significance of the environment. The logic of the ecosystem approach is that people should be at the centre of any assessment of the environment. A cultural view of ecosystem services is an essential part of the ecosystem approach.

So what? Cultural ecosystem services is a topic that will fuel much research and debate. While this goes on, what can people do with the term and all the research around it? What does it mean for local authorities, the Wildlife Trusts or for the rural surveyor? • Don’t do the ‘cultural bit’ separately. Services such as ‘recreation’ and ‘health benefits’, are often labelled as cultural ecosystem services. They should be considered alongside the myriad of other benefits provided by the environment. Tools such as EcoServ-GIS (see our website for details) allow this to happen by mapping the human need for cultural services such as access to nature and educational opportunities; as well as the need for other types of ecosystem service. • Put people at the centre of assessing all ecosystem services. Allow time to understand an environment through the eyes of people who live, work and play there. There is a chance to be innovative in how this is done, from involving local arts groups to making use of mobile phone apps. Local projects provide a rich source of ideas on how this can be done. Cultural ecosystem services is not an isolated category for understanding people’s relationship with their environment. It gets to the heart of the relationship between society and the environment within which it exists. It gets to the core of the ecosystem approach. Cultural ecosystem services is perhaps just one term that helps us on a journey towards a more inclusive and integrated way of looking after the spaces and places that are our environment. It is a journey that many ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 6 readers of Ecosystems News have been on for decades, and one that will become even more important into the future. The rest of this newsletter continues to explore the theme of cultural ecosystem services. It includes articles on an Scottish Natural Heritage common framework for cultural ecosystem services in Scotland; a perspective on heritage and cultural ecosystem services; and an update on the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme’s work on cultural services.

Further resources For information on EcoServ-GIS and other tools see our Tool Assessor page http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/resources/tool-assessor Church et al. (2014) UK National Ecosystem Assessment Follow-on Work Package Report 5: Cultural ecosystem services and indicators. UNEP-WCMC, LWEC, UK. (This has been helpfully synthesised by two of the authors, Rob Fish and Andrew Church, into three pages within an edition of Environmental Scientist, the Journal of the Institution of Environmental Sciences. See https://www.the-ies.org/resources/uk-national-ecosystem

Dr Bruce Howard is Network Co-ordinator at the Ecosystems Knowledge Network. ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 7

Cultural ecosystem services: features BESS programme applying cultural ecosystem services

Laura Harrison from the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability Programme introduces ongoing research that helps to apply the cultural ecosystem service idea.

BESS-F3UES meadows © Helen Hoyle The Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) research programme is working to understand the role of biodiversity in underpinning the delivery of ecosystem services at a landscape scale. It is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council. The programme involves over 200 researchers, with a strong emphasis on natural and social scientists working together. BESS researchers are as likely to be found talking with people as measuring water quality or surveying insects. Two examples relevant to the Ecosystem Approach are the Urban BESS Meadows Experiments and visitor experience in the Dark Peak Nature Improvement Area.

The Urban BESS meadows experiment highlights the “benefits, challenges and barriers that face Local Authorities” - Anna Jorgensen, BESS researcher

The BESS F3UES project (which stands for fragments, functions, flows and urban ecosystem services) is looking at how biodiversity in towns and cities contributes to wellbeing. One aspect of their cultural ecosystem services research has involved creating perennial meadows with Bedford and Luton Local Authorities. The meadows have different mixes of species and mowing regimes. ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 8

Understanding how conservation interventions impact visitor experience © Debbie Coldwell People who use and manage these urban green spaces were asked about their responses to the different types of meadow using questionnaires, focus groups and interviews. Rather than asking people to respond to drawings, this ‘real world’ approach has allowed a more in-depth exploration of preferences and impacts on wellbeing. It has also highlighted the benefits and challenges for Local Authorities who might wish to increase urban biodiversity and consider cultural ecosystem services.

“There is a real buzz around working in this field” - Debbie Coldwell, BESS and Moors for the Future partnership researcher

PhD student Debbie Coldwell has been working in the Dark Peak Nature Improvement Area to understand how conservation interventions impact visitor experience. Conservation managers can have understandable fears of negative reactions from visitors to ambitious, large-scale conservation work, such as replacing conifer plantations. Debbie’s research includes whether providing information and ensuring access might avoid any negative impacts on cultural ecosystem services. ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 9

“Cultural ecosystem services might be seen as the Cinderella of the ecosystem services approaches because we have difficulty defining and valuing them…but probably difficult or impossible to do without” - BESS workshop participant

Some of the other cultural service challenges that BESS consortia and projects are tackling include: • Understanding shared values and spiritual services; • Valuing ecosystem services and bringing both monetary and non-monetary values into decision- making; • Exploring cultural services in the Wessex region and developing indicators; • Investigating connection with nature through garden bird feeding; and • Moving from what we understand at a site level to a whole landscape scale.

Further resources You can find out more about BESS research at www.nerc-bess.net The F3UES project http://bess-urban.group.shef.ac.uk/ F3UES video http://bess-urban.group.shef.ac.uk/meadow-plantings-the-video/ Dark Peak Nature Improvement Area http://www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk/dark-peak-nia-0

Dr Laura Harrison is the Knowledge Exchange and Engagement Fellow for the BESS Directorate at the University of York. Laura would like to thank BESS researchers Dr Anna Jorgensen and Debbie Coldwell. ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 10

Cultural ecosystem services: features Heritage and cultural ecosystem services

We asked Jeremy Lake from Historic England for a perspective on heritage and cultural ecosystem services. He helps expand our minds as to the meaning behind cultural ecosystem services and what it means for our landscapes.

Unimproved open hill pasture, scrub woodland and small scale hedged fields, Clent Hills, Worcestershire © English Heritage NMR 27790/029 ‘Culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language’, wrote Raymond Williams,1 referring to the way it is widely used by often distinct and incompatible disciplines. This may seem a rather downbeat way of starting a short article on heritage and cultural ecosystem services, but it goes to the heart of both the problems and opportunities for policy and practice on this issue. Ecosystem services offer a fresh way of considering the benefits offered by our environment, of which cultural services comprises one major theme. The breadth and language of ecosystem services is challenging for those of us who have worked in ‘heritage’, and have developed expertise in protecting, assessing and providing advice on specific buildings, monuments and areas. These fit within the ecosystem services definition of cultural services, and the interdependent ‘ecologies of culture’ examined as part of the AHRC’s Cultural Value Project. Nonetheless, cultural ecosystem services are only one aspect of a broad range of cultural activities and perceptions associated with individual landscapes and places.2 There has been an increasing emphasis on identifying values as a tool for the assessment of heritage assets. This is seen in Historic England’s Conservation Principles, produced to guide its staff and others on best practice, which includes the identification of communal value.3 ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 11

Examples of approaches to articulate the social and economic value of heritage, and what it offers as a framework for activities and a sense of well-being, include Historic England’s Heritage Counts reports. These are published annually on behalf of the Historic Environment Forum4 and The Heritage Index, and are developed by the RSA with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This has brought together over a hundred datasets, from designated heritage assets to local food and drink.5 Whilst being invaluable for realising the opportunities offered by heritage assets, they are of limited use in offering a framework for integrating the historic environment as a whole into ecosystem services. Consider, for example the social and economic value of the marine historic environment, which has only 49 designated sites and even fewer (four) at risk sites.6 There are other problems with language and perceptions. The Office for National Statistics’ information on well-being has the ‘Natural Environment’ as one of ten groups within its National Well-Being Wheel. This includes protected areas but does not consider the wider environment at its hub. Whilst cultural heritage is not identified as one of the measures in these groups it is clearly threaded through other headings such as ‘Where We Live’.7 Despite these issues, there are many opportunities to integrate understanding of the whole historic environment in ecosystem services. Cultural services can be used as a way of binding together and exploring the relationship between provisioning, regulating and supporting services. To paraphrase the European Landscape Convention definition of landscape, ecosystem services arise from the present character, use and perception of all landscapes as they have developed over time.

“Cultural services can be used as a way of binding together and exploring the relationship between provisioning, regulating and supporting services.”

Landscapes are indeed doubly cultural as they reflect millennia of human activity and offer a framework for changing individual and collective perceptions. It follows that new approaches must also look outwards from the ‘historic environment’ field to informing the work of others. An early precedent was set by the drafting of historic profiles for the Countryside Quality Counts project.8 This sought to extend beyond a single ‘historic features’ topic heading, in the same way that the issue of biodiversity runs throughout the historically-driven patterns of woodland, settlement and other themes. The profiles formed the basis of Historic England’s input into Natural England’s revision of the National Character Areas. Historic England are now nearing completion of the GIS mapping of the present historic character of landscape and seascapes as a seamless and interlocking whole, working from broad to narrow definitions such as different types of historic field and woodland. Both can be analysed in relation to other environmental datasets, and have informed a broad range of planning, conservation and enhancement strategies. Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC), which has been developed over 20 years with our partners in county Historic Environment Records, is now being drawn together as a national database with funding from Defra.9 HLC offers a seamless overview of the present historic character of the whole ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 12

Farmsteads in use across the West Midlands - red indicates areas where they make the greatest contribution to housing stock. Over 82% of traditional farmsteads have retained some or all of their historic form; a third of these remain in agricultural use. © University of Sheffield/ Historic England landscape. It also highlights the special significance and rarity of specific attributes, such as historic orchards and unenclosed rough ground, which now represent a fragment of their 18th Century and earlier distribution in western counties such as Cornwall and Worcestershire. Coherent pre-1800 fieldscapes offer an obvious example of high connectivity potential for wildlife and also for distinct species, such as the Brown Hairstreak butterfly in Worcestershire, which favours distinct areas of hedge. It also shows how areas most affected by boundary loss offer a radically different framework for the integration of wildlife corridors through replanted boundaries than those fieldscapes which have retained a coherent pattern of 17th Century and earlier enclosure. The ‘West Midland Woodland Opportunity Map’ used an understanding of these historic patterns to identify the most appropriate locations for woodland. It sought to enhance connectivity within and steered extensive planting away from the most coherent anciently enclosed landscapes and focused it towards areas which have developed as relatively open landscapes interrupted by blocks of woodland. Another form of Historic Characterisation which has developed in recent years is the mapping of the survival and historic character of all traditional farmsteads. In the West Midlands and south east England their present use has also been mapped. This is offering further insights into how landscapes have developed and also how they are used and valued now. Only a third of the farmsteads in the West Midlands surviving from around 1900 remain in agricultural use (mostly concentrated along the Welsh Borders and in the Peak). Only a tenth are in commercial use, while residential use is associated ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 13 with a high incidence of home-based businesses.10 These are in turn integral to an enormous variety of settlement patterns – from nucleated villages with few houses and farmsteads in the surrounding landscape, to settlement of scattered farmsteads and houses – that have affected the historic pattern of buildings, archaeological remains, fields, woodland and open land. They have also influenced the networks of roads and paths that connected communities to each other and markets further afield.

“No part of the UK is a blank canvas into which development can fit.”

Historic England has also commissioned Peter Bibby of the University of Sheffield, one of the authors of the Rural Urban Classification (last updated using the 2011 census)11, to match these historic patterns of settlement to the modern density and pattern of settlement. He is doing this in order to better understand how settlement patterns have changed over the last 200 years and to offer a framework for varied types of change in the future. This understanding has informed the drafting of a fresh approach now being developed with Worcestershire County Council. This will help local communities identify and plan for their local character, and consider the opportunities to retain and enhance different types of historic habitat within the varied contexts of rural settlement. It follows that there are different scenarios for change within which cultural and indeed all ecosystem services can be applied. These can use an understanding of the whole historic environment and how it is changing as well as our most cherished heritage assets.12 No part of the UK is a blank canvas into which development can fit. It all results from change over thousands of years and offers a framework for creating the next stage of changes that can enhance habitats and places for people to live, play, think and work. The idea of cultural ecosystem services is, therefore, the starting point for entry into the world of understanding how culture has shaped our rich and diverse natural heritage. Cultural ecosystem services should be far more than a simplistic classification of things that are not ‘ecological’ in the traditional sense of the word.

Further resources Countryside Quality Counts www.cqc.org.uk Natural England National Character Area Profiles https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-character-area-profiles-data-for-local- decision-making/national-character-area-profiles Worcestershire Historic Landscape Characterisation http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/worcestershire_hlc_2014/ ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 14

References 1 Williams, R (1983), Keywords. Oxford UP, New York 2 For this see Holden, J (2015), The Ecology of Culture, Arts and Humanities Research Council; http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/documents/project-reports-and-reviews/the-ecology-of-culture/ 3 English Heritage (2008) Conservation Principles. Policies and Guidance for the Sustainable Management of the Historic Environment, English Heritage, Swindon. 4 http://hc.historicengland.org.uk/. For social and economic research see also https://www.historicengland.org.uk/research/current-research/social-and-economic- research See also Fujiwara et al. (2014) Heritage and Wellbeing for English Heritage 5 See https//www.thersa.org 6 See https://www.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/social-and-economic- value-of-marine-historic-environment/ 7 http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/HTMLDocs/dvc146/wrapper.html 8 See https://www.publications.naturalengland.org.uk 9 For Historic Landscape and Seascape Characterisation see: https://historicengland.org.uk/research/approaches/research-methods/characterisation-2/ For HLC see Fairclough, G (2003) ‘The long chain: archaeology, historical landscape characterization and time depth in the landscape’, in Palang, H and Fry, G (eds) Landscape Interfaces: Cultural Heritage in Changing Landscapes. Springer, Dordrecht, pp. 295–317; Clark, J, Darlington J, and Fairclough, G (2004) Using Historic Landscape Characterisation. English Heritage and Lancashire County Council, Swindon. 10 See http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/wmidlandsfarmsteads for a study of nearly 30,000 farmsteads across the region. 11 See https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/2011-rural-urban-classification 12 For more on this see Facing the Future, a 2015 report by Historic England’s Historic Environment Intelligence Team at https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/facing-the- future/

Dr Jeremy Lake is the Historic Environment Intelligence Analyst for Resource and Landscape Exploitation across England. He has experience in vernacular architecture, archaeology and historic environment research, initially with the National Trust and in private practice. Since joining English Heritage in 1988 he has contributed to many aspects of policy and practice, and has been part of the Characterisation Team. He contributed to Natural England’s revision of the National Character Areas, building on his collaboration with landscape planners, ecologists and others in the Countryside Quality Counts Project. ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 15

Cultural ecosystem services: features Towards a common framework for cultural ecosystem services in Scotland

We asked Pete Rawcliffe, Head of the People and Places Unit at Scottish Natural Heritage, to introduce their new working paper, which highlights the relevance of cultural ecosystem services to a wide range of organisations.

The Five Sisters of Kintail © Graham Lewis Engaging people, working with nature and seeking multiple benefits – the ecosystem approach is increasingly embedded in policy in Scotland, and is central to the Scottish Government’s Land-use and Biodiversity Strategies. Translating policy into good practice will require the development of planning and land-use frameworks which allow the practical use of the ecosystem approach. But it will also require effort to develop new ways of working which allow the range of services we get from nature to be better understood and valued. This includes the cultural services that nature provides such as recreation, education, art, sense of place and spirituality.

“ …cultural ecosystem services are both diverse and complex in nature because of the social meanings, relationships and values which underpin them.” ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 16

The concept of cultural ecosystem services is a simple one - people need and benefit from contact with nature and the natural environment, and these benefits should be recognised in policy and practice. Nevertheless, cultural ecosystem services are both diverse and complex in nature because of the social meanings, relationships and values which underpin them. While cultural services may be dependent on other ecosystem services, they tend not be to be specifically linked to individual ecosystem or habitat types in the same way that other services are, such as food or flood control. This means they can be difficult to map. In addition, most cultural services are generally not bought and sold in markets, making them particularly challenging to value, at least in monetary terms. Experience suggests that it is proving difficult to integrate cultural ecosystem services effectively into the development of the ecosystem approach. To help develop thinking on cultural ecosystem services, Scottish Natural Heritage has recently published a working paper with the aim of establishing a common framework for applying cultural services in practice in Scotland. One aim of the paper is to establish a common understanding and typology of cultural ecosystem services in Scotland. It also considers issues around data sources and techniques for mapping; valuation and decision-making. The paper was developed with a range of Scottish Government bodies and others, including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, James Hutton Institute, Historic Environment Scotland and NHS Health Scotland. The need to go beyond traditional environmental organisations reflects the need to adopt a broader approach to understanding cultural services, which links strongly to policy areas on health and well-being, the economy and culture. A number of conceptual approaches have been established to aid the understanding of cultural ecosystem services, as can be seen in Table 1. Of most relevance is the work that produced the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Goods and Services (CICES) and the UK National Ecosystem Assessment Follow-On (UK NEAFO).

Table 1. Approaches to cultural ecosystems compared © Scottish Natural Heritage ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 17

The CICES classification provides a commonly used typology of key cultural ecosystem services and introduces the concept of the ’ecosystem cascade’. The UK NEAFO explores the complex relationship between services and the culturally shaped ‘spaces’ and ‘practices’ that generate them. The framework developed for Scotland takes aspects of both these pieces of work to develop a place- based approach to cultural ecosystem services. The framework, detailed further in Table 2, adopts a threefold classification comprising: • specific ‘qualities of place’; • ‘activities and interactions’ which are supported by these qualities; and • ‘benefits’ which result from this which are of most relevance to Scotland. Implicit in the proposed framework is the recognition that it can be less practical to map or value cultural ecosystem services. The challenge is to use proxies more effectively, and to use knowledge about the special qualities of a place that create the setting for the services. A place-based approach is also necessary to allow the important links between nature, history and culture to be better reflected in the consideration of ecosystem services.

“The need to go beyond traditional environmental organisations reflects the need to adopt a broader approach to understanding cultural services…”

The working paper provides links to sources of data and information in Scotland that can be useful when assessing cultural ecosystem services. A range of nationally generated data exist which can inform most ecosystem services projects at the national, regional and community level. However, for local projects this national data will often need to be complemented by local data (local opinion surveys, community workshops etc.). Critically, the framework suggests that data availability per se should not drive the assessment. If information about some cultural services is not available, relies on proxy or incomplete data, then this should be openly acknowledged in decision-making. Rather than “set-in-stone” a framework for cultural ecosystem services in Scotland, the aim of the working paper is to inform new projects and continue to develop in the light of practical experience. Two examples of recent practice, both from Perth and Kinross, are included in the paper. The first is a community-led project which adopted the ecosystem approach to consider landscape change in the Carse of Gowrie, an area of wetland and farmland to the West of Stirling. The second looks at the incorporation of cultural ecosystem services within the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the local development plan for Perth and Kinross. We hope to add more to these examples as we further develop the working paper. ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 18

Table 2. A common framework for developing understanding and use of cultural ecosystem services in Scotland © Scottish Natural Heritage

Further resources The working paper and the tables are available at: http://www.snh.gov.uk/docs/A1882362.pdf 2020 Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity, available at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Environment/Wildlife-Habitats/biodiversity/BiodiversityStrategy Scottish Land Use Strategy 2016 - 2021 (see the article in this newsletter on page 28)

Pete Rawcliffe is head of the People and Places Unit in Scottish Natural Heritage’s Policy and Advice Directorate. This Unit brings to together SNH’s national work on access, biodiversity, greenspace, landscape, recreation, volunteering and learning - how people experience, enjoy, understand, care for, and benefit from, the natural heritage. ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 19

Project proﬁ le An important part of the Ecosystems Knowledge Network is to put a spotlight on local initiatives around the UK that are putting the ecosystem approach into practice. Reconnecting people and nature is at the heart of the approach. Many of England’s Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs) have placed great emphasis on this. In this profile, Lisa Schneidau, manager of the Northern Devon NIA, describes progress so far and some of the challenges ahead.

Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area: community connections

The Northern Devon NIA covers the river Torridge catchment from its source near Hartland to where it meets the Atlantic at Bideford. The NIA is a long-term partnership within the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Devon Wildlife Trust is the lead partner and at least 16 other partners are active contributors including Natural England, the Forestry Commission and the Environment Agency. The NIA covers a deeply rural and sparsely populated area of about 72,000 hectares, with small mixed farms and an increasing number of intensive dairy farms. Since the NIA was launched in 2012, it has delivered an abundance of activity and some impressive outcomes (see the NIA in numbers below). We have also increased our understanding of how to achieve positive environmental change, putting local people at the centre. ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 20

Northern Devon NIA in numbers 5522 ££3.73.7 millionmillion school visits to farms raised in agri-environment grants and nature reserves 4455 volunteers surveying the River Torridge 1150+50+ 228080 monthly through the community events landowners advised, covering Riverfly initiative 21% of the catchment 3366 11,500,500 8811 volunteering hectares of new hectares of habitat restored tasks habitat created.

1155 7 2 parishes started new citizen science sites being considered for environmental projects projects Local Nature Reserve status

Cultural Ecosystem Services Cultural ecosystem services are key to linking local communities to their natural environment. In 2013, the University of Exeter studied cultural ecosystem services in three parishes within the NIA area: Hatherleigh, Meeth and Merton. A questionnaire to residents was issued to identify what they saw as positive and negative aspects of their local environment. The survey was followed by workshops to provide an additional opportunity for people to have their say. Ideas of character, tranquillity and wildness resonated strongly in survey respondents’ understanding of their local environment and why it is valuable to them. Of the respondents, 80% went walking regularly in the natural environment, whilst about three quarters cited bad weather as a restriction (if you know north Devon, this is entirely reasonable). Nearly one in ten respondents associated ‘health’ with their local environment. In contrast, ‘inspiration’ and ‘belonging’ were cited as roles of the environment for the majority (86% and 70% respectively). The landscape of the Torridge river catchment was considered an important environmental asset, even though access to the river was in general viewed as poor. This kind of research involving local people is a vital element of local projects. It has helped the NIA to understand motivations and perceptions of the environment from key local communities (the three parishes). In particular, it helped them to gain an insight into low levels of public access to natural greenspace in what is a very rural landscape. ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 21

Reaching across boundaries Since its inception, the NIA has targeted and delivered an ambitious and varied programme of community outreach activities based on three principles: • Understanding: developing and promoting messages and information about the Torridge catchment and its value. • Using: getting people out into the environment. • Undertaking: encouraging direct contribution to the NIA’s efforts through surveys, practical work and research. As shown by the numbers above, numerous projects involving people have arisen from the work of the NIA. It has been common in these projects for farmers to work with the wider community leading to new and stronger community connections.

“ It has been common in these projects for farmers to work with the wider community leading to new and stronger community connections.”

The courage to experiment Getting the community involved in projects that explore the environment in a more unusual way has been successful in helping people engage with nature. It has provided a way of highlighting what the environment gives us, and has shown that cultural ecosystem services play a central role in a landscape- scale project in which people are also key. Beaford Arts is a rural arts initiative that has developed numerous projects exploring the community values of the Torridge environment. One such project was the Concert for Norwegian ice musician Terje Isungset in the town of Appledore. In this concert, the composer played on ice chimes made from water from the River Torridge as well as the ice horn he brought with him. ‘The Bureau of Extraordinance Survey’ was a community theatre piece by local artists Burn the Curtain, where families were invited to make the stage as a model of their own parish. ‘The Common’, consisted of dialogues that explored the ways in which adults view and value the natural environment, shaped from interviews with local people. The results were challenging and thought-provoking. ‘The Common’ also toured to other NIAs across England. Devon Wildlife Trust’s recent purchase of an old clay quarry at Meeth has brought another opportunity for new audiences. The long distance Tarka Trail runs through this site, and leads to new possibilities for the cycling sector. These are not ‘usual’ environmental projects, and they develop the reach of the ecosystem approach. We have learned a great deal about people’s curiosity and sometimes frustration with the landscape in which they live, as well as attracting new audiences to look at the world a little differently. ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 22

The challenge ahead Defra funding for NIAs finished in March 2015. All twelve original NIAs across England are pursuing their vision through different project and funding routes. This requires significant investments in development time from project partners. One year on, Northern Devon NIA has four environmental projects underway. The Phase 2 Business Plan, which runs from 2015 to 2020, has identified health and wellbeing projects as a priority for action, however no fundraising approach for this work has yet been successful. Our action within local communities at present is very limited. We hope in the next two years it will be able to develop.

“Community connections are not just about what your landscape does for you; but, crucially, what you can do for your landscape.”

Ultimately, we aim for a greater sense of ownership and longer-term commitment to wildlife from the people we work with – achieving a joined-up approach within the community, as well as across the land itself. Community connections are not just about what your landscape does for you; but, crucially, what you can do for your landscape. ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 23

Further Information Northern Devon NIA www.northerndevonnia.org

Lisa Schneidau is the Northern Devon NIA Manager at Devon Wildlife Trust. She has a background in ecology, land management advice, advocacy, project development and management and leadership, working within the Wildlife Trusts partnership. Outside her day job, she is also a professional storyteller specialising in stories about the land and nature. Contact: [email protected] ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 24

News 8-point Plan for England’s National Parks

An 8-point Plan to protect, promote and enhance England’s National Parks has been set out by Defra, Natural England and the Environment Agency in partnership with National Parks England. The plan, which runs from 2016 to 2020, sets out the ambition to put the ten National Parks at the heart of how we think about the environment and manage it for future generations. The Plan highlights ways in which the special qualities found in National Park landscapes underpin economic activity in England, including traditional upland farming, tourism, food and businesses. It prioritises connecting young people to the environment, and aims to increase engagement activities for young people in National Parks. The points made in the plan are set across three key themes, with case study examples provided for each of the eight points. One of the themes, ‘Inspiring natural environments’, focuses on connecting young people with nature through engaging with schools, producing teaching materials and National Citizen Services. Another theme, entitled ‘national treasures’, emphasises access and enjoyment for all from the National Parks by encouraging more diverse visitors and more volunteering. It aims to promote awareness of the landscape and heritage in National Parks by involving more people in the interpretation of the historic environment. It also makes reference to the importance of National Parks for people’s health and wellbeing, encouraging innovative schemes that serve the national health, and recognising the potential that these landscapes have for outdoor recreation and exercise. A strong theme throughout the report is the integrated working that lies at the heart of the ecosystem approach. While focused on the ten English National Parks, the document mirrors the ambitions of ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 25 many other types of initiative working to protect and enhance landscapes across the UK. Further resources • The 8-Point Plan is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-parks-8- point-plan-for-england-2016-to-2020 • England’s National Parks have been conducting self-assessments of how they are incorporating the ecosystem approach. See http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/resources/BiodiversityOutcome1C • Two National Parks featured in the Ecosystems Knowledge Network’s 2015 review of how the ecosystem approach is being applied in the UK. See http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/resources/ review-2015-landscape-scale

Online ‘Tool Assessor’ resource to be launched late April 2016 The Ecosystems Knowledge Network will soon be sharing their work on tools that analyse environmental information such as ecosystem services, natural capital and green infrastructure. This online resource, known as Tool Assessor, will be made available in April 2016 on the Ecosystems Knowledge Network website. With funding from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the Ecosystems Knowledge Network, supported by Jessica Neumann, collected information on 12 tools that analyse data on ecosystem services, natural capital and green infrastructure. This work will be converted to a searchable online database that provides information on the different types of tools available and how they work. The 12 tools are diverse, ranging from those that examine the functions of trees in urban areas to those that focus on the rural landscape and natural features. Some are spreadsheet-based while others use Geographical Information Systems (mapping software). The aim of the Tool Assessor is to create a resource that provides information to help users decide which tools are suitable for their projects. It will provide information on the type of data tools require, tool outputs, costs, skills required to use them, and the types of habitat and context in which they can be used. The Tool Assessor will, with time, grow into an online user community where people can share their experiences of using tools and can learn from one other. This wealth of information and experiences will eventually illustrate which tools are being used most, and which are best suited to different purposes and contexts. Further resources • More information can be found on our Tool Assessor page. This includes information sheets with quick facts about each of the 12 tools. http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/resources/tool-assessor • Recordings of the webinars that informed this work are also available on our webinars page. http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/about/events/webinars • Do you have experience of developing or using a tool designed to evaluate ecosystem service, natural capital and green infrastructure? If so, please let us know at [email protected]. ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 26

New experience of payments for ecosystem services In early 2016, Defra published reports on its third round of Payments for Ecosystem Services pilot projects. Colin Smith, an Economic Adviser at Defra, provides an update and sets out the achievements of the round three pilots.

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) are schemes through which the beneficiaries of ecosystem services pay those who provide them. Since 2012 Defra has supported three rounds of PES pilot projects exploring the potential for PES across England and Wales. As with the previous pilots, the third round of pilots covered a range of habitats and services. Each set out to demonstrate proof of PES in order to build support for developing other self-sustaining funding schemes. The third round of pilots has included notable successes. RSPB’s Energy for Nature scheme in the Somerset Levels is based on converting waste biomass from wetland conservation into marketable bioenergy products, on a landscape scale. As well as providing bioenergy, the scheme will also provide significant co-benefits to biodiversity and reduced carbon emissions. Potential market revenues will depend upon the product (briquettes, biochar or anaerobic digestion) and the scope for economies of scale, but could be as much as £2 million. The pilot also developed a Conservation Biomass Calculator which enables land managers to calculate how much biomass their land might produce, their potential products and the revenues they may generate. The next steps are to test options with different land managers and to appoint a long-term Energy for Nature Co-ordinator to bring about wider participation in the scheme. In the Winford Brook Catchment scheme in South Bristol, Eunomia Consulting brought together groups to develop a multi-beneficiary fund to tackle its various problems. One key problem is that it is a rapid response catchment, which means that it is known to be at risk of flash flooding. The groups ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 27 included Avon Wildlife Trust, Wessex Water, Bristol Water and TLT Solicitors. Bristol Water is seeking to reduce the cost of removing silt from Chew Magna Reservoir downstream. Wessex Water is seeking to avoid nutrient removal costs at their wastewater treatment works. The pilot demonstrated that significant savings were likely through a range of land management interventions. It also developed legal principles for establishing an innovative catchment fund which would coordinate and allocate different contributions from those who benefit from various ecosystem services. A third scheme, the Woodland Trust’s Smithills Natural Enterprise Catalyst, is seeking to use small social and private enterprise to generate new funding sources for the estate for the benefit of the local population. The 600 hectare Smithills Estate is situated on the outskirts of Bolton in Northwest England. The pilot project evaluated various payments for ecosystem service opportunities with local stakeholders. It also scoped initial business concepts for two enterprises, a charcoal-fired food truck (aimed at drawing people to the site and create new cultural connections with the nearby community) and a small-scale wood-share enterprise. Each of these will involve the local community in the estate, as well as generating income. While the other pilot projects were unable to develop feasible PES projects, they nonetheless generated valuable learning. The National Trust Holnicote pilot on Exmoor found that demand was insufficient to sustain a PES scheme for the benefits of natural flood management. It did find however that the Peatland Code and Visitor Giving had future potential. Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s idea for the River Irwell in Greater Manchester highlighted some of the social and institutional factors which make it difficult to set up PES schemes in urban areas. These included the complexities of ownership and the fast pace of development in city centres. All the pilots show that payments for ecosystem services is a flexible concept which is essentially about finding enterprising ways to generate novel income streams for investment in the natural environment. A critical element for success is the role of an ‘intermediary’ between the provider and beneficiary. Further resources • Links to the Defra PES pilot project reports can be found at http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/ resources/programmes/pes-pilots • Further information about PES can be found at http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/resources/tools- guidelines/pes • The Ecosystems Knowledge Network are organising a workshop and field visit to the RSPB Energy for Nature scheme in Somerset on 28th July 2016. If you are interested in participating please email [email protected]. ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 28

Second Scottish Land Use Strategy published

Scotland’s second land use strategy, ‘Getting the best from our land: A Land Use Strategy for Scotland, 2016 – 2021’ was published in March 2016. This Strategy builds on the first Strategy published in 2011, which provided a policy agenda for Scotland for a more integrated and strategic approach to land use. It recognised the benefits we get from land such as underpinning economic prosperity, assisting mitigation and adaptation to climate change and the need to ensure a sustainable future for our land. Progress since the first Strategy has shown the importance of land use for the environment, for the economy and for communities. Pilot projects within the first strategy have featured in Ecosystems Knowledge Network webinars. The Strategy for 2016 to 2021 sets out a goal of long-term, integrated, sustainable land use that delivers multiple benefits for all of society. This central aim of the Strategy remains the same as that of the first Strategy, however it also incorporates the increasing complexity of land matters and the key issues that will impact Scotland from 2016 to 2021. The central aim of the Strategy has had extensive support from stakeholders and is considered to be fit for purpose in providing a strategic direction to guide policy and decision making. The new Strategy focuses on priority activities for the next five years. It includes policies and proposals relating to three themes: policy context, informed decision-making and applying the principles. The policy context sets out how the Strategy fits into wider national policies such as natural resource planning; alignment with planning, marine and economic planning policy; and forestry. Policies that inform decision-making are also set out and focus on data availability for ecosystem service mapping and tools; establishment of regional land use partnerships and development of frameworks; and ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 29 options for land use mediation. The focus for activity on the ground in the next five years is set out under the theme Applying the Principles, and includes policies and proposals on agriculture and agri- environment; urban land use; and upland land use. These policies and proposals will initiate specific projects or ways in which direct change on the ground can happen. Further resources • The land use strategy is available on the Scottish Government website at http://www.gov.scot/ Resource/0049/00497086.pdf

WWF put natural capital at the heart of economic policy

A WWF report published in February 2016 made the case for investing in natural capital as part of the 2016 budget. The report, ‘A Greener Budget: Choices for a Prosperous Future’, highlighted that for the UK to have a resilient economy we need to safeguard the natural asset base on which it depends. The report sets out a series of measures for the 2016 budget that would address the growing risks of environmental degradation, natural resource scarcity and climate change. Whilst the 2016 Budget has been and gone, this report makes a strong case for investing in natural capital. The measures set out in this report aim to put natural capital at the heart of economic policy and aim to incentivise action to restore natural assets and prevent risks that jeopardise the UK’s future prosperity and wellbeing. The report highlights the economic costs of failing to manage environmental impacts, describing mismanagement of river catchments (such as loss of upstream wetlands and trees, and river canalisation) ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents ecosystemsknowledge.net Ecosystems News • Issue 12 • Spring 2016 • Page 30 as being a major contributing factor to flooding. It cites the winter 2015/16 floods as causing £5 billion worth of damage. Soil degradation is also cited as a key problem, costing the economy £1.2 billion a year in England and Wales through impacts on carbon emissions, flooding, water quality and reducing agricultural productivity. Four key recommendations for action are set out, one of which includes promoting the protection and improvement of natural capital. This includes a ‘natural capital stress test’ to identify risks to the UK economy; requirement for a section on natural capital in future budget reports; and a natural capital investment strategy as part of the government’s 25 year plan for Nature. Also included in the recommendations is the establishment of a business-focused Natural Capital Task Force to identify how the private sector can contribute to natural capital goals. Additional recommendations focus on the themes of decarbonising the UK economy and driving investment in low-carbon industries; developing a sustainable, thriving UK bioeconomy; and promoting a more resilient and sustainable UK financial system. Further resources • The report is available at http://www.wwf.org.uk/news_feed.cfm?7812/Chancellor-must- address-billion-pound-costs-of-neglecting-the-environment

Green Infrastructure Challenge Fund for Scotland The Green Infrastructure Strategic Intervention is being managed by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) through a competitive Challenge Fund. It will support a number of strategic and transformative Operations with an investment value of approximately £15 million over the duration of the programme. The Strategic Intervention forms part of Scotland’s programme for European and Structural Investment Funds 2014-2020 and aims to: • improve nature, biodiversity and ecosystems; • address environmental quality, flooding and climate change; • involve communities and increase participation; • increase place attractiveness and competitiveness; and • improve health and wellbeing. The first deadline for applications passed on 1 April. Applications are being screened for eligibility and completeness ahead of assessment. We may open for a second round of applications during the summer depending on the total value of applications that are awarded funds. Announcements will be made on the SNH website and Twitter account. Further details can be found in the Blueprint for Green Infrastructure guidance, which describes the vision and the high level outcomes that SNH is seeking to achieve through delivery of the Green Infrastructure Fund. Further resources • For further information on green infrastructure, see the Ecosystems Knowledge Network’s webpage http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/resources/tools-guidelines/green-infrastructure • Blueprint for Green Infrastructure https://www.greeninfrastructurescotland.org.uk/guidance ● Ecosystems Knowledge Network Contents