Participatory Mapping of ‘Sense of Place’: Essex

Simple tools for assessing the value of nature Alison Smith Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford Valuing Nature Network Conference, Cardiff, 12-13 November 2018 Rapidly growing places, e.g. Bicester…

1950 2031

Non-monetary Using scores to Opportunity Monetary value value assess change mapping • Land cover • GI-Val • NCPT • Scores and rules score maps • BEST • Eco-metric • EcoServ-GIS • Participatory • iTree • Green factor • ANGSt maps • CAVAT scores • Participatory • Social media • ORVal maps (Flickr photos) • Network mapping Land-cover score matrix • Scores from 0 to 5 for each ecosystem service • Derived with stakeholders in Warwickshire • Refined using literature review of >700 papers

Ecosystem services

IntensiveCrops

Regulating(

Food provisionFood

Sense of Place Sense of

Water WaterSupply

Microclimate

Flood Flood

Cultural ( Cultural

PestControl

Climate

Urban Food Urban

Soil Erosion Soil

Air Quality Air

Intellectual

Pollination

Recreation

Aesthetic

Livestock

Wildness

Spiritual

Habitat

Noise

Purif’n

Prot’n

Reg

av ) Habitat ) Broad-leaved woodland 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.5 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.5 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 0.0 2.0 0.5 2.0 2.0 4.8 4.9 Broad-leaved plantation 4.5 4.0 3.0 3.0 4.0 4.0 3.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 4.0 3.8 Coniferous plantation 3.0 2.5 1.5 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 2.5 3.5 5.0 5.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 3.4 2.7 Dense scrub 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.5 3.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 3.0 0.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 3.3 2.5 Acidic grassland 3.5 4.5 3.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.0 5.0 2.0 1.5 1.5 3.0 4.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 2.5 3.0 2.7 4.2 Neutral grassland 4.0 4.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.0 5.0 2.0 1.5 1.5 3.0 4.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 2.5 3.0 2.7 4.2 Calcareous grassland 3.5 4.5 3.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.0 5.0 2.0 1.5 1.5 2.5 4.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 2.5 3.0 2.7 4.2 Improved grassland 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.5 2.5 1.0 0.0 1.5 0.0 5.0 1.5 5.0 1.1 1.3 Marsh/marshy grassland 3.0 4.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 3.5 5.0 2.5 1.5 2.0 4.0 4.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.5 3.0 3.5 3.0 4.0 Tall ruderal 1.5 2.0 1.5 2.5 2.0 2.0 5.0 4.0 4.0 3.0 2.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.5 2.5 1.5 2.7 1.9 Dry heath 3.0 4.5 4.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 3.5 5.0 2.5 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.5 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.5 2.0 2.5 2.8 4.3 Standing water 4.0 5.0 5.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 2.5 2.0 5.0 2.5 1.0 1.5 3.5 0.5 2.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 5.0 1.0 2.1 4.7 Arable 1.0 1.0 0.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.5 1.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 5.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 5.0 0.9 0.9 Amenity grassland 3.0 1.0 1.0 0.5 3.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 2.5 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 1.3 1.6 Bare ground 1.0 1.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 3.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.7 0.4 Hard surfaces 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Base map

© Crown Copyright and database right 2018. Ordnance Survey 100018504 . This map incorporates biodiversity data supplied by the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) which is copyright to TVERC and/or its partners Regulating services (average of all ten)

ES Score

Development areas

Aesthetic value Participatory mapping of ‘sense of place’: Essex

Cressing Temple medieval Dedham Vale – garden Constable country

Saffron High Woods Waldon Park – views to Colchester Castle Hatfield Forest Wivenhoe Transition Town

Mersea Island and Maldon estuary - atmospheric

Lea Ministry of Valley Epping Chelmsford: Defence area: Forest capital of Roman limited access Empire Hanningfield reservoir Participatory mapping Street survey * Library drop-in week * Focus group * App

Garth Park is always Fantastic for wildlife - … the small filled with locals and has has been left wild and playgrounds are a a friendly atmosphere. unmanaged - perfect! lifeline for single People stop for a chat – [Male, 65+, mums… [Female, there’s a sense of Skimmingdish Lane 45-64, Avon community balancing pond] Crescent] [Male, 18-24]

136 people 550 responses There is a lovely 64 green spaces We do an estate natural view 'playground crawl' - from my house these small spaces are often overlooked by the [Female, 45-64, Gavray meadows is council but we use them Blenheim Drive nice and wild-looking loads! [Female, 25-44] amenity GS] [Female, 45-64]

Data collected and analysed by Helen Mason, MSc student, in 2017 Participatory mapping: 396 benefits of green space

memories making a meaningful contribution local identity - village buffer Local identity local identity heritage Social social connection - inclusion 136 people connection social connection - contact sensory - screening, shelter, security 550 responses sensory - noise buffer 64 green spaces Sensory sensory - fresh air sensory - aesthetic nature connection - wildlife nature connection - urban green 396 benefits Nature nature connection - quality of place 147 barriers connection nature connection - plantlife nature connection - open landscape nature connection - nearby nature learning - education Learning learning - ecological knowledge health - relaxation health - recreation health - physical activity Health health - nutrition health - escape and freedom health - calm and quiet 0 50 100 150 Number of comments Participatory mapping: 147 ‘blocking factors’ e.g. Links Litter Lack of access Loss of green space

No cycle paths on Lots of the smaller It would be good to It doesn’t feel like the roads south, spaces are littered have pedestrian there is much east and west – with glass after the maps - there are weekend – not safe nature left in hard to link up lots of little for the children footpaths but they Bicester anymore green spaces [Female 25-44] are not clear [Male, 25-44] [Female, 25-44] [Female, 65+] 100 80 Benefits 60 Blocking factors 40 20 0 Bicester East Bicester Bicester West Bicester Bicester Bicester Bicester and Launton Town South East South West Central North and and and Caversfield Ambroseden Chesterton Analysing Flickr photos for Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull

230,000 publically available geotagged Flickr photos in Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull

Excluded ‘urban’ habitats (but included urban green spaces) -> 80,911 photos

Random sample of 5,737 were classified 1,937 were relevant Flickr photo hotspots showing cultural ecosystem services in Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull Ladywalk nature Kingsbury Water Park reserve (single user) Hotspots Hawkes End (single user) •Rivers and canals •Lakes and wetlands Brueton Park, •Woodlands with public Brandon woods and Solihull access Brandon Marsh •Historic buildings in an attractive outdoor setting: Kenilworth Warwick Castle, castle Kenilworth Castle, Midland Cross-country Stratford-upon-Avon Championships •Country parks •Urban parks /green space Warwick castle and Hampton-in- Leamington Spa •Nature reserves Arden lakes •Recreational events: Charlcote Park cross-country Stratford-upon- championship Avon •Single-user clusters Which habitats are most popular for photo-taking?

Below-average 25.00 Above-average photo density photo density

20.00 19.2 15.4 15.00 12.9 12.5

10.00 8.1 8.0 7.9 6.1 4.5 4.2 5.00 3.3 3.1 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.3 2.1 1.0 0.6 Photos/ha divided by average divided by Photos/ha 1 0.5 0.2 - Proximity of photos to different landscape features and photo density (red line = average density)

100% 0.14 90% 0.12 80% Wood 70% Water 0.10 AllUrban 60% BigUrban 0.08 50% Mway 0.06

40% nonMway photo density photo % of total photos total of % 30% River 0.04 20% Main River 0.02 10% Main Wood Path or track 0% 0.00 0 100 200 300 400 500 0 100 200 300 400 500 metres from feature metres from feature Participatory mapping of ‘sense of place’: Essex

Cressing Temple medieval Dedham Vale – garden Constable country

Saffron High Woods Waldon Park – views to Colchester Castle Hatfield Forest Wivenhoe Transition Town

Mersea Island and Maldon estuary - atmospheric

Lea Ministry of Valley Epping Chelmsford: Defence area: Forest capital of Roman limited access Empire Hanningfield reservoir Participatory mapping of ‘sense of place’: Essex Single user Flickr photos cluster Cressing Temple Dedham Vale – Aesthetic medieval Constable Species garden country Recreation Intellectual

Saffron High Woods Waldon Park – views to Colchester Castle Hatfield Forest Wivenhoe Transition Town

Mersea Island and Maldon estuary - atmospheric

Lea Burnham on Valley Epping Chelmsford: Crouch Forest capital of Roman Hockley Woods and Empire Hanningfield reservoir Cherry Orchard Park Conclusions Strengths Limitations Land-cover Quick Generic – don’t account for scores Cover full range of ES local conditions Visual Based on expert judgement Participatory Local stakeholder input Based on limited numbers of mapping Rich narratives people (but can reach more using apps) Flickr photos Shows actual delivered Not so good for some ES e.g. benefits recreation Good for many cultural Limited demographic (Flickr ES users, public photos) Can inform scoring Have to interpret reason for method photo being taken Combine tools to assess uncertainty and improve the robustness of the assessment Thank you. Feedback welcome... [email protected]