NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE UK A REPORT BY THE BRITISH ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE UK: A REPORT BY THE BRITISH ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY This report was edited by: Rick Stafford, Bethany Chamberlain, Laura Clavey, Phillipa Gillingham, Sarah McKain, Mike THE BRITISH Morecroft, Camilla Morrison-Bell and Olly Watts. The author lists for the report are provided at the start of each chapter and acknowledgements can ECOLOGICAL be found at the end of the report. SOCIETY Suggested report citation: Stafford, R., Chamberlain, B., Clavey, L., The British Ecological Society is Gillingham, P.K., McKain, S., Morecroft, M.D., the largest scientific society for Morrison-Bell, C. and Watts, O. (Eds.) (2021). ecologists in Europe. We are working Nature-based Solutions for Climate Change towards a world in which nature in the UK: A Report by the British Ecological and people thrive, and we do this by Society. London, UK. Available at: www. supporting new ideas, increasing the britishecologicalsociety.org/nature-based- impact of our science and being an solutions inclusive home for everyone in ecology. If citing an individual chapter, please list the Our policy work brings together the chapter authors and contributing authors, best ecological evidence available chapter title, report title and year, editors, and develops recommendations to publisher location and page numbers of the chapter. aid effective policymaking. Ecology is providing the evidence we need to halt losses in nature and mitigate the effects Contact details: of climate change. This is crucial for Email: [email protected] our world and for our wellbeing and Address: British Ecological Society Policy Team, prosperity. 42 Wharf Road, London, United Kingdom, N1 7GS Copyright © British Ecological Society and authors, 2021 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where noted on certain images. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 Cover image: Motion Aptitude Ltd. 2 Nature-based solutions in the UK FOREWORD We live in a time of immense environmental This report by the British Ecological Society challenge and opportunity. There is a pressing makes a valuable contribution to this agenda need to stabilise our rapidly changing climate by providing an authoritative review of the within a few decades and also to halt and potential of NbS in the UK. It examines a range reverse the precipitous decline of so much of the of ecosystems and land uses and also looks at natural world and its biodiversity, while at the wider considerations of what it would take to same improving the lives of many who live in deliver nature-based solutions at sufficient scale, deprivation and poverty. Yet there is new and including policies and potential trade-offs. It real momentum in attempting to address these draws on the collective expertise of around 100 challenges at levels ranging from international contributors with a wide range of expertise, and national policy through to bottom-up and is a wonderful example of how the broad actions by cities, civil society, local communities ecological community of academia, research, and landowners. In the UK, as in many other civil society and practice can pool its expertise countries, the COVID lockdowns have led to and insights to make an important contribution new appreciation of how important local nature to this timely and pressing issue. This report is to our individual and collective wellbeing. was written based on the expertise of the The desire to “build back better” after the BES membership community; the authors and COVID pandemic, together with a radical new reviewers are largely academics from the field of rethinking of land use policy and incentives, has ecology, as well as scientists and practitioners led to a burst of interest and creative thinking from statutory agencies and NGOs. about how the landscapes and ecosystems of When thinking of NbS, tree cover and woodland this biodiversity-depleted country can be better restoration tends the get the limelight, but, managed to facilitate biodiversity recovery importantly, this report shows how an NbS and contribute towards addressing climate approach can apply to a wide variety of change, while also providing for the welfare and ecosystems ranging from high peatlands to livelihoods of local communities grasslands, heathlands and agricultural and The concept of nature-based solutions (NbS) urban environments, through to freshwater, to climate change encapsulates this new coastal and marine systems. It also highlights opportunity and synergy between the climate that it is important not to focus on carbon change, biodiversity and societal agendas. For sequestration as the only goal, as this can this report we employ the definition of NbS as result in negative biodiversity outcomes such solutions that “work with and enhance nature as monoculture plantations, or tree planting on to mitigate or adapt to climate change while species-rich natural grasslands or heathlands. simultaneously providing benefits to biodiversity and people”. Nature can be our ally in tackling both climate change mitigation and adaptation, through processes such as carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, flood risk reduction, ecologically connected landscapes and better urban environments. british ecologicalsociety.org 3 The second part of the report looks at broader issues around the implementation of nature- based solutions in the UK, such as what policy, governance and finance frameworks, as well-as systemic change, are needed to deliver these solutions at sufficient scale while also engaging effectively with local communities and other stakeholders. Nature-based solutions need to deliver for societal and human wellbeing as well for nature and climate. Given the expertise of members of the BES, this report focuses mainly on the biodiversity and climate change aspects, while fully acknowledging the equally important benefits of NbS to people’s health and wellbeing. A big thank you to the all the contributors for their dedication, hard work and insightful contributions, and to the British Ecological Society Policy Team for their convening and Yadvinder Malhi, Wytham Woods © Debbie Rowe production of this report, and skillful navigation and synthesis of the many complex issues that it covers. I truly believe it will be a landmark in setting the agenda and scientific and policy framework for the roll-out of nature-based solutions in the UK, and thereby to our collective aspiration to build a vibrant, resilient and resurgent natural world and stable climate in which our society and communities can thrive. Professor Yadvinder Malhi CBE FRS President-Elect, British Ecological Society 4 Nature-based solutions in the UK TITLENATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE UK: A REPORT BY THE BRITISH ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY CONTENTS FOREWORD 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 INTRODUCTION 13 SECTION 1: HABITAT SPECIFIC NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS: A REVIEW OF THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE. CHAPTER 1: WOODLANDS 24 CHAPTER 2: HEATHLANDS 38 CHAPTER 3: PEATLANDS 49 CHAPTER 4: GRASSLANDS 62 CHAPTER 5: ARABLE SYSTEMS 74 CHAPTER 6: FRESHWATER SYSTEMS 89 CHAPTER 7: COASTAL AND MARINE SYSTEMS 107 CHAPTER 8: BUILT ENVIRONMENT 121 SECTION 2: EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION AND DELIVERY OF NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS. CHAPTER 9: EMBEDDING NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS IN STRATEGIC SPATIAL PLANNING 135 CHAPTER 10: DELIVERING NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS 151 CHAPTER 11: ECONOMIC VALUATION AND INVESTMENT OPTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS 162 APPENDICES 1. TABLE OF CHAPTER SUMMARIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS 174 2. RESEARCH GAPS IDENTIFIED IN THE REPORT 183 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 191 british ecologicalsociety.org 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION Nature-based solutions (NbS) address societal and provide economic benefits, in terms of problems in ways that benefit both people and monetary value and job creation. Despite the huge nature. The main focus of this report is the range of benefits NbS have, they should be seen as joint role of NbS for addressing the climate and complementary to other climate and conservation biodiversity crises we currently face. Natural actions, not as a replacement to them. habitats act as NbS for climate if they sequester This Executive Summary provides five key themes carbon (contributing to Net Zero targets) or provide which emerge across the report, across the adaptation to climate change effects (for example, multiple habitats and multiple NbS studied. Six reducing flooding, protecting coastline against ‘priority’ habitats for NbS are given at the end of sea-level rise or creating cool spaces in cities). As the summary. However, we emphasise that all well as these climate benefits, they can enhance habitats covered in the report can act as NbS and biodiversity, create improved and more resilient all can play a role in addressing the climate and ecosystem functioning, enhance human wellbeing biodiversity crises. FIVE OVERARCHING THEMES: NbS can also help us to adapt to climate change, 1. NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS not least in reducing flood risk and protecting coastal communities from rising sea levels and FOR CLIMATE AND NATURE storm surges. Many ecosystems, including rivers, NbS enable nature to help resolve the problems wetlands and woodlands, are themselves vulnerable of climate change, both in reducing atmospheric to climate change, and action will be needed to greenhouse gas concentration and adapting