Ecosystem Services Assessment at Steart Peninsula, Somerset, UK Lia Vieira da Silva September 2012 A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science and the Diploma of Imperial College London DECLARATION OF OWN WORK I declare that this thesis: Ecosystem Services Assessment at Steart Peninsula, Somerset, UK is entirely my own work and that where material could be construed as the work of others, it is fully cited and referenced, and/or with appropriate acknowledgement given. Signature …………………………………………………….. Name of student: Lia Vieira da Silva Name of Supervisor: Robin Welcomme i TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................1 1.1 The Steart Coastal Management Project .....................................................................2 1.2 Study aims and objectives...........................................................................................3 2 BACKGROUND ...............................................................................................................3 2.1 Overview of the valuation of ecosystem services .......................................................3 2.2 Absolute versus marginal change in ecosystem services ............................................4 2.3 Valuing non market impacts in the environment ........................................................4 2.3.1 Total Economic Value .........................................................................................4 2.3.2 TEV and valuation techniques.............................................................................5 2.4 The use of value transfer .............................................................................................7 2.4.1 Flood and coastal erosion risk management context ...........................................8 2.4.2 Value transfer case studies...................................................................................9 2.5 The study site: Steart peninsula...................................................................................9 2.5.1 Context of Steart peninsula and Steart village.....................................................9 2.5.2 Road and footpaths ............................................................................................11 2.5.3 Power lines.........................................................................................................11 2.5.4 Land use and nature conservation importance...................................................11 2.5.5 Flood risk ...........................................................................................................11 2.5.6 Importance of intertidal habitat to the Severn Estuary ......................................13 2.5.7 Description of the project...................................................................................13 3 METHODS ......................................................................................................................15 3.1 Methodological framework.......................................................................................15 3.1.1 Environmental baseline......................................................................................16 3.1.2 Qualitative assessment .......................................................................................16 3.1.3 Quantification of impacts...................................................................................18 3.1.4 Economic valuation of changes in ecosystem services......................................18 3.2 Steart ecosystem services assessment in the context of previous research studies...19 ii 4 RESULTS ........................................................................................................................20 4.1 Environmental baseline.............................................................................................20 4.1.1 Current main ecosystem types ...........................................................................20 4.1.2 Current significant ecosystem services..............................................................21 4.2 Qualitative assessment ..............................................................................................22 4.3 Quantification and economic valuation of changes in ES ........................................27 4.3.1 Food ...................................................................................................................27 4.3.2 Climate regulation..............................................................................................30 4.3.3 Water regulation.................................................................................................32 4.3.4 Water purification and waste treatment .............................................................33 4.3.5 Recreation and tourism ......................................................................................34 4.3.6 Education ...........................................................................................................35 4.3.7 Soil Formation ...................................................................................................36 4.3.8 Primary Production ............................................................................................37 4.3.9 Nutrient cycling .................................................................................................37 4.3.10 Water cycling.....................................................................................................38 4.3.11 Photosynthesis....................................................................................................38 4.3.12 Provision of habitat............................................................................................38 4.4 Summary results........................................................................................................41 5 DISCUSSION..................................................................................................................42 5.1 Key outcomes............................................................................................................42 5.1.1 Efficacy of the ecosystems approach.................................................................42 5.1.2 Economic benefits of the Steart Costal Management scheme ...........................42 5.1.3 ‘Winners and losers’ and spatial scale of ES provision.....................................43 5.2 ES and economic benefits in the context of previous studies ...................................43 5.3 Research gaps and opportunities for further research at Steart.................................45 5.4 Learning beyond the scheme.....................................................................................46 5.4.1 Recommendations for improved sustainability and public value......................46 5.4.2 Stakeholder engagement ....................................................................................46 5.4.3 Economic values in policy-making....................................................................47 5.4.4 Funding opportunities and constraints...............................................................47 iii REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................48 APPENDICES .........................................................................................................................53 Appendix A - The MA classification of ecosystem services and examples ........................53 Appendix B – Valuing ecosystem services: TEEB and UK NEA conceptual frameworks 54 Appendix C – Economic techniques for valuation of ecosystem services ..........................55 Appendix D – Review of meta-analyses valuation studies for wetlands.............................58 Appendix E – Selecting relevant studies under the value transfer approach.......................60 Appendix F – Existing and future agriculture income potential at Steart............................67 Appendix G – Methodology used in Luisetti et al. (2011) to estimate fish production values ...................................................................................................................................70 Appendix H – Potential future number of visitors to Start beyond 2016 ............................71 Appendix I – Specification of wetlands environmental economic values derived from Brander et al. (2008) meta-analyses ....................................................................................72 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2-1 Total Economic Value framework (taken from Defra, 2007)................................5 Figure 2-2 Techniques for monetary valuation (taken from Defra, 2007) ..............................6 Figure 2-3 Steart location plan...............................................................................................10 Figure 2-4 Designated nature conservation areas at Steart Peninsula ...................................12 Figure 2-5 Steart coastal management project.......................................................................14 Figure 2-6 Steart peninsula land use change (current and future scenarios) .........................14 Figure 3-1 Methodological framework of Steart ecosystem services assessment study .......15 LIST OF TABLES Table 2-1 Economic valuation evidence from wetlands studies..............................................8