Aonachadh: integrating biodiversity and finance
Lead Research Organisation:
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Department Name: Cryptogamic Plants and Fungi
Abstract
Aonachadh (un-ach-A) is gaelic for coming together, for two faces of a mountain that meet to form a uniting ridge. Building on and expanding an existing network of over 280+ organisations, we will bring together a wide range of stakeholders interested in investable biodiversity uplift projects. We will develop methods for creating standardised, accessible, and verifiable data, metrics and tools for voluntary biodiversity markets, and co-create research questions and a programme of work that can lead to a common framework for data gathering and business models and community engagement methods acceptable to supply-side projects as well as demand side investors.
Research activity will enable us to come together in workshops and working groups to collaboratively co-create research questions, and then share, discuss and learn from lessons emerging from biodiversity uplift pilot projects engaging with voluntary markets in Scotland.
Our research network - of established and emerging projects, financiers and policy makers - will contribute to NERC's Nature Positive Future programme from the unique context of Scotland, which is experiencing unprecedented increases in land values alongside a land reform agenda that seeks to deliver benefits from biodiversity markets for local communities. Scotland's place-based approach to ecosystem market development provides a unique opportunity to understand interactions between biodiversity, finance and society and what this means for environmental and economic resilience. Recent and ongoing work from the core team, and established connections with UK stakeholders and channel partners Ecosystems Knowledge Network and the Green Finance Institute, means we can initiate a quick start for more results and impact.
Research activity will enable us to come together in workshops and working groups to collaboratively co-create research questions, and then share, discuss and learn from lessons emerging from biodiversity uplift pilot projects engaging with voluntary markets in Scotland.
Our research network - of established and emerging projects, financiers and policy makers - will contribute to NERC's Nature Positive Future programme from the unique context of Scotland, which is experiencing unprecedented increases in land values alongside a land reform agenda that seeks to deliver benefits from biodiversity markets for local communities. Scotland's place-based approach to ecosystem market development provides a unique opportunity to understand interactions between biodiversity, finance and society and what this means for environmental and economic resilience. Recent and ongoing work from the core team, and established connections with UK stakeholders and channel partners Ecosystems Knowledge Network and the Green Finance Institute, means we can initiate a quick start for more results and impact.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Christopher Ellis (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | Biodiversity and nature finance case studies, developed over a year between projects on the ground and their private funders. We researched, discussed with the community and presented three examples of biodiversity regeneration projects working with nature finance, including Lauriston Farm, Highlands Rewilding's Beldorney Estate and RSPB's Glencripesdale Reserve. See: https://vimeo.com/850859980 and https://vimeo.com/825026630. Key learnings were that similar ecological data were collected for baselining biodiversity, and digital sensors and methods were useful and comparable. All projects added significant social value through their work with the local communities the projects were hosted within. |
| Exploitation Route | The case studies explain business models which other nature based projects on the ground can replicate with private funders. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI6T-IsBXW |
| Description | The case studies have impacted the land management and nature-based project development sector, by providing "How to..." guidance, and exemplars of best practice with regard to economic and social value that restoration projects can provide. Our findings are impacting the public sector by highlighting real issues that policy interventions and grants can help with, for example encouraging new ideas for payments for ecosystem services, and governance frameworks to ensure their high integrity - these have been passed on in the form of policy briefings to The Scottish Government (http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/3384) and contributing to the British Standards Institute's Investment Integrity Standards (https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/capabilities/standards-services/the-nature-investment-standards-programme). The private sector has benefited from the video and written case studies indicating where nature based projects can create revenues from investments, and what data they can expect from on the ground projects to verify impacts. The third/voluntary sectors, gain the benefit of the "How to..." content in the video and written case studies, guiding best practice in project set-up and development, especially to show societal benefit. Challenges we overcame to achieve this impact include building close relationships with each of the three diverse case studies - the teams with the projects, and their investors. This established trust, and encouraged an openness to sharing experiences and data. Within academia, we are just drafting the outputs now, these will take longer to get to publication. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic Policy & public services |
| Description | Building Baselines for Terrestrial Biodiversity: calibration and testing of eDNA for the biodiversity of temperate rainforest |
| Amount | £60,700 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2024 |
| End | 09/2027 |