Biodiversity and the provision of multiple ecosystem services in current and future lowland multifunctional landscapes
Lead Research Organisation:
RSPB
Department Name: Conservation Science Department
Abstract
Please refer to Lead Research Organisation Application
Planned Impact
Please refer to Lead Research Organisation Application
Publications

King H
(2017)
Biodiversity and cultural ecosystem benefits in lowland landscapes in southern England
in Journal of Environmental Psychology

McGinlay J
(2017)
Do charismatic species groups generate more cultural ecosystem service benefits?
in Ecosystem Services

Ridding LE
(2018)
The importance of landscape characteristics for the delivery of cultural ecosystem services.
in Journal of environmental management
Description | In aggregate, the papers flowing from this collaborative work have made an important contribution to our understanding of the role of biodiversity, and specific elements of biodiversity, in underpinning the cultural ecosystem services that people derive from lowland landscapes. |
Exploitation Route | Our findings contribute to a growing volume of research addressing the importance of biodiversity in underpinning human wellbeing which, for a membership-based conservation organization, is useful in nuancing how we talk about biodiversity to different audience segments. |
Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Environment Healthcare Leisure Activities including Sports Recreation and Tourism Government Democracy and Justice |
Description | Our findings have contribute to a growing volume of research addressing the importance of biodiversity in underpinning human wellbeing which, for my membership-based conservation organization, has been useful in developing the nuancing around how we talk about biodiversity to different audience segments. |
First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
Sector | Environment,Other |
Impact Types | Cultural |
Description | Cross-disciplinary working to help further the development of the understanding of the role of biodiversity in generating cultural ecosystem services. |
Organisation | Cranfield University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | As a team, we are wrestling with how to assess the impacts of land-use decisions on cultural ecosystem services, and their relationship to biodiversity change. As a biologist and conservationist, my role has been to help consider appropriate metrics of biodiversity. |
Collaborator Contribution | The Cranfield team bring a wealth of social science experience to the partnership, introducing me to approaches for eliciting human preferences and measures of well-being. |
Impact | This multi-disciplinary work, involving me (ecologist/ornithologist/conservationist), economists and other social scientists has produced its first output - a paper on cultural ecosystem services derived from lowland agricultural settings, submitted to the Journal of Environmental Psychology. This paper has been through one set of revisions and is still under review. Three other papers are being prepared, two of which are close to submission. |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | Cross-disciplinary working to help further the development of the understanding of the role of biodiversity in generating cultural ecosystem services. |
Organisation | UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | As a team, we are wrestling with how to assess the impacts of land-use decisions on cultural ecosystem services, and their relationship to biodiversity change. As a biologist and conservationist, my role has been to help consider appropriate metrics of biodiversity. |
Collaborator Contribution | The Cranfield team bring a wealth of social science experience to the partnership, introducing me to approaches for eliciting human preferences and measures of well-being. |
Impact | This multi-disciplinary work, involving me (ecologist/ornithologist/conservationist), economists and other social scientists has produced its first output - a paper on cultural ecosystem services derived from lowland agricultural settings, submitted to the Journal of Environmental Psychology. This paper has been through one set of revisions and is still under review. Three other papers are being prepared, two of which are close to submission. |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | help with TESSA CES module |
Organisation | Cranfield University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We convened a workshop to develop a cultural services module for a new ecosystem services assessment toolkit (TESSA) |
Collaborator Contribution | Dr Helen King (BESS post-doc, Cranfield University) kindly helped with the workshop, bringing her unique knowledge to the table |
Impact | CES module tested in 3 field projects and incorporated in new version of TESSA for release in summer 2017. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Wessex-BESS stakeholder workshop to communicate project results to practitioner audience |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | circa 15 professionals (mainly from the conservation sector, but with representation of other sectors) attended a bespoke workshop of the Wessex-BESS project, to cascade to them the scientific results of the project in an accessible way, in the hope that this information (on the wider public benefits of ecosystem management) would inform their own advocacy for the benefits of nature-friendly land management approaches. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |