Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Multifunctional Landscapes
Cultural Services
Biodiversity-supported cultural ecosystem services
​
This work package is led by Anil Graves at Cranfield University
and explores biodiversity, cultural services, and well-being
across agricultural landscapes, considering the intensive-
restoring-ancient grassland gradient, species richness of
key groups and charismatic species (e.g. skylarks). Particular
focus will be on landscape, nature conservation, recreation,
heritage and sense of place and belonging.
​
The following hypotheses will be tested:
H1. Species richness and abundance is positively associated with BSCS.
H2. Relative values for BSCS vary between residents and non residents.
H3. Certain species and landscape configurations correlate with increased BSCS and may be cultural service indicators.
​
The research will involve a series of workshops with different stakeholder groups in the Wessex region, in order to understand variation in preferences regarding biodiversity-supported cultural ecosystem services. An online questionnaire and face-to-face survey of residents and visitors will also be carried out. Finally, a detailed survey of farmers will be conducted, in order to understand how land managers trade off one biodiversity option against the other and against equivalent amounts of income, and how these vary according to farm characteristics.
​​​​​​​​​​
​
​Activities to engage stakeholders planned in this cultural services work package
​
Latest Updates
PPGIS on-line survey
Supplementary to the public survey we are continuing to collect data via our online PPGIS (public participatory GIS) survey.
​
Have your say!
Participate in our Cultural Ecosystem Services Survey
​
Survey of the general public
Our survey of the general public was the largest single data collection exercise for the cultural ecosystem services work package and was completed in summer/autumn 2015. A team of 11 surveyors, co-ordinated and managed by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust interviewed 550 members of the public in a wide range of locations in and around the Wessex BESS area and immediately adjacent towns.
Farmer interviews
Farmers are key in making the environmental settings in which they are produced, and in so doing they have to strike a balance or make a trade-off between different service options such as food/fuel/fibre versus biodiversity versus landscape quality. In order to understand farmers’ perspectives, we are currently undertaking interviews with a range of farmers in and around the Wessex BESS area.