Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Multifunctional Landscapes

Integrated ES modelling

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Finding trade-off and synergy of Ecosystem Services

in a mulifunctional landscape

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This research falls within work package 1 led by Prof. James Bullock

from CEH, Wallingford. We aim to model ecosystem services in

the Wessex region under past, current and potential future

land use scenarios. Future scenarios will be developed in 

collaboration with a range of stakeholders, and will take into 

account both environmental (e.g. climate change), political (e.g. 

European Common Agricultural Policy reform) and socioeconomic 

drivers (e.g. urbanisation, food prices).

 

In addition, using results from the individual work packages, we will seek to extend our models to account for the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem services.

 

Integrated spatial modelling of ecosystem services

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In collaboration with the Natural Capital Project team from the USA we run a one week training course on modelling and mapping ecosystem services http://www.brc.ac.uk/invest-training/.  

 

This course was attended by more than 40 scientists from across Europe and hosted a number of high profile speakers. It focused on the Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model, which is a free and open source software suite aimed at informing and improving natural resource management and investment decisions.  You can read more about the event here.

 

We have been developing models on pollination services in the Wessex region using InVEST software. We have also been investigating the potential to develop new models of cultural ecosystem services (visits to wildlife-rich areas). At the national level, we have been running analyses using Biological Records Centre data to assess changes in species richness underpinning five broad ecosystem services (pollination, pest control, cultural services, decomposition and carbon sequestration).

 

 

We also held a meeting with many of our stakeholders* where we worked together to create different “scenario maps” for the Wiltshire region. “Scenario maps” describe what future land use could look like in an area e.g. increased urbanisation at specific locations, building or removal of weirs. We will synthesise all the information gathered during the meeting to develop of our InVEST models, which will compare the delivery of ecosystem services under different possible futures.

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