Decarbonise Cities

December 10, 2015

Cities should be the focus of action to reduce climate change, argues Matthew Agarwala in a correspondence published in Nature today, 10 December 2015. Ref Nature 528, p193 doi:10.1038/528193a

Defra Open Environment event

November 9, 2015

CSERGE staff were part of the Nexus Network and the Valuing Nature Partnership session on ‘Natural Capital: data, valuation and decision implementation‘ on 4 November 2015, as part of the Defra #OpenEnvironment two day consultation. Rory Stewart MP, Defra Minister with responsibility for the natural environment, floods and water, resource and environmental management and rural affairs, opened the day with an outline of the Open Environment aspirations for developing a 25 year plan for the environment and invited challenges from the audience of academics, NGOs and practitioners.

Local wellbeing in environmental interventions paper

November 5, 2015

Matthew Agarwala is a co-author on the research paper 'Monitoring local well-being in environmental interventions: a consideration of practical trade-offs' published in the journal Oryx on 28 October 2015. The authors state that 'Well-being is a complex, multi-dimensional, dynamic concept that cannot be easily defined and measured.' However it remains useful for holistic evaluations of the impact of conservation initiatives.

Farmers signed up to Slug it Out

September 17, 2015

All the farmers in the 6 target reservoirs are now signed up to the Anglian Water Slug it Out scheme, which CSERGE researchers helped to design. The reservoirs include Alton Water in Suffolk; Ardleigh Reservoir near Colchester; Hollowell Reservoir, Ravensthorpe Reservoir and Pitsford Water in Northamptonshire and Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire.

Nature as Capital

June 15, 2015

CSERGE researchers contributed to the Nature as Capital 100th Anniversary special issue of the journal PNAS, published on 16 June 2015.

Sustainable palm oil

June 15, 2015

Higher supermarket prices for eco-friendly palm oil could help save endangered species, say CSERGE researchers in the paper 'Conserving tropical biodiversity via market forces and spatial targeting', published in the journal PNAS on 16 June 2015. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1406484112

Metaldehyde reduction scheme with Anglian Water

June 11, 2015

CSERGE researchers worked with Anglian Water in the development of the Slug it Out campaign to tackle the slug pesticide metaldehyde.

Short films from OPERAs

May 19, 2015

The Operational Potential of Ecosystem Research Applications (OPERAs) European project has released a series of short films including one on the Ecosystem Service Community for Scotland (ESCom), 'Updates on the Mediterranean' and the 'Sociocultural benefits of the Irish coast'.

Nobel Laureate Symposium on Global Sustainability Hong Kong Icon

May 7, 2015

CSERGE researchers attend the 4th Nobel Laureate’s Symposium on Global Sustainability in Hong Kong, from 22 to 25 April 2015. The 4th Nobel Laureate’s Symposium on Global Sustainability in Hong Kong, was held at the prestigious Asia Society of Hong Kong and was organised by Professor Joachim (John) Schellnhuber, formerly of UEA Tyndall Centre).

Defra Network Workshop talks 

May 5, 2015

On Thursday 30 April 2015, 45 people from the Defra Network took part in the Economists’ Development Seminar on 'Improving Natural Capital Decision-Making and Implementation: Perspectives from the Economics Research Frontier' led by CSERGE members.

CSERGE training workshop for Defra 

April 30, 2015 - 10:49

This direct training session for Defra, Natural England and other Government Departments and Agencies is part of our ongoing impact led work to ensure that the natural environment is incorporated within real world decision making.
 

The Environmental Impact of Climate Change Adaptation

February 20, 2015

CSERGE members published a paper in Nature Climate Change on ‘The environmental impact of climate change adaptation on land use and water quality’.

 

Westminster Green Infrastructure event 

January 29, 2015

SEER research was featured at the 'Green Infrastructure' roundtable event, at the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum on 27 January 2015 at Portcullis House, Westminster. The Forum is a high-level coalition of key UK businesses, Parliamentarians, Civil Servants and other organisations.

Third State of Natural Capital report 

January 27, 2015

The Natural Capital Committee published its third State of Natural Capital report on Tuesday 27 Jan 2015, which recommends that Government, working closely with the private sector and NGOs should develop a comprehensive strategy to protect and improve natural capital.
 

Jellyfish Blooms

January 20, 2015

Dr Maria Palmieri, a member of CSERGE, has recently published a paper in the research journal Fisheries Research. The study focused on fishermen's perceptions about jellyfish blooms in the Northern Adriatic Sea and also investigated whether and how blooms compromised fishing operations.

Public event on valuing nature

November 10, 2014

On 6 November 2014 CSERGE members met with around 50 members of the public over the course of the day in the Forum in central Norwich. The aim of the event was to talk about people's favourite natural spaces and the value they put on them and of course to engage people with the work carried out in CSERGE on valuing nature. In the evening, Professor Ian Bateman gave a talk on 'Values and the environment: Bringing the natural world into economic decision making'.

Apps for mapping - engaging the public

November 10, 2014

On Sat 8 Nov, CSERGE members spent an afternoon meeting members of the public with an interest in the environment. The session involved a practical demonstration of the latest geographical mapping techniques using mobile phones, plus a demo of the latest in visualisation of the data.

Handbook of Sustainable Development

Icon September 25, 2014

Matt Agarwala from CSERGE co-authored a Handbook of Sustainable Development, published by Elgar. The book takes stock of progress made in our understanding of what sustainable development actually is and how it can be measured and achieved. The authors explain that the gap between public commitments to sustainable development and real-world action towards achieving it is still significant, but not insurmountable, and that opportunities do exist to reduce that margin.

Putting a price on nature event: ESRC Festival of Social Science 2014 

August 14, 2014

As part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2014, the UEA is ran a series of exhibitions, talks and interactive demonstrations to explore the questions ‘what does nature do for me?’ and ‘what is nature worth?’. The natural world and its ecosystems are important to our wellbeing and economic prosperity, yet they have been consistently undervalued in conventional economic analyses and decision making.

Where to target peatland restoration

August 13, 2014

A paper published in the journal Ecosystem Services by Klaus Glenk, Marije Schaafsma, Andrew Moxey, Julia Martin-Ortega and Nick Hanley discusses the complications involved in the assessment of social welfare impacts of peatland restoration and how to spatially target restoration activities to maximise net benefits from investments in restoration.

Water quality improvement from peatland restoration 

August 13, 2014

A research paper on 'Valuing water quality improvements from peatland restoration: evidence and challenges' published by Julia Martin-Ortega, Timothy Allott, Klaus Glenk and Marije Schaafsma, evaluates the existing evidence and identifies challenges in the valuation and quantification of the benefits of peatland restoration for water quality. The paper is published in the journal Ecosystem Services (DOI:10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.06.007).

UK NEA Follow-on work

July 1, 2014

The UK National Ecosystem Assessment follow-on report was published on Thursday 26 June and builds on the findings of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment (UK NEA), published in 2011. The relationship between natural capital and the wider economy is complex. By mapping the relationships between ecosystem services and major sectors of the economy, such as agriculture or food manufacture, we can begin to understand how changes to our ecosystems will affect the economy.

Professor Kerry Turner 4th most cited author at UEA 

July 1, 2014

Professor Kerry Turner from CSERGE is the 4th most cited author from across the Norwich Research Park, which includes the UEA, John Innes Centre and Sainsbury Laboratory. In their prestigious international analysis of research strength, Thomson Reuters confirmed that in the UK only Cambridge, Oxford and London have more of the world’s most highly-cited scientists than the Norwich Research Park.

Press release: Natural resources worth more than US$40 trillion must be accounted for

June 30, 2014 - 16:21

Matthew Agarwala published an article 'Natural capital accounting and climate change' in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Planting 200 million trees could generate £500 million annually

June 30, 2014

More than 200 million new trees should be planted in Britain according to CSERGE researchers at the University of East Anglia. A new modelling tool from CSERGE researchers, allows decision makers in government to plan the location of a new phase of tree planting in Britain, to both maximise the income from the new woodlands and at the same time to achieve the highest benefits to wider society.

UK National Ecosystem Assessment follow-on report published

June 30, 2014

The full UK National Ecosystem Assessment follow-on report was published on Thursday 26 June. It builds on the findings of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment (UK NEA), published in 2011 and was commissioned to address the UK Government White Paper on the Natural Environment - 'The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature'.

Coastal policy and practice note

June 24, 2014

CSERGE released a short note on 'new tools to improve the management of the coastal environment' designed to be used by policy makers and practitioners. The note outlines how new approaches can help national decision makers improve management of coastlines for people and wildlife. The note is published under the Living with Environmental Change series.

Decision tool for flooding and coast erosion

June 24, 2014

New methods to assess the national and local impacts from decisions on coastal erosion and flooding. Decisions on where to maintain defences against coastal erosion and flooding are made at a national level. These decisions have a big impact on local communities, who rely on the coast for work and may even lose their houses to the sea as the coast retreats. As well as their role in coastal defence and flood protection, coastal areas also provide food and recreation for humans and also provide a natural habitat for many types of plants and animals.

Ecosystem services and government policy

June 24, 2014

Putting ecosystem thinking into practice: where Government leads, society is more likely to follow. Society often takes for granted the services that nature provides, such as clean water, fresh air, insects to pollinate crops and beautiful areas in which to relax and unwind. The UK government has now developed a pioneering Ecosystem Services Framework to encourage policy makers to consider ecosystems when they appraise new policy ideas.

 
Accounting for Natural Capital in EU Policy Decision-Making

June 9, 2014

Tomas Badura from CSERGE wrote a WWF policy development paper on 'Accounting for Natural Capital in EU Policy Decision-Making'. The awareness of nature´s importance for the human wealth and welfare has increased currently. The accounting of nature's value, especially of biodiversity and ecosystems, has further increased significance for policy decision-making.

The Bid for Clean Water film 

May 2, 2014

The Bid for Clean Water film from South West Water, the Westcountry Rivers Trust and the University of East Anglia, shows how farmers, water company customers and the environment benefit from on-farm improvements to cut pollution. The River Fowey supplies around 70% of Cornwall's water. South West Water have increasingly invested in their water treatment works to treat water to a high standard for drinking.

Ecosystem service knowledge: who uses it, when and for what purpose? 

April 28, 2014

The concept of ecosystem services is increasingly being promoted as a means better to protect ecological systems through more informed decision–making, but in practice much less is known about how far this shift in thinking is actually affecting the way in which ecosystem knowledge is used, especially by decision makers.

Natural Capital Committee calls for 25 year plan

March 12, 2014

'Integrating the environment into the economy is hampered by the almost complete absence of proper accounting for natural assets. What is not measured is usually ignored.' This is the message from the latest State of Natural Capital report, from the UK Natural Capital Committee, published on 11 March 2014.

Economic analysis for the UK NEA

February 4, 2014 - 17:31

CSERGE members co-authored a paper, with colleagues from other institutes, on Economic Analysis for the UK National Ecosystem Assessment: Synthesis and Scenario Valuation of Changes in Ecosystem Services.

Climate change and greenhouse gas from agriculture

February 4, 2014

CSERGE members co-authored a paper, with colleagues from other institutes, on Valuing Climate Change Effects Upon UK Agricultural GHG Emissions: Spatial Analysis of a Regulating Ecosystem Service. The paper is published in the Feb 2014 special issue of the journal Environmental and Resource Economics.

Value of ecosystem services in agriculture

February 4, 2014

CSERGE members co-authored a paper, with colleagues from other institutes, on Valuing Provisioning Ecosystem Services in Agriculture: The Impact of Climate Change on Food Production in the United Kingdom. The paper is published in the Feb 2014 special issue of the journal Environmental and Resource Economics.

 
Recreational value of ecosystems

February 4, 2014

CSERGE members co-authored a paper, with collegues from other institutes, on 'Economic Assessment of the Recreational Value of Ecosystems: Methodological Development and National and Local Application'. The paper is published in the Feb 2014 special issue of the journal Environmental and Resource Economics.

Economic value of Scotland's ecosystem services

October 29, 2013

People managing Scotland's natural environment will have more information on how their decisions could affect farmers, wildlife and greenhouse gas emissions under a new project on the 'Economic value of Scottish ecosystem services'. The work is led by members of the CSERGE team for the OPERAs programme on Ecosystem Science for Policy and Practice. OPERAs is developing ecosystem science for policy and practice to enhance sustainable use of ecosystems and has 27 partners from across the EU.

SEER research informs House of Commons debate

October 24, 2013

Research from the ESRC-funded SEER project contributed to the debate on Monday 21 October, in the House of Commons as MPs took part in a debate on the state of natural capital in England and Wales.

Water companies and payments for ecosystem services

October 9, 2013

Dr Ruth Welters was awarded a NERC Impact fund grant to establish research collaborations between the University of East Anglia and UK water companies to promote and implement the payments for ecosystem services (PES) approach for improved water quality.

Fowey River Improvement Auction report

October 9, 2013

The Fowey River Improvement Auction final report is published on the Defra website. The report outlines the work carried out by the University of East Anglia, with the Westcountry Rivers Trust. This Payment for Ecosystem Services project was funded by South West Water in the catchment of the River Fowey in Cornwall.

SEER report 2012-13

July 18, 2013

The SEER annual report for April 2012 to end March 2013 outlines the main achievements of the research team against the initial objectives. We have now developed a spatially sensitive agricultural model for rural land change use. This model contains a number of variables derived from location specific data such as two types of livestock; cattle and sheep, and a number of crop types.

Ecosystem Services into Economic Decision-Making: Land Use in the United Kingdom

July 10, 2013

Members of the CSERGE team and others published a paper in Science on 'Bringing Ecosystem Services into Economic Decision-Making: Land Use in the United Kingdom'. Nearly 75% of the land surface in the UK is covered by agriculture, which includes grassland, mountain, moor and heathland as well as land used for crops. A wide range of services are produced by the landscape but land use decisions often ignore the value of these services.

Funding from OPERAs project 

March 7, 2013

CSERGE received funding for a 12-month project under the Operational Potential of Ecosystem Research Applications (OPERAs) project. OPERAs aims to improve understanding of how applying Ecosystem Services/Natural Capital concepts in managing ecosystems contributes to human well-being in different social-ecological systems in inland and coastal zones, in rural and urban areas, related to different ecosystems including forests and fresh water resources.

Does stakeholder involvement benefit biodiversity conservation?

January 14, 2013

Professor Andy Jordan from CSERGE was a co-author on the paper 'Does stakeholder involvement really benefit biodiversity conservation?' published in Biological Conservation, Volume 158, February 2013, Pages 359–370. Stakeholder involvement is widely advocated in a range of policy activities including decision-making, policy implementation and policy evaluation. But to date, there have been no systematic evaluations of whether local  involvement in the management of protected areas contributes to the conservation of biodiversity.

Ian Bateman awarded OBE in New Years Honours List

January 8, 2013

Professor Ian Bateman was awarded an OBE in recognition of his services to environmental science and policy in the New Year's Honours List 2013.

State of Natural Capital report

November 16, 2012 - 10:16

Researchers from CSERGE worked with the Valuing Nature Network and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, on the State of Natural Capital report which will be presented to the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer in Spring 2013.

SEER report 2012

November 14, 2012

The SEER project annual report covers impacts and highlights from the research over the last year and gives details about the research.

 
Win-win for Cornish farmers and South West Water in first auction to reduce river pollution

November 12, 2012

Farmers with land close to the River Fowey in Cornwall are getting a helping hand from South West Water to make improvements to their farms that in turn will help reduce pollutants seeping into the river.

UK National Ecosystem Assessment

November 7, 2012

SEER research contributed to the UK National Ecosystem Assessment and to the Natural Environment White Paper. Around the time that the SEER project started, Prof. Ian Bateman was asked to become Director of Economics for the UK National Ecosystem Assessment.

Making decisions about natural resources

October 29, 2012

CSERGE wants to make sure that the natural environment is properly taken into account when decisions are made about how to use limited resources. One of the problems to date has been that environmental resources and the goods they allow us to produce, are measured in all sorts of different units.

Media coverage from the UK National Ecosystem Assessment

CSERGE research for the UK National Ecosystem Assessment generated significant media coverage.

• BBC News Wales: Convert Welsh farmland 'to help attract urban visitors'  - June 3, 2011
• BBC Radio 4' Today Programme: 'The hidden value' of our green spaces - June 3, 2011
• BBC News: Britain's green spaces 'worth billions of pounds - June 3, 2011 - 21:03
• BBC News: Putting a price on nature - June 3, 2011
• BBC Radio 4 Today programme: How much is a walk in the countryside really worth? by Tom Feilden, Science correspondent.
• BBC News: Monetary value of Britain's natural assets - June 3, 2011 ''The UK's parks, lakes, forests and wildlife are worth billions of pounds to the economy, says a major report''.
• BBC News: Nature 'is worth billions' to UK - June 3, 2011
• BBC Radio 4's Farming Today - June 3, 2011
• The Independent: Report calls for rethink of farming and fishing - June 1, 2011

UK National Ecosystem Assessment: Valuing Ecosystem Services 

February 4, 2011

CSERGE researchers have advanced their work on the impacts of climate change upon agriculture and wider ecosystem services by completing a major report for the UK National Ecosystem Assessment http://uknea.unep-wcmc.org.

Valuing Nature Network

January 3, 2011

CSERGE members are involved in the NERC Interdisciplinary Network for Valuing Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Natural Resource Use (Valuing Nature Network).