Valuing Ecosystem Services workshop presentations now available

The aim of the workshop was to stimulate debate around both economic and environmental aspects of valuing ecosystem services and to explore the relationships between biodiversity and the services it provides. This topic is particularly timely as the report of the first UK National Ecosystem Assessment (UKNEA) has now been released and highlights significant research priorities and opportunities.

We had a star line-up to present some of the current thinking on valuing biodiversity and ecosystem services, and to debate the usefulness and limitations of a valuation approach. Prof Ian Bateman (University of East Anglia) is the lead economist at UKNEA and is also the PI on a NERC funded initiative, The Valuing Nature Network (VNN) an interdisciplinary forum to develop and promote research capacity in the valuation of biodiversity, ecosystem services and natural resources. Prof Alastair Fitter (Biology Dept.) is also a member of the UKNEA expert panel and a member of the Royal Society working group on People and the Planet. Dr Murray Rudd (Environment Dept.) researches the economic costs and benefits of human activities and government policies that affect natural capital and the provision of ecosystem services. Dr Sarah Gardnerhas qualifications in ecology and environmental economics and investigates different approaches to understanding and valuing the relationships between biodiversity, ecosystem function and ecosystem services.

A further workshop on this theme with a greater focus on grant writing will be held in the near future.