Innovation in mapping ecosystem services and understanding the ecosystems approach to the protected site

Report contains data that can be used under Open Government Licence. Main report mostly narrative. 3 technical reports contain data.

This project is collaboration with Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) Programme to tap into the expertise and data already collected by BESS to answer several evidence needs for policy:

1. Improving our ability to map ecosystem services at different geographical scales. This work will build on work initiated by the BESS projects to record, build on and share good practice between groups developing spatially explicit maps of ecosystem services. It will also identify possible short and longer term options to address data, modelling and presentation issues to allow this approach to be robustly applied in new circumstances and new areas. This will be closely linked to customer needs with a view to informing prioritisation of action and resource targeting at the local and national level.
2. Provide evidence to assist the Natural Capital Committee, Defra and the Agencies, by exploring the contribution that Natura 2000 sites make to ecological resilience and the provision of ecosystem services, with a view to exploring the options for applying the ecosystem approach to mitigation of development impacts to reduce regulatory costs and increase ecological benefits. .