Publications

Managing for nitrogen, the lesser of two evils. A response to Maes et al.

Water Resources Data, Idaho, Water Year 1992. Volume 2. Upper Columbia River Basin and Snake River Basin Below King Hill

Changes in the immune response and metabolic fingerprint of the mussel, Mytilus edulis (Linnaeus) in response to lowered salinity and physical stress

A review and application of the evidence for nitrogen impacts on ecosystem services

Levels of reactive nitrogen (N) in the atmosphere have declined by around 25% in Europe since 1990. Ecosystem services provide a framework for valuing N impacts on the environment, and this study provides a synthesis of evidence for atmospheric N deposition effects on ecosystem services. We estimate the marginal economic value of the decline in N deposition on six ecosystem services in the UK. This decline resulted in a net benefit (Equivalent Annual Value) of £65 m (£5 m to £123 m, 95% CI). There was a cost (loss of value) for provisioning services: timber and livestock production of −£6.2 m (−£3.5 m to −£9.2 m, 95% CI). There was a cost for CO2 sequestration and a benefit for N2O emissions which combined amounted to a cost for greenhouse gas regulation of −£15.7 m (−£4.5 m to −£30.6 m). However, there were benefits for the cultural services of recreational fishing and appreciation of biodiversity, which amounted to £87.7 m (£13.1 m to £163.0 m), outweighing costs to provisioning and regulating services. Knowledge gaps in both the under-pinning science and in the value-transfer evidence prevent economic valuation of many services, particularly for cultural services, providing only a partial picture of N impacts which may underestimate the benefits of reducing N deposition.

An overview of the achievements of the ICP Vegetation in 2007

AI threatens to add to the growing wave of fraud but is also helping tackle it

Re-Thinking People and Nature Interactions in Urban Nature-Based Solutions

People-environment interactions within nature-based solutions (NBS) are not always understood. This has implications for communicating the benefits of NBS and for how we plan cities. We present a framework that highlights a duality in NBS. The NBS as an asset includes both natural capital and human-centred capital, including organisational structures. NBS also exist as a system within which people are able to interact. Temporal and spatial scales moderate the benefits that NBS provide, which in turn are dependent on the scale at which social processes operate. Co-production and equity are central to the interactions among people and institutions in the design, use and management of NBS, and this requires clear communication. Drawing on ideas from culture-based development (CBD), we suggest an approach to communicate the benefits of NBS in a neutral but effective way. We propose guidelines for planning NBS that allow the optimisation of NBS locations and designs for particular outcomes.

Eco-hydrological requirements of dune slack vegetation and the implications of climate change

A novel technique for restoring species-rich grassland.

Urban-Rural Dependencies and Opportunities to Design Nature-Based Solutions for Resilience in Europe and China

Interrelationships between urban and rural areas are fundamental for the development and safeguarding of viable future living conditions and quality of life. These areas are not well-delineated or self-sufficient, and existing interrelations may privilege one over the other. Major urban challenges facing China and Europe are related to changes in climate, environment, and to decision-making that makes urban and rural landscapes more susceptible to environmental pressures. Focusing on the six European and Chinese cities and surrounding rural areas, under study in the joint EC and MOST-funded REGREEN project, we examine how nature-based solutions (NBS) may assist in counteracting these pressures. We explore urban-rural dependencies and partnerships regarding NBS that can enhance resilience in Europe and China. We analyse differences between European and Chinese systems of governance, reflecting on the significance of the scale of research needed to understand how NBS provide benefits. We highlight interactions between differently delineated sheds (watershed, airshed, natureshed, and peopleshed), which influence the interrelationships between urban and rural areas. There may be one-way or two-way interdependence, and the impact may be uni or multi-directional. The European and Chinese solutions, exemplified in this article, tackle the nexus of environmental and peoplesheds. We discuss complex human interactions (and how to model them) that may, or may not, lead to viable and equitable partnerships for implementing NBS in cities within Europe and in China.

Meta-analysis of the relative sensitivity of semi-natural vegetation species to ozone

Effects of improved land-cover mapping on predicted ecosystem service outcomes in a lowland river catchment

Reliable quantification of ecosystem service (ES) provision in agricultural landscapes depends on accurate mapping of the spatial configuration of land-use and land cover (LULC). In this paper we explore the benefits of enhanced spatial and thematic resolution in LULC mapping in terms of predicting ecosystem services and associated natural capital-based land-use policies. Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite images were processed using Google Earth Engine (GEE) to generate a LULC map at 10 m resolution, which was compared to existing datasets at 20 m, 25 m, and 100 m resolution in the River Welland catchment (Eastern England). Spatial resolution had a significant effect on the abundance and spatial configuration of land cover types. For example, detected woodland cover in the finest resolution dataset was 2x that in the coarsest data. Finer spatial resolution also allowed small, fragmented patches of woodland and grassland to be identified. ES provision (crop yield, carbon storage and pollinator abundance) was estimated from each map using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model. The finest resolution map resulted in 21% lower predicted wheat production (due to lower estimates of cultivated land cover), 7% higher predicted carbon stocks and 43% higher predicted wild bee abundance compared to the coarsest resolution map. The estimated monetary value of ES provision increased by 23.2% between the 10 and 100 m dataset. We recommend that a LULC resolution of at least 10 m should be employed in agricultural landscapes to accurately capture ES provision. This can be achieved using GEE and could be used as a basis for the development of future natural capital policy.

Constitutional Law - State Taxation of Gross Receipts

The journey to monitoring ecosystem services: Are we there yet?

Welsh mining towns had alternative currencies 200 years ago – here’s what the crypto world could learn from them

Modelling the European Farmland Bird Indicator in response to forecast land-use change in Europe

Lessons learned from implementing the ecosystem services concept in urban planning

Grazing management in saltmarsh ecosystems drives invertebrate diversity, abundance and functional group structure

. 1. Saltmarsh conservation management often involves livestock grazing to maximise plant diversity and provide suitable breeding habitat for over‐wintering coastal birds. The effect of grazing on invertebrates is rarely quantified, but results from limited studies of terrestrial and coastal grasslands demonstrate greater abundance and species richness in un‐grazed grassland. 2. The impact of short sward (<8 cm) cattle grazing on the ground dwelling invertebrate community was assessed on an English inter‐tidal upper salt marsh using pitfall traps. Abundance, species richness, functional group structure, abundance of coastal specialists, environmental factors that influence invertebrate habitat choice and food web composition were compared for grazed and un‐grazed marsh. 3. In total, 90 000 invertebrates were sampled. Predatory, zoophagus and detritivorous Coleoptera were significantly more abundant on the un‐grazed marsh. In contrast, predatory Hemiptera and Araneae were significantly more abundant on the grazed marsh. Sheet weaver spiders were significantly more abundant on the grazed marsh, foliage running hunters and space web builders more abundant on the un‐grazed marsh. Most inter‐tidal coastal specialist species exhibited clear habitat preference for the grazed marsh. Total species richness was not significantly different between grazing treatments. 4. Linear direct gradient analysis showed that two environmental variables influenced by grazing intensity, soil temperature and vegetation height, significantly explained the composition of invertebrate functional groups. Larger bodied invertebrates dominated the un‐grazed food web. 5. We conclude that both short sward cattle grazed and un‐grazed saltmarsh habitat should be maintained to maximise invertebrate abundance and diversity and provide suitable habitat for coastal specialists.