Projected climate futures force us to rethink the way we approach nature. The concept of conservation breaks down as we are forced to consider a changing ecology, with new assemblages of species, and a shift from a relatively steady state to dynamic, continuous change. Our goal becomes the preservation of functioning natural systems, supporting the survival of species rather than the preservation of particular ecosystem types.
To what extent does this really change the way we manage nature in and around Oxfordshire? Humans have extensively modified the countryside, and crops, improved pastures and urban development have fragmented the landscape. In order to improve outcomes for nature, we have only a few simple options…
This research brief compiles evidence from the academic literature to demonstrate the vital role that nature can plan in securing health, well-being, and socio-economic benefits for the deprived communities targeted by the levelling-up programme.
International Union of Forest Research Organizations has published a new report under its Science-Policy Programme: “International Forests Governance: A critical review of trends, drawbacks, and new approaches”
The scope of this new assessment includes an update on governance changes since 2010, including actors and instruments; an overview of the forest-related finance landscape; an identification and analysis of the relevant current discourses; and an analysis of the different governance designs, including deficits and alternatives.
Report and policy brief available at: https://www.iufro.org/science/science-policy/follow-up-studies/international-forest-governance-2024/
Policy brief for download: https://www.iufro.org/fileadmin/material/science/gfep/governance-followup/policy-brief/gfep-governance-followup-policy-brief.pdf
This Treescapes Opportunity Report is an example of a parish report showing existing natural assets, potential locations for nature recovery opportunities (species-rich grassland, woodland, hedgerows, silvo-arable or silvo-pasture, community orchards), and the natural benefits that they could provide. Such reports were provided free of charge to 150 Oxfordshire parish groups and land managers, thanks to funding from the Woodland Trust.
A guide for parish councils and community groups.
This guide has been created by the Oxfordshire Treescape Project team to support community groups start planning nature recovery at the parish scale.
It is intended as a guide only, rather than prescriptive instructions. If you have any queries about this document or would like further help or support, please contact info@growgreencarbon.org
There is growing recognition among financial institutions, financial regulators and policy makers of the importance of addressing nature-related risks and opportunities. Evaluating and assessing nature-related risks for financial institutions is challenging due to the large volume of heterogeneous data available on nature and the complexity of investment value chains and the various components’ relationship to nature. The dual problem of scaling data analytics and analysing complex systems can be addressed using Artificial Intelligence (AI). We address issues such as plugging existing data gaps with discovered data, data estimation under uncertainty, time series analysis and (near) real-time updates. This report presents potential AI solutions for models of two distinct use cases
This response highlights how a biodiversity metric could support Scotland’s unique habitats and nature. It brings together evidence from the application of a statutory biodiversity metric in England to recommend a revised approach for a Scottish context. It draws on evidence from across the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery’s research community.
Focusing on the Welsh Government’s proposal for a ‘nature positive’ headline target, this response explores how supporting well-functioning ecosystem would be essential to achieve the objective of reversing biodiversity decline and then moving to a recovery of natural systems.
This policy brief sets out the role of agricultural extension services in supporting landscape-scale nature recovery through a novel method of mapping organisational niches and conflicts in service provision. It uses an example of advice on water pollution, and proposes changes to the provision of advice by organisations.
This technical report presents the Niche Mapper analytical framework for visualising the landscape of advice provision for nature recovery. Land managers access advice on land-use changes to support nature recovery, with advice offered by numerous organisations. Organisations have unique motivations for advice provision e.g., regulatory, environmental or financial, leading to crowding within the sector. The Niche Mapper framework, when applied to a set of advisory organisations will produce a visual representation of the niches occupied by those organisations. The framework may be applied at a variety of spatial scales and/or temporal intervals, resulting in analytically comparable outputs.
The results provided by using this framework can support effective policy making and divulge new research directions. An example of how the framework has been applied is illustrated in a case study of organisations providing advice to land managers for the mitigation of diffuse water pollution from agriculture (DWPA).
