The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology coordinates the six-year, £7m Valuing Nature Programme, which aims to better understand and represent the complexities of the natural environment in valuation analyses and decision making.
Building on the Valuing Nature Network (2011-2014), it further considers the economic, societal and cultural value of nature, linking researchers with businesses, policymakers and practitioners.
Programme research goals
Projects funded through the Programme address two research goals:
1. Improve our understanding of:
- the links between ecosystem stocks and tipping points
- how the values of ecosystem services change as tipping points are reached and exceeded
- critical levels of natural capital that avoid abrupt and damaging ecosystem change.
2. Improve our understanding of the role biodiversity and ecosystem processes play in human health and well-being, in the areas of:
- historical, spatial and temporal dynamics of value
- cultural and social contexts of value
- optimising value through evidence-informed design of interventions.
The Programme Coordination Team
The Valuing Nature Programme Coordination Team, headed by Rosie Hails, formerly of UKCEH, supports a range of activities to encourage collaboration and knowledge exchange including:
Demystifying Seminars - Bringing together both early career and experienced researchers to investigate the concept of valuing nature
Demystifying Series - A series of reports that provide accessible information and guidance on valuing nature through different lenses
Is there value to valuing nature? - Debate series on the underlying tenets of assigning value to nature
Business interface - Hosting events and resources to help businesses benefit from research
Landscape events - Using a place-based approach to interrogate the value of nature from diverse perspectives
Discipline-crossing placements - Using a place-based approach to interrogate the value of nature from diverse perspectives
Programme Coordination Team members
- Dr Bill Bealey and Dr Sunita Sarkar, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology - Co-Programme Managers
- Prof Charles Godfray, University of Oxford - Policy Champion
- Ece Ozdemiroglu, Eftec - Economics Lead
- Dr Robert Fish, University of Kent - Arts & Humanities Lead
- Guy Duke, Independent consultant - Business Champion
- Professor Michael Winter, University of Exeter - Social Science Lead
- Jonathan Porter, Countryscape - Communications
- Heather Trevis, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology - Programme Administration and Communications
Former members of the Team included:
- Dr Anita Weatherby, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology - Programme Coordinator
- Val Woods, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology - Programme Administration and Communications
