Tag Archives: ecosystem services
Policy Priorities
Policy Priorities Find out more about the British Ecological Society’s current major policy priorities by following the links below. Selecting our policy priorities The BES’s policy priorities have been selected for being either; i) issues emerging on the policy horizon, or ii) issues which … Continue reading
Talk of the bees … “And Granny said in earnest ‘You’ve got to talk to your bees’”
Britain’s biodiversity may not be abundantly obvious in our everyday lives, nor may it immediately appear as splendid as an image of a tropical rainforest. One staggering example is that of our nation’s bees, of which there are over 260 … Continue reading
Environmental Stewardship Delivers Ecosystem Services Underpinning Food Security
The relationship between agriculture and ecosystem services is a strong one. Farming can contribute to critical services including food security and economic growth, maintenance of cultural landscapes, rural employment and (when managed correctly) provision of valuable habitat for a significant … Continue reading
Science/policy recommendations of International Insects Pollinators Workshop published
A newly published Report from the International Insect Pollinators Workshop held in February 2012 adds a strong voice to the argument that insect pollinators are invaluable to the environment and to society. The report, which should be made available this … Continue reading
Cross-party committee challenges “Greenest Government Ever”
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) has published a report of an inquiry into the Natural Environment White Paper (NEWP) today, challenging ministers to put nature in the heart of economic decision-making. EFRA is appointed by the House … Continue reading
Soil, an essential natural resource often not recognised
Soils provide several services to humans (e.g. food, feed, carbon storage, decomposing waste) yet their significance is rarely recognised. A recent study in Vadose Zone Journal points at this problem and suggests a framework that could help integrating soils in … Continue reading
Food security, biodiversity and ecosystem services are threatened by human induced spreading of fungal infections
A recently published review paper in Nature draws attention to the dangers of globalisation and international trade which facilitate spreading of fungal diseases. The authors collected data from all over the world and showed that fungal infections had increased, caused … Continue reading
Ecosystem service valuation to involve local communities in Scotland
Communities in Scotland could be encouraged to use a newly developed ‘toolkit’ to assign values to the local ecosystem services they depend on. A summary report published by the Highland Council reveals plans for two initial pilot studies in the … Continue reading
The economic invisibility of nature
A fusion of economics and ecology is required to properly measure and capture the value of biodiversity. That was the message of an event at Parliament earlier today organised by Biodiversity, the UK all party parliamentary group, chaired by Barry … Continue reading
Implementation of IPBES
The creation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) was one of the most significant actions to come out of the 10th Conference Of Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity held in Nagoya, Japan. The IPBES … Continue reading