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Joseph Kenworthy, one of our Placements from the University of St Andrews, here writes about the start of his placement and where he hopes it will take him and his research

A number of weeks ago I attended a meeting with mainly social scientists and economists, presenting on my project about valuing coastal ecosystems and how they’re affected bydifferent stressors. This event was the “Valuing Nature Placements” start-up meeting in London, and when I began my presentation I described myself as a field ecologist with very little knowledge of environmental economics.

A new report published by national land management charity, the Land Trust, shows just how much nature adds to people’s health and sense of safety.

The report, undertaken by independent economic consultants, found that every pound invested in parks and nature reserves contributes £30 towards health and wellbeing, and £23 towards crime reduction and community safety.

I recently talked to Professor Rosie Hails, the head of the Programme Coordination Team (PCT) for the Valuing Nature Programme (VNP), about the importance of considering nature's cultural, social and economic services. Rosie also discusses the role of the VNP, and explains how the PCT works to bring research communities together. 

To learn more, please watch the video below or view it on the Valuing Nature YouTube channel.