Coastal natural capital asset integration into a 25-year environmental management and assessment plan.
Home: University of St Andrews, School of Biology, Sediment Ecology Research Group
Host: Environmental Analysis Unit, Defra
Project Summary
The objective of this placement was to produce an informed selection of indicators for marine natural capital (NC) monitoring within England. The rational for attempting this was to provide Defra with a distilled information source to draw upon during development of natural capital indicators for monitoring delivery of the 25 year environment plan.
The project will advance accounting of natural capital, classification of service condition and improve policy tracking tools. Research based evidence is important to ensure feasibility and effectiveness of developments. The candidates scientific experience will be integrated into the team’s skill pool and inform in this policy focused arena. Specifically, the placement will focus on the coastal zone; assessing datasets and developing natural capital metrics which best capture its value. The candidate will help ensure choices are applicable through local and national scales. Furthermore, an evaluation of pressures on these benefits will be completed to inform on policy requirements. The placement will aid in delivery of an effective final package which captures coastal natural capital assets, informs on decision making, and tracks policy intervention effectiveness.
Final Placement presentation (click to view):
