Major event aims to protect and enhance natural capital - 29 April 2009
Leaders from the public, private and non-governmental organisation (NGO) sectors are coming together in London with prominent academics to highlight a new approach to managing the environment aimed at sustaining a growing global population under a changing climate.
The Valuing our Life Support Systems Symposium is the first event of the Natural Capital Initiative, organised by the Institute of Biology, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) and British Ecological Society.
The symposium is aimed at generating support for Defra’s implementation of the ecosystem approach, to help protect and enhance 'natural capital'. The event specifically aims to identify gaps in science, policy and implementation measures that are preventing the approach from being applied.
The ecosystem approach was recommended by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Report, which found that the Earth’s ecosystems have changed so significantly and rapidly over the last 50 years that they may not be able to support human life in the future.
Senior representatives from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), British Gas, Natural England, Tesco, National Farmers' Union, Water UK, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Economic and Social Research Council and Eurostar are among those addressing the three-day London event.
Among the high-profile speakers is Professor John Beddington, the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser. He said it was becoming clearer that the challenges faced in provisioning safe, clean and affordable energy, water and food to a growing global population were intimately linked. Any effective strategy for solving these challenges will need to recognise the importance of maintaining rich ecosystems.
Professor Beddington said: "Scientists must clarify their understanding of the benefits that well-functioning ecosystems provide 'behind the scenes', for example in sequestering our carbon, purifying our water and pollinating our crops, and draw these to the attention of policy-makers.”
Professor Bob Watson, Defra's Chief Scientific Adviser, said that natural capital was an important component of the wealth of a nation. "The value of ecosystem services in both monetary and non-monetary terms must be recognised in decision-making," he added.
The Natural Capital Initiative is chaired by Professor Rosie Hails of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. She said the current economic problems faced by the country were incomparable to the crisis being caused by dwindling environmental services to humankind.
"We need to develop a new approach which explicitly values, considers and manages the trade-offs involved in any decision which affects the environment," Professor Hails stated.
Additional information
Media enquiries about this work should be directed to the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology press office.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (external link).
Is the UK ready to rethink its stance on GM? Planet Earth Online - 28 April 2009: Professor Rosie Hails, chair of the Natural Captial Initiative argues we need a new GM debate (external link).
The Natural Capital Initiative (external link).
Related CEH Research
CEH's Biodiversity Science Programme
Soil Biodiversity & Ecosystem Function research
Recent CEH news items about ecosystems, biodiversity and climate change
£10 million initiative launched to tackle bee and pollinator decline - 21 April 2009
UK butterfly numbers fall to new low - 8 April 2009
Europe needs to intensify actions to adapt to climate change impacts – 1 October 2008
Is nitrogen a major cause of climate change? - 10 July 2008
CEH addresses 'Sustainable agriculture in the 21st Century' at 2008 Parliamentary Links Day - 24 June 2008
