SAC Rural Policy Centre

The NEA looked at eight different types of ecosystems (Mountains; Moorlands and Heaths; Semi-natural Grasslands; Enclosed Farmland; Woodlands; Freshwaters – Open Waters, Wetlands and Floodplains; Urban; Coastal Margins; Marine). It explored the services that they provide, how this has changed over the past sixty years, and the main drivers of environmental change. The report suggests that if the UK’s ecosystems were properly protected and enhanced then they could add an extra £30 billion to the UK economy. Neglect and loss of ecosystem services may cost as much as £20 billion to the economy per year.

The recently published report highlights six key findings:

• Nature is consistently undervalued in a wide range of decision making processes, even though we are fully aware that it is highly important.
• Ecosystems have changed over the past 60 years, as have the services that they provide, and the ways in which people benefit from them. Population growth, technology, and globalisation have had major effects on the way in which we behave and consume ecosystem services.
• Some ecosystem services are in long term decline, although other services are being provided well, or improving. Approximately 30% of services are currently declining, with some services already in a degraded state.
• The UK’s population is growing, as are our demands on the natural environment. This, with the added pressure of climate change, will accelerate the rate at which we impact the environment both in the UK and worldwide. Increasing the production of food whilst safeguarding ecosystem services will be the main challenge in this area.
• Actions taken now will impact the future of the UK’s ecosystems, ecosystem services and human wellbeing. It is important that we make the right decisions now, using the NEA to inform decision making. This will allow us to pursue a better future where the benefits of ecosystem services are better realised and more evenly distributed.
• Regulations, technology, finance, education and changes in individual and societal behaviour are all needed to ensure that we move towards sustainable development. We also will also need a more integrated, collaborative approach to managing ecosystems, between different government departments, business local authorities, and civil society.

The NEA was funded by Defra, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government, the Northern Ireland Executive, the Natural Environment Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council.

Further details are available on the UK NEA website.