Using the Ecosystem Approach in a local plan process.

Alister Scott BA PhD MRTPI

Plan

• Boundaries of your planning concern

• Mainstreaming value of nature

• Ecosystem Approach and Planning

• Hooks for mainstreaming

• Discussion

What are our boundaries of concern?

Built Environment Natural Environment

Mainstreaming Value of Nature

• “In many cases nature is ignored or trumped by other economic or social priorities, or seen as a barrier to growth to be overcome.

• Ecosystem services and natural capital help re-frame nature as an asset to society that delivers many benefits”.

• Scott 2014

Ecosystem Services

1. National Parks vs Ecosystem Approach

Environment Act 1995 • To conserve and enhance the

natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area.

• To promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the Park by the public.

---------------------------------------------• To seek to foster the economic

and social well-being of the local communities within the National Park.

Convention of Biological Diversity 1992

• The ecosystem approach is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way. 

2. Spatial Planning meets the Ecosystem Approach

• Strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way. 

• Convention of Biological Diversity 1992

Proactive, positive and integrated approaches involving multi-scalar and multi-sectoral perspectives for societal benefit

• Scott et al 2013 Sustainable Development

12 Guiding Principles

1:Policy and decision making are matters of societal CHOICE

2: DEVOLVE decisions to the lowest appropriate level

3: Consider any ADJACENT effects

4: Manage systems economically for MULTIPLE BENEFITS

5: Maintain structure and function of ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

6: Manage systems within their LIMITS

Contd.

7: Manage at appropriate spatial and temporal SCALES

8: Recognize different TEMPORAL scales and lag-effects

9: Recognize the CHANGE is inevitable.

10: Seek BALANCE between conservation & use

11: Consider all relevant INFORMATION SOURCES

12: INVOLVE all relevant sectors of society

Built Environment Hooks

• Value Ecosystem Services (p109) 4 5 6 10 – Green/Blue Infrastructure– Ecological networks– Biodiversity Offsetting

• Duty to Cooperate 2 3 7 11 12

• Viability 4• Regulation 1 6 7 8 • Incentives 1 4 9 10 • Localism 2 7 8 12

Value Ecosystem Services

109 The planning system should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by:• recognising the wider

benefits of ecosystem services;

• Redefining your evidence base

• Baselines

Value Ecosystem Services

Baseline Mapping

Opportunity Mapping

National Character Areas

National Character Areas

Green Living Spaces Plan 2014

Spatial Layers 1.aesthetics and mobility 2.flood risk 3.local climate 4.education 5.recreation6.biodiversity

Nature Improvement Area

• Bigger Better More Joined up

• Landscape scale• Enhanced

involvement, education and cultural services

• Optional planning policy protection

BUT How Not to Value Nature

• Selective cherry picking of ecosystem services

• Using financial values alone

Biodiversity Offsetting Doncaster

Duty to Cooperate “To engage constructively,

actively and on an ongoing

basis to maximise the effectiveness

of Local Plan preparation

in the context of strategic

cross boundary matters”.

Housing Fetish

• IDENTIFY Objectively assessed housing need

• 5 year housing supply • REVISE via

constraints or neighbours

CatchmentManagement Source: Jim Davies Env Agency

Partnerships

Viability

• Economic – Developer driven based on hidden models of delivery costs

• BUT need to incoporate • Social – e.g Affordable housing • Environmental – e.g limits and thresholds

Regulatory Tools

• Strategic Environmental Assessment – Scottish Rural Develo

pment plan

• Environmental Impact Assessment

• Community Infrastructure levy

• SuDs

Incentives: Payments for Ecosystem Services

Localism

Exmoor National Park

N Devon &Torridge Plan

• Policy ST11: Enhancing

Environmental Assets: The quality of northern Devon’s natural environment will be protected and enhanced by: … (g) conserving and enhancing the robustness of northern Devon’s ecosystems and the range of ecosystem services they provide;” (North Devon and Torridge Local Plan, 2013: 54

Case Studies using ecosystem services

Ecosystems and Planning

• Built vs Natural Environment Divide

• Complex academic ecosystem vocabulary

BUT

1. Planning and Ecosystem Approach principles meet

2. Hooks as starting point for tool development and use

3. Partnerships as key delivery vehicles

4. Shared language of multiple benefits unites stakeholders.

5. Importance of using principles collectively to inform plan and decisions

Lets All be NEATer

• Alister.scott@bcu.ac.uk

• @bcualisterscott