Ecosystems Knowledge Network news, events and resources.

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Dear <<First Name>>,

Stewardship of the natural environment is all too often beset by doom, blame and guilt about lack of progress. As a member of the Ecosystems Knowledge Network, you are part of the antidote to all this. Around our growing and diverse community of professionals throughout these islands, we see fantastic innovation going on that is delivering for people, for nature and for business. By highlighting what is positive, progressive and people-centred, we believe that change will happen faster. We'll fulfill our mission of harnessing all that a healthy environment can do for everyone's wellbeing and prosperity.

In 2023, will you allow yourself to be beset by doom? Or spurred on by all the innovation occurring in and around the Ecosystems Knowledge Network membership?

Stuart Robertson
EKN's Knowledge Exchange Specialist

Landscape Enterprise Networks
'Rewilding' in the Peaks
Green Alliance explores futures for land and local communities
Plymouth deploys digital tech in nature recovery
Land Use Commission for England recommended by House of Lords
EKN launches UK-wide survey of nature-based enterprises

Go to news

Training: delivering net gains for the environment
NATURE Tool user technical training
Game On for Nature Festival 2023
Green Infrastructure Framework launch

Go to events

E-Planner tool for Land Managers
Short films from The QUENCH network
Highlights from the Future Parks Accelerator Conference
Free resource on nature finance

Go to resources

News

Landscape Enterprise Networks

Exploring potential in Scotland

Landscape Enterprise Networks are a system for organising the buying and selling of land management activities that lead to outcomes such as water quality improvement and flood risk reduction. NatureScot, with funding from Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Water, has commissioned two scoping studies to explore the potential for Landscape Enterprise Networks in the Spey (Highland/Moray) and Leven (Fife / Perth and Kinross) river catchments. They will map out business interests in the catchments and the potential for new ways of financing environmental restoration. Find out more here.

'Rewilding' in the Peaks

Wild Peak initiative launched

The Wild Peak is a new initiative launched by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust that is all about the future of the Peak District. It is working in partnership with landowners, local communities and others to secure a landscape-scale approach to nature recovery. The project will create, restore and connect wild spaces across the region - working with and between existing initiates and conservation sites to create a nature recovery network. Find out more here.

Green Alliance explores futures for land and local communities

Engaging communities, balancing needs

Yesterday, the Green Alliance published a report that explores the challenge and opportunity of community involvement in the changes in land use and management that are foreseen in Britain. It is based on a review of projects, approaches and initiatives around Wales, Scotland, and England. The report provides an important perspective on the land use scenarios that were published by the Green Alliance last week. These scenarios struck different balances between nature restoration, net zero and food production. Read the community engagement report. Read the land use scenarios.

Plymouth deploys digital tech in nature recovery

New component of citizen engagement

Since 2020, Plymouth City Council has been working with Devon Wildlife Trust to reduce the intensity of mowing of public ‘amenity’ grassland in order to support nature recovery. A key challenge has been to how help the general public and the Council’s workforce to view this positively. This has been achieved using a ‘See, Think, Do, Care’ framework that included extensive use of digital media - including social media and augmented reality headsets - alongside conventional events and schools engagement. More details are found here. Details of the augmented reality are found here.

Land Use Commission for England recommended by House of Lords

A multi-functional approach

Last month, a House of Lords Select Committee on Land Use in England published its conclusions and recommendations. It advocates a multifunctional approach to land; ensuring that nature, climate and food supply requirements are all met in a co-ordinated fasion. The report recommends a Commission to oversee a new land use 'framework' for England, designed to guide fulfillment of the many objectives and funding streams relating to land. (Scottish Government has already published a series of Land Use Strategies over the last decade.) The Committee report can be accessed here.

EKN launches UK-wide survey of nature-based enterprises

An inaugral review of nature finance

With the UK in the bottom 10% of countries globally for biodiversity, nature finance offers the step-change in funding we need to restore our land and seas. But it is young and needs nurturing to make it work. We need your help. If you manage a nature restoration project in the UK and are looking at using private finance, please give 5-10 minutes of your time to share your experiences for the UK Nature Finance Review 2023, funded by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. By entering you will receive a copy of the report and have a chance to win a free ticket for the 2023 Nature Finance Conference. Read more about the Review and take part here. Read more about the Review and take part here .

Events

Delivering net gains for the environment through built development

Foundations course, online 7th & 9th March 2023
This EKN course is for those who need to know how net gains for the environment can be implemented for projects to deliver added value for clients and customers. It is delivered by experts from WSP, the developers of the NATURE Tool (Nature Assessment Tool for Urban and Rural Environments); a user-friendly and easy-to-use Excel tool designed to assess the impact of changes in land use and management with the aim of achieving net gains for the environment.
Find out more and register here.

NATURE Tool user technical training

Online 9th & 11th May 2023
This is an online course for those using the NATURE Tool in assessments of the net gains for the environment through individual built development projects such as housing, infrastructure, commercial property and conservation projects. This practical course takes staff tasked with using the NATURE Tool through the process of collating data for use in the Excel tool, through to generation and interpretation of outputs including Quality Assurance. Find out more and register here.

Game On for Nature Festival 2023

Following the success of EKN's inaugural online Game On for Nature (2022) Conference this year, we are planning ahead for the 2023 event. We have set our sights on a bigger event for 2023, taking place in the week of 19th June 2023. We are planning a festival format with live online events throughout the week (talks, workshops, demonstrations, and pre-recorded ‘in-conversation’ pieces premiering during the week).

Are there projects that you are aware of that could feature in our programme of events in 2023, including Game On for Nature? If so contact us via conference@ecosystemsknowledge.net

Green Infrastructure Framework launch

Online launch event, 31st January 2023

Green infrastructure is a term used to refer to the network of natural features that deliver value for people in any locality. The forthcoming Green Infrastructure Framework fulfills a commitment in HM Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan to review and refresh the standards for the provision of green infrastructure in England. This will be of interest to professionals throughout the UK who want to deliver better places for people to live and work. Register for free for the launch event.

Resources

E-Planner tool for Land Managers

Free tool to help land managers

E-Planner is a free tool developed by UKCEH (a research and innovation centre) to help farmers and other land managers identify the most suitable places for different environmental management actions via interactive maps. E-Planner uses environmental datasets to build coverage maps of the relative suitability of land for different environmental opportunities across Britain. Each opportunity has a range of associated potential management actions, depending on the farming system and local context. Explore E-Planner here.

Short films from The QUENCH network

Linking the Quality of Urban Environments with Nature Connectedness and Health

The QUENCH network was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council to investigate the links between the quality of urban ecosystems, nature connectedness, and health outcomes. Led by Lancaster University and the University of Liverpool, their work is aimed at creating urban environments that are good for people and for nature. Last year, QUENCH launched five proof of concept studies. They have now produced a series of short films showcasing what the network and the projects are all about as a resource to help extend work in this space.

Highlights from the Future Parks Accelerator Conference

Naturally Thriving: Rethinking Urban Green Space

Over 1,400 people joined the Naturally Thriving: Rethinking Urban Green Space conference in October. Speakers and delegates came together to share how high-quality, accessible green infrastructure can help cities meet the challenges of the 21st century, from climate change to health inequalities. All sessions from the conference were recorded and are now available to watch for free here.

Free resource on nature finance

News and updates on a growing topic

Nature finance refers to the incorporation of revenue and investment from private sources in environmental restoration. Did you know that Ecosystems Knowledge Network runs a Learning Group on the subject, providing regular updates on nature finance and links to our resource hub. Explore the resources here.

Good things to share?

Send us your news - do you have project news or reports you want to share, new tools or other resources? Let us know via info@ecosystemsknowledge.net

An award winning hub for shared learning!

Ecosystems Knowledge Network is delighted to share that it has won the 'Best Practice - Knowledge Sharing' award in the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management 2021 Awards. Thank you for the part that you play in our unique UK-wide knowledge-sharing work. Read more about the awards here.

The Ecosystems Knowledge Network is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered with the Charities Commission for England and Wales (No. 1159867) and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (No. SC045732).

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