Possibly not widely known but the landscapes of West Northamptonshire are highly distinctive due to their varied geology, topography, land cover and building form. The uplands contrast with the floodplains of the Rivers Cherwell, Tove and Nene and the underlying ironstone and limestone geology has shaped the character of the many historic settlements. There is development pressure but the planning system requires that valued landscapes are protected and enhanced while sustainable development is enabled.
TEP was appointed by Daventry, South Northamptonshire and Northampton Councils to undertake several studies into landscape character to inform the preparation of the West Northamptonshire Strategic Plan (WNSP). A significant aspect of the study is that West Northamptonshire is at the northern edge of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc and the growth agenda associated with this government ambition.
TEP advised on the suitability of a Special Landscape Area (SLA) designation. Approximately 36% of the land area of West Northamptonshire is designated as SLA and these are landscapes that are considered to have distinctive and special qualities that are renowned at district level and are of local landscape value. TEP also advised on principles for the mitigation of potential strategic development sites and opportunities for landscape enhancement and landscape restoration across West Northamptonshire. Recommendations needed to be in keeping with landscape character while also contributing to natural capital habitat opportunities in respect of woodlands, semi-natural grasslands and wetlands.
The landscape character evidence will inform policies for the forthcoming WNSP and assist with developing a natural capital strategy and plan.
To learn more from our Environmental Planning Team visit the archives.
The concept of “Natural Capital” has been gaining traction in UK and international policy, with growing recognition that if economic growth is to be sustained, Natural Capital has to be safeguarded. As landscape professionals, TEP aims to shape better environments for the next generation. In the UK, the most challenging arena is the post-industrial landscape, where there are intense development pressures in landscapes needing restoration.
TEP and VIVID Economics have developed an integrated Ecosystem Service Mapping Tool, as part of their work for Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) on the EU-funded Natural Course project. The project recently won the Landscape Institute’s Transforming through Management and Science award.
NATURAL CAPITAL AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Natural Capital is the store of natural assets in an area, such as air, water, soil or woodland. These natural assets provide a flow of services that underpin the economy, referred to as Ecosystem Services (ESS). We rely on ESS for many social, environmental and economic benefits such as:
Air and water quality regulation
Biodiversity and aesthetic value
Flood mitigation
Food and timber
Health and well-being
Mitigation of climatic extremes
Using spatial and statistical metrics, the value of ESS
derived from many Natural Capital assets can be monetised, providing a
quantifiable estimate of the benefits they provide to society.
A NATURAL CAPITAL APPROACH
The government’s 25-year plan for
the environment promotes a Natural Capital approach, acknowledging areas such as river catchments as building blocks for
long-term protection and enhancement of Natural Capital. The approach involves
demonstrating how the habitats in an area contribute to society by illustrating
the level and availability of ESS provided by natural assets. Measurement and
valuation of ESS can provide essential data about who and what will benefit
from the services. This can then be used to provide an evidence base for decision
makers to determine what ESS enhancement measures might deliver greatest public
benefit; and to assess the potential loss of benefits arising from
intensification of land use.
ECOSYSTEM SERVICE OPPORTUNITY
An ESS opportunity arises on land which, given its
physical, social, economic, geographical and cultural characteristics, offers
potential to intervene and improve ESS functioning, and consequently boosts an
area’s Natural Capital.
ESS opportunities arise where there is a combination of
feasibility and need. The decision-maker can examine whether significant
changes could be made to improve ESS functioning and whether there is a need
for improvement? For example some land uses are incapable of significant change
to improve ecological functioning, such as road surfaces, cemeteries and
private residences. Whereas others may already be in optimal ecological
condition for example woodlands cannot be bettered in respect of carbon
sequestration.
TEP has designed an award winning ESS opportunity mapping tool which helps organisations with the following analyses:
Hot Spot Analysis –
where is the greatest potential opportunity?
Targeted Analysis –
Where are the opportunities for enhancing a specific ESS?
Interventions &
Measures Referencing – Where can my organisation best deliver our core activity?
Preservation of sites
with great utility – Which sites should we protect and manage?
Gap Analysis – Where
can we bridge disconnected areas of high ESS?
Relative Benefit –
Would investment offer particular benefit to a deprived area?
Greenspace Typologies
– Where are the types of greenspace that deliver specific ESS?
All this data can be captured and interpreted through an
ESS Opportunity Mapping tool, which visualises the scale of opportunities
available in a given area, appropriate types of interventions, and priorities
for investment in Natural Capital.
ESS OPPORTUNITY MAPPING IN THE RIVER IRWELL CATCHMENT
The ESS Opportunities Mapping Tool identified where ESS could be enhanced within the Irwell Management Catchment and communicated the opportunities for Green Infrastructure improvements that would increase the flow of ESS. The mapping helped validate GMCA’s project ideas and stimulate further development opportunities; ranging from small scale enhancements to large ambitious proposals.
This project shows that providing a better understanding of the significant monetary value of the ESS can help direct investment to areas that need it the most. The innovative method used in the project is wholly replicable and could be used across different landscapes and varying scales. The project sets a precedent whereby GMCA and their stakeholders have been provided with a robust evidence base which can be interrogated on the MappingGM web tool, meaning we leave behind the tools for GMCA to identify and implement future opportunities.
“As part of the Government’s Urban Pioneer there are a number of exciting natural capital initiatives being developed across Greater Manchester. The ESS opportunity tool for Greater Manchester provides an excellent opportunity to support and inform future decisions on the protection of our natural environment and investment in projects.” Krista Patrick, GMCA Natural Capital Coordinator
If you would like to learn more about ESS mapping and our GIS services, we have CPD workshops available or get in touch with our GIS team, who would be happy to discuss your requirements.
Ordnance Survey has said ‘everything happens somewhere’, and this
could not be truer when discussing the issue of climate change. The causes,
interventions and impacts of climate change are distributed differently, and
occur at local, national and international scales.
Geographic Information System (GIS) – a
collection of software and processes which can collect, analyse and present
spatial information – and the associated profession are key to this earth-scale
issue. TEP’s GIS team has this in mind
when completing projects on Green Infrastructure, Ecosystem Services (ESS) and
Natural Capital.
GIS is able to collect spatial data from
several sources, including site surveys, aerial photography and LIDAR (Light
Detection and Ranging). Through mapping the issues or phenomena associated with
climate change (such as land-cover change), GIS can help to establish a
baseline of information, which can then be measured and monitored to achieve
targets. As part of our Green Infrastructure Assessments, TEP looks to
quantitatively measure land-cover and establish a spatial baseline, with the
aim to set measureable targets to reduce the coverage of sealed surface, a
contributor to climate change.
Furthermore GIS can address the issue of
climate change through spatial modelling and analysis. Looking at different
spatial datasets, it is possible that GIS can identify causality between
phenomena, and identify what factors contribute to climate change (such as
deforestation). If we are able to understand causality within the climate
system, we can model the impacts of climate change, and those of potential
interventions across a given area. Spatial modelling helps to inform decision
makers on the most effective places to allocate resources and also helps to
identify the most effective interventions to maximise the response.
Within our work on ESS Opportunity Mapping for Greater Manchester, TEP included carbon sequestration as a service, and identified the optimum locations to improve it. We have been able to inform decision-makers on the locations to have the most effective impact on climate change through interventions such as afforestation.
It is important to have a comprehensive
evidence base to inform decision-makers, however it is just as important to be
able to communicate the results in a clear and accurate manner. As the cliché
goes ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’,
and GIS has the ability to present the results of data collection and analysis
through a variety of media – maps, applications and visualisations. This is a
key link between science and policy, as clear communication of ideas is
critical to the best decisions being made.
At TEP, the GIS team has produced maps
for a number of evidence bases to support climate change interventions such as
tree planting. We also have produced
webmaps, which allow decision makers to interact with the spatial data
generated without the need for specialist software.
Climate change is an issue which will affect everyone on Earth, and GIS has the power to map, measure and model the impacts and interventions. The GIS profession must play our part in addressing this issue in the day-to-day work we do.