Ecosystems Approach - Action Plan
The action plan sets out a more strategic approach to policy and delivery on the natural environment. It sets out a number of actions for Defra and key partners and stakeholders to move collectively towards an ecosystems approach to conserving, managing and enhancing the natural environment in England based on a number of core principles:
- taking a more holistic approach to policy-making and delivery, with the focus on maintaining healthy ecosystems and ecosystem services
- ensuring that the value of ecosystem services is fully reflected in decision-making
- ensuring environmental limits are respected in the context of sustainable development, taking into account ecosystem functioning
- taking decisions at the appropriate spatial scale while recognising the cumulative impacts of decisions
- applying adaptive management of the natural environment to respond to changing pressures, including climate change.
The action plan identifies a number of clear priority areas for action that will be fundamental to our success and to securing wider engagement at the national, regional and local levels. The main priorities are -:
i) promoting joined-up working within Defra and the Defra network to deliver
ii) identifying opportunities for mainstreaming an ecosystems approach
iii) using case studies that demonstrate the benefits of taking an ecosystems approach
iv) developing ways of valuing ecosystem services
v) developing a robust evidence base
Defra and the Defra network will work together with our partners in taking forward the actions identified in this plan. Defra’s Natural Environment Strategic Unit will monitor and evaluate the delivery of all the actions and will report on progress by the end of 2009.
Securing a healthy natural environment: an action plan for embedding an ecosystems approach (December 2007)
- Executive Summary (129kb)
- Full Report (474kb)
Action plan - Launch Event
A launch event for the action plan and the ecosystem services guide was opened by Joan Ruddock, Minister for Climate Change, Biodiversity and Waste. A note of the event as well as copies of the presentations are available below:
- Note of the event
[818 KB] - Bob Watson (Chief Scientist) [818 KB]
- Richard Price (Chief Economist) [586 KB]
Valuing Ecosystem Services
An Introductory Guide to Valuing Ecosystem Services has been published alongside the action plan. The aim of this Guide is to provide an introduction to the valuation of ecosystem services. It builds on previous approaches to valuing the environment but takes a more systematic approach to the assessment of impacts on the natural environment.
Page last modified: 8 February 2008
Page published:
11 October, 2005