We use the latest robust frameworks for delivering natural capital valuation and accounting at the organisational and landholding level. We document the extent and condition of natural capital assets, ecosystem service flows, and value. This reveals the extent of private and public benefits, and ensures the quantity and quality of assets can be managed. Where cost data is available, we produce balance sheets showing assets, liabilities, and net present value.
Our approaches are based on the latest valuation techniques available in scientific literature, including those adopted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). We follow the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) guidance on Enabling a Natural Capital Approach (ENCA). And our approach follows the British Standard Institute’s standard for Natural Capital Accounting for Organisations (BS 8632).
We undertake appraisals of natural capital investment and intervention plans, such as habitat restoration and creation plans, Green Infrastructure (GI) developments, and analysis of farm incomes under alternative scenarios. An investment appraisal of a natural capital intervention would typically begin by developing a cash flow, taking into account the change in benefits as habitats develop, and the costs of the works as they occurred – as forecast over the project’s lifetime. This is used to develop a business case for investment.
This summary describes a payment scheme designed to provide grants to landowners for planting new woodland in and around the North East Community Forest area. The scheme, commissioned by the North East Community Forest, establishes the best locations to target, and sets payment rates that reflect the public benefits delivered.
The project involved a fine-scale and detailed mapping of the natural capital assets, biodiversity and ecosystem services baselines for the open spaces and green infrastructure owned by the City of London Corporation (CoLC).
NCS led a project that explored the development of a tool or set of tools that can quantify and value the health and well-being benefits related to the use of the NHS outdoor estate in Scotland. This included surveys and interviews of key personnel in NHS Scotland to inform an understanding of the taxonomy of uses associated with the NHS outdoor estate; the development of a conceptual logic chain of the relationships between natural capital, activities in greenspace, health and well-being benefits and their value; a targeted rapid literature review of the scientific and grey literature to reveal metrics of health and well-being benefits and the value from activities akin to those that occur on the NHS outdoor estate; and a consultation with academic health economists to discuss the appropriateness and robustness of the valuation methods identified in the review, and how NHS Scotland can best approach the valuation of these benefits across the estate and the data required.
The findings emphasised that there is no quick route to valuing the health and well-being benefits of the NHS outdoor estate in a robust way. There may be some quick wins using benefits transfer from other studies for specific organised health activities where there are known numbers of participants, or from very generic recreational activities in specific habitats (such as walking in woodland). Primary studies using surveys will be necessary to quantify and value health and well-being benefits across a range of NHS outdoor estate activities. The most efficient use of resources would be to prioritise certain activities or user groups and run different projects on pilot NHS Health Board sites. The learning can then be applied to other sites and be used in a future valuation toolkit in the medium to long term.
A project commissioned by RSPB Northern Ireland that explored the added value that enhancing farmland nature can deliver, and assessed its viability in the context of changes to agricultural policy post-Brexit, and the need to address the climate and nature emergencies. The report was delivered as an interactive html file.
A payment scheme designed to provide grants to landowners for planting new woodland in the Forest of Marston Vale area. The scheme, commissioned by the Forest of Marston Vale Trust, establishes the best locations to target and sets payment rates that reflect the public benefits delivered.
An examination of the implications for upland farmers in Pendle Hill, Lancashire, of a change in agricultural and environmental policy that will replace direct income support with payments for land-based environmental services.
Using a natural capital accounting framework, this assessment identifies and examines existing assets, the flow of services to them, and the monetary value of the resultant benefits.
An economic and investment appraisal, and natural capital assessment, of proposed restoration works at two peatland sites in Northern Ireland: Garron Plateau and Montiaghs Moss.
A natural capital account and assessment for a major housing and community development in East Northamptonshire.
