Practitioners ask: ‘how can the ecosystem services concept help our business?'

Last December two members of the OpenNESS team at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology were invited to speak to UK businesses:

1. An environmental consultancy company - EnviroCentre Ltd. and
2. A farmer’s group - Dartmoor Hill Discussion Society

Both groups are keenly aware of the political push both locally and internationally to take a holistic view in decision making related to the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human well-being.

Ron Smith presented how the EnviroCentre company could have incorporated the natural capital and ecosystem service concepts when undertaking two recent consultancies. While Jan Dick presented the natural capital and ecosystem service concepts within the framework of land-use planning and payment for ecosystem services (PES).

Both groups said they found the presentations and the discussion afterwards interesting and useful for their businesses going forward.

Photo: Dartmoor countryside by Jan Dick ©