1. Little Wittneham Nature Reserve
Oxfordshire
An Ecosystem Service Assessment

2. 1. Purpose and design
2. Scope and problemscape of the concept
3. Analysis and assessment
4. Results and recommendations

4. • To reconnect people to nature
• conserve the local environment
• educate the public about sustainable living
• improve local biodiversity
• create habitats for rare species
Aims of the Earth Trust

5. Little Wittenham Wood Nature
Reserve (dark green) and
Wittenham Clumps (light green)
System Boundary

6. Ecosystem services provided by Little
Wittenham Nature Reserve
Provisioning
• biodiversity
• plant-based
energy
• habitat for
pollinating insects
• food for livestock
Regulating
• climate regulation
• carbon
sequestration
• flood protection
• air and water
regulation
Cultural
• leisure/recreation
• aesthetic value
• health benefits
(walking etc.)
• spiritual value
• education
• social relations
• heritage
Supporting
Nutrient cycling, soil formation, photosynthesis, water cycling

7. Earth Trust
Plant-based energy
Pollinating services
Aesthetic value
Flood protection
Local farmers
Pollinating services
Climate regulation
Forage for livestock
Flood protection
Local residents
Aesthetic and spiritual value
Recreation
Air and water regulation
Climate regulation
Flood protection
Visitors
Education
Aesthetic and spiritual value
Recreation
School students Education
Volunteers Social relations
Scientists Biodiversity
Beneficiaries

10. Visitors, dogs
Climate change:
beech trees on
Wittenham Clumps
prone to summer
drought
Threats
Infrastructure:
carpark at
Wittenham
Clumps, pathways
through Little
Wittenham Wood
Replacing beech
trees on Clumps
with other tree
species
Trade-
offs

12. Little Wittenham Wood
contains flower meadows, is
an SSSI and SAC, and is
particularly important for the
Great Crested Newt.
Round Hill, Wittenham Clumps
The Wittenham Clumps are two
hills hosting wildflower meadows
and topped by clumps of beech
trees; they offer panoramic views
of the surrounding countryside.
Little Wittenham Wood
The landscape
Photo by Jonathan Bowen

13. Paul Nash, Wittenham Clumps, 1912

14. Direct use value Indirect use value
Regional
Global
Cultural services
All
Local
Provisioning services
Grazing and hay-cutting
Plant-based energy
Pollinating services
Regulating services
Air and water regulation
Flood protection
Climate regulation
Carbon sequestration
Relationship between Ecosystem Services and Beneficiaries

15. Andy Hough

16. Policy and management measures of
the Earth Trust
• Traditional techniques
• Habitat creation
Conserving
woodland,
grassland, and
wildlife
• Planting broad-leaved trees
• Slowly replacing beech trees on the
Clumps with other species
Promoting
biodiversity and
resilience
• Restored steps and new pathway
• Plan to improve facilities in future
Making the Nature
Reserve more
accessible to the
public

18. •Nearly 200,000
people visit the nature
reserve annually
•Around 100 people
regularly volunteer
at the reserve
•Up to five school visits a
week, with up to 40
children per school
•People attending
workshops and courses
•Estimated value of
£400 million per
annum
•Help to propagate
wildflowers in the
reserve
Valuation of
Ecosystem Services
Leisure and
recreation
Volunteering
Education
Flood
protection
Carbon
sequestration
Pollinating
services
•Woodland and grassland
sequester carbon
•Carbon sequestered by
reserve potentially worth
£65,000 p.a.
•Soil absorbs rainfall
•Could reduce flood
damage and costs

19. How would Ecosystem Services change under
different scenarios?
Decrease in funding
• Less maintenance of infrastructure
• Less man power
Change in use of surrounding
land
• Habitat fragmentation  Biodiversity
• Property development  Views

21. Policy and management
recommendations
• Minimise threats from
increasing number of visitors
• Current measures are suitable
for achieving biodiversity and
cultural services provision

23. References
UK National Ecosystem Assessment, The UK National Ecosystem
Assessment: Synthesis of the Key Findings. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge, 2011
Fuller R. J., Warren M. S., Coppiced woodlands: their management for
wildife, 2nd edition, JNCC, DEFRA, 1993
Earth Trust: www.earthtrust.org.uk
Seppelt R., et al, ‘Form follows function? Proposing a blueprint for
ecosystem service assessments based on reviews and case studies,’ in
Ecological Indicators, 21, 2012, pp. 145-154
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Ecosystems and Human Well-being:
Synthesis, Island Press, Washington, DC, 2005
Pictures:
Andy Hough and Jonathan Bowen for the Earth Trust
Wikimedia Commons
Paul Nash painting from www.nashclumps.org