This document discusses using an ecosystem approach in local planning. It outlines that nature is often ignored in planning in favor of economic growth. An ecosystem approach frames nature as an asset providing benefits. The ecosystem approach promotes integrated management of land, water, and living resources for conservation and sustainable use. The document provides examples of how planning can integrate ecosystem principles, such as through green infrastructure, biodiversity offsetting, and payments for ecosystem services. Partnerships are key to delivering plans that use an ecosystem approach.

1. Using the Ecosystem Approach in a
local plan process.
Alister Scott BA PhD MRTPI

2. Plan
• Boundaries of your
planning concern
• Mainstreaming value
of nature
• Ecosystem Approach
and Planning
• Hooks for
mainstreaming
• Discussion

3. What are our boundaries of
concern?
Built Environment Natural Environment

4. Mainstreaming Value of
Nature
• “In many cases nature
is ignored or trumped
by other economic or
social priorities, or seen
as a barrier to growth to
be overcome.
• Ecosystem services
and natural capital help
re-frame nature as an
asset to society that
delivers many benefits”.
• Scott 2014

5. Ecosystem Services

6. 1. National Parks vs
Ecosystem Approach
Environment Act 1995
• To conserve and enhance
the natural beauty, wildlife
and cultural heritage of the
area.
• To promote opportunities for
the understanding and
enjoyment of the special
qualities of the Park by the
public.
---------------------------------------------
• To seek to foster the
economic and social well-being
of the local communities
within the National Park.
Convention of Biological
Diversity 1992
• The ecosystem approach
is a strategy for the
integrated management
of land, water and living
resources that promotes
conservation and
sustainable use in an
equitable way.

7. 2. Spatial Planning meets
the Ecosystem Approach
• Strategy for the
integrated management
of land, water and living
resources that promotes
conservation and
sustainable use in an
equitable way.
• Convention of Biological
Diversity 1992
Proactive, positive and
integrated approaches
involving multi-scalar and
multi-sectoral perspectives
for societal benefit
• Scott et al 2013
Sustainable Development

8. 12 Guiding Principles
1:Policy and decision making are matters of societal
CHOICE
2: DEVOLVE decisions to the lowest appropriate level
3: Consider any ADJACENT effects
4: Manage systems economically for MULTIPLE
BENEFITS
5: Maintain structure and function of ECOSYSTEM
SERVICES
6: Manage systems within their LIMITS

9. Contd.
7: Manage at appropriate spatial and
temporal SCALES
8: Recognize different TEMPORAL scales
and lag-effects
9: Recognize the CHANGE is inevitable.
10: Seek BALANCE between conservation &
use
11: Consider all relevant INFORMATION
SOURCES
12: INVOLVE all relevant sectors of society

10. Built Environment Hooks
• Value Ecosystem
Services (p109) 4 5 6 10
– Green/Blue Infrastructure
– Ecological networks
– Biodiversity Offsetting
• Duty to Cooperate 2 3 7
11 12
• Viability 4
• Regulation 1 6 7 8
• Incentives 1 4 9 10
• Localism 2 7 8 12

11. Value Ecosystem Services
109 The planning system
should contribute to and
enhance the natural and
local environment by:
• recognising the wider
benefits of ecosystem
services;
• Redefining your
evidence base
• Baselines

12. Value Ecosystem Services

13. Baseline Mapping

14. National Character Areas

15. Opportunity Mapping

16. National Character Areas

17. Green Living
Spaces Plan 2014
Spatial Layers
1.aesthetics and mobility
2.flood risk
3.local climate
4.education
5.recreation
6.biodiversity

18. Nature Improvement Area
• Bigger Better More
Joined up
• Landscape scale
• Enhanced
involvement,
education and cultural
services
• Optional planning
policy protection

19. BUT How Not to Value
Nature
• Selective cherry
picking of ecosystem
services
• Using financial values
alone

20. Biodiversity Offsetting
Doncaster

21. Duty to Cooperate
“To engage constructively,
actively and on an ongoing
basis to maximise the effectiveness
of Local Plan preparation
in the context of strategic
cross boundary matters”.

22. Housing Fetish
• IDENTIFY Objectively
assessed housing
need
• 5 year housing supply
• REVISE via
constraints or
neighbours

23. Catchment
Management
Source: Jim Davies
Env Agency

24. Partnerships

25. Viability
• Economic – Developer driven based on
hidden models of delivery costs
• BUT need to incoporate
• Social – e.g Affordable housing
• Environmental – e.g limits and thresholds

26. Regulatory Tools
• Strategic Environmental
Assessment
– Scottish Rural
Development plan
• Environmental Impact
Assessment
• Community
Infrastructure levy
• SuDs

27. Incentives: Payments for
Ecosystem Services

28. Localism

29. Exmoor National Park

30. N Devon &Torridge Plan
• Policy ST11: Enhancing
Environmental Assets:
The quality of northern
Devon’s natural environment
will be protected and
enhanced by: …
(g) conserving and enhancing
the robustness of northern
Devon’s ecosystems and the
range of ecosystem services
they provide;” (North Devon
and Torridge Local Plan, 2013:
54

31. Case Studies using
ecosystem services

32. Ecosystems and Planning
• Built vs Natural Environment
Divide
• Complex academic ecosystem
vocabulary
BUT
1. Planning and Ecosystem
Approach principles meet
2. Hooks as starting point for
tool development and use
3. Partnerships as key delivery
vehicles
4. Shared language of multiple
benefits unites stakeholders.
5. Importance of using
principles collectively to
inform plan and decisions

33. Lets All be NEATer
• Alister.scott@bcu.ac.uk
• @bcualisterscott