How many trees should we plant and where? Modelling the landscape-level benefits and biodiversity consequences of woodland creation.

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This proposal is for a Research Translation Fellowship. Woodland creation can bring many benefits. It can help draw down and store carbon from the atmosphere, it can help reduce flooding and it can provide us with opportunities for recreation. However, woodland creation also has big consequences for biodiversity and these are not always positive. While woodland species can benefit from the increase in habitat and connectivity that tree planting brings, other species that rely on the wide open spaces provided by grasslands, moorlands and other habitats will be negatively affected. Woodland cannot provide the resources these open-habitat species need; it may in fact increase habitat for their predators and cause loss of connectivity for such species. Woodland habitat is therefore beneficial for some species and not for others. Our government has pledged to increase tree planting and there is an urgent need for tools to inform where these trees should be planted. Crucially, such tools must allow us to identify locations where woodland creation will maximise ecosystem benefits to people (e.g. carbon storage, water retention, crop pollination) while still balancing the needs of species with different habitat requirements. This requires coupling water/carbon storage models to biodiversity models - something which is rarely done - and building realistic biodiversity models that reflect the way multiple species with different habitat requirements move around the landscape. Existing biodiversity metrics are too simplistic and cannot capture this. This project will build a state-of-the-art biodiversity model that simulates the daily foraging movements of six representative species groups of conservation concern (including woodland birds, farmland birds, hedgehogs, amphibians, bumblebees). Together, these chosen groups span a range of habitat/mobility requirements and responses to woodland creation. The biodiversity model will be parameterised and validated using literature and citizen science datasets, and co-developed alongside two NGO species advocates (British Trust for Ornithology; Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK), to ensure that it realistically represents the needs of species. This biodiversity model will then be coupled to water and carbon storage models developed at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. The combined model will be capable of assessing synergies/trade-offs between four ecosystem services (water yield, carbon storage, pollination and natural pest control) alongside the needs of six contrasting species groups of high conservation concern. The model will be used to assess the benefits and biodiversity consequences of woodland creation in real landscapes. Project stakeholders will select five case study areas where they are currently working with local authorities, organisations and landowners to deliver Nature Recovery Networks and ecosystem service provision. The model will be used to virtually trial different woodland creation scenarios and identify options which maximise benefits for people and wildlife. This will provide specific woodland creation recommendations for these study areas. Novel mathematical techniques will then be applied to derive general overarching woodland creation guidelines from the study area trials, which can be applied in other similar situations. Close working alongside project stakeholders and a communications expert will ensure these are translated into accessible formats for decision-makers and practitioners. Finally, a user-friendly online version of the model will be co-produced with project stakeholders, so enabling these stakeholders (and others) to continue using the tool to support decision-making after the project finishes.