Interdisciplinary Network for Valuing Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Natural Resource Use

维持环境的关键服务的任何努力的核心是需要掌握关于自然资源、生态系统和生物多样性所提供的服务的价值的准确信息。这是有问题的，因为这些价值一般没有反映在现成的市场价格中，更根本的是，因为普遍未能将发展解决这些估价知识差距所需的方法和研究能力所必需的自然、经济和社会科学结合起来。目前的建议是解决这一潜在研究能力和综合方法问题的重要一步。它是一个国际知名的自然、经济和社会科学家团队的产物，他们在个人和合作方面都有高质量的研究记录（后者最著名的是作为英国国家生态系统评估（NEA）的关键参与者）。此外，即使在很短的研究征召期内，他们也聚集了来自英国和国际多个领域的进一步研究人员的广泛网络的明确书面支持。研究人员提出以下方案，通过一系列高度整合的工作流程（WS）来解决中心研究主题：主题1：扩大生态系统服务概念。- WS 1：连接研究学科和利益相关者参与主题2：开发综合评估方法- WS 2.1评估生态系统服务流量：解决自然资源复杂性和间接影响- WS 2.2：评估生态系统资产库存的可持续性- WS 2.3：整合定量和定性评估方法主题3：提高对支撑服务的生态系统过程的理解。- WS 3.1：面对不确定性时生态系统过程、自然资源存量和生态系统服务变化的度量。- WS 3.2：了解生物多样性的变化如何影响生态系统服务的提供。- WS 3.3：改善现有生物物理和社会经济信息/数据集的获取和整合。- WS 3.4：在相关的空间和时间尺度上发展自然资源和生态系统服务的综合生物物理和社会经济模型，处理风险和不确定性。虽然我们认为拟议的计划解决了关键问题，但根据征求建议的要求，我们将在网络运营的头两个月内通过与更广泛的研究和政策团体的接触，共同完善（并据此确定最终的资源分配）。最后的方案将通过一系列泛网络公开会议和进一步的工作流程内部会议来实施。为了确保关键问题得到解决，避免“空谈”，某些关键活动（特别是开发高度综合的评估方法）将得到经验要素的支持，旨在通过解决协作工作中一些最具挑战性的领域，与联合网络活动共生。年会（第12和22个月）将汇集所有主题和工作流程的产出，并向公开的国内和国际听众介绍。产出将通过以下途径进一步传播：一个专门的网站（也用作所有有关各方的第一站）；针对研究人员和政策制定者等不同受众的主题立场文件和报告，前者旨在在同行评议的期刊上发表；一份泛网络综合报告，已收到作为一本书出版的提议。

Central to any attempt to maintain the crucial services of the environment is the need to have accurate information regarding the value of the services provided by natural resources, ecosystems and biodiversity. This is problematic both because those values are generally not reflected in readily available market prices and, more fundamentally, because of a general failure to bring together the natural, economic and social science necessary to develop the methods and research capacity required to address those valuation knowledge gaps. The current proposal represents an important step in addressing this underlying research capacity and integrated methodology problem. It is the product of an internationally renowned team of natural, economic and social scientists who have an established track record of high quality research both as individuals and collaboratively (the latter most notably as the key players within the UK National Ecosystem Assessment; NEA). Furthermore, even within the short research call period they have assembled the explicit, written backing of a very extensive network of further researchers from multiple fields drawn from across the UK and internationally. The Investigators propose the following programme to address the central research themes through a series of highly integrated workstreams (WS): Theme 1: Broadening the ecosystem service concept. - WS 1: Bridging research disciplines and engaging stakeholders Theme 2: Developing integrated valuation methods - WS 2.1 Valuing Ecosystem Service Flows: Addressing Natural Resource Complexity and Indirect Impacts - WS 2.2: Valuing the Sustainability of Stocks of Ecosystem Assets - WS 2.3: Integrating quantitative and qualitative valuation methods Theme 3: Improving understanding of ecosystem processes underpinning services. - WS 3.1: Metrics of changes in ecosystem processes, natural resource stocks and ecosystem services in the face of uncertainty. - WS 3.2: Understanding how changes in biodiversity influence ecosystem service delivery. - WS 3.3: Improved accessibility to, and integration of, existing biophysical and socio-economic information/ data sets. - WS 3.4: Developing integrated biophysical and socio-economic modelling of natural resources and ecosystem services, at relevant spatial and temporal scales, addressing risk and uncertainty. While we believe the proposed programme addresses the key issues, in line with the requirements of the call for proposals, this will be refined collaboratively within the first two months of the network's operation (and finalised resource allocations made accordingly) through a process of engagement with the wider research and policy communities. The final programme will be implemented through a series of pan-network open meetings and further intra-workstream meetings. In an effort to ensure that key issues are tackled and 'talking-shops' avoided, certain key activities (notably the development of a highly integrated valuation methodology) will be supported by empirical elements, designed to work in symbiosis with the allied network activities by tackling some of the most challenging areas of collaborative work. An annual meeting (in months 12 and 22) will bring together outputs from all themes and work streams and present these to an open national and international audience. Outputs will be further disseminated through: a dedicated website (also used as a first port of call for all interested parties); theme position papers and reports intended for various audiences including researchers and policymakers with the former aimed towards publication in peer reviewed journals; a pan-network synthesis report for which an offer of publication as a book has been received.