NEC05943 Natural Capital Knowledge Exchange to Support Healthy Local Economies (Open Call)

政府目前的两个雄心是：创建一个更公平、更平衡的经济，使全国各地都能从环境可持续和代际公平的增长中受益，如2010年《地方增长白皮书》所述；以及改善整个英格兰的自然环境质量，如2011年自然环境白皮书所述，实现自然价值的净收益。地方企业伙伴关系和地方自然伙伴关系是为了响应这些雄心壮志而建立的，其目的是发展人与环境之间的互动，并了解环境如何为经济作出贡献。这有助于履行政府的一项关键承诺，即让地方决策者掌握评估土地和水资源资产收益所需的工具，以便他们能够最有效地利用这些资产，无论是支持生计、当地社区、经济、公共产品的提供，还是个人的享受。政府认识到自然资本对经济增长和生活质量有重要贡献。目前，可用于支持这一进程的知识和工具还很粗糙，往往难以应用，这是目前不同利益攸关方之间开展有效互动的障碍。所进行的研究结果与利益攸关方用来理解自然环境价值的信息之间存在着相当大的差距。努力将这一差距降至最低是这一奖学金的核心，我将与NERC资助的相关研究成果和关键利益相关者密切合作，确保实现整合数据、模型和产出的机会。NERC资助了一系列关注自然环境提供的价值和服务的研究，这一奖学金的一个关键部分将是与参与研究的人密切合作，以确保成果对利益攸关方有用。相关方案包括改变水循环方案、生物多样性和生态系统服务可持续性和评估自然网络。该研究金将与这些(和其他)方案密切合作，以确定与自然资本有关的数据集、研究结果和信息可在何处解释，供利益攸关方使用。我还将与LNPs、LEP和地方当局合作，调查如何以最有用的格式呈现信息，并展示它如何支持决策。我将管理利益相关者和研究界之间的双向信息流动，向NERC反馈目前阻碍LEP和LNPs进展的持续科学需求。这种支持将进一步提高自然环境价值的形象，这反过来将有助于政府的长期目标，即成为第一代使英格兰的自然环境处于比其继承更好的状态的人。通过LNPs和LEP以及通过直接接触，与广泛的利益相关者进行咨询，将确保从最广泛的背景下理解环境的价值。将记录和分享在与不同利益攸关方群体交流知识方面吸取的经验教训，以便所获得的经验能够产生持久的益处。通过向利益攸关方展示国家研究中心资助的研究的有用性，预计这项工作将建立研究、数据、证据、分析工具和模型的生产者和使用者之间的持续关系。应用现有和未来的NERC研究成果将使LNPs和LEP能够对当地和跨地区的自然规划采取战略方法。这些关系将对自然环境研究的持续发展及其在决策和政策中的使用起到至关重要的作用。

Two current ambitions of the Government are: to create a fairer and more balanced economy in which all parts of the country benefit from growth that is environmentally sustainable and inter-generationally fair, as set out in the 2010 Local Growth White Paper; and to improve the quality of our natural environment across England moving to a net gain in the value of nature, as set out in the 2011 Natural Environment White Paper. The Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and Local Nature Partnerships (LNPs) have been established in response to these ambitions with the aims of developing the interaction between people and the environment and understanding how the environment contributes to the economy. This contributes to meeting a key Government commitment 'to equip local decision makers with the tools they need to assess the benefits that come from their land and water assets so they can use them most effectively, be it to support livelihoods, their local communities, the economy, the provision of public goods, or personal enjoyment.' Government recognises that natural capital makes an important contribution to economic growth and quality of life. At present the knowledge and tools available to support this process are in places crude and often difficult to apply, and this is currently a hurdle in the development of effective interaction between the different stakeholders. There is a considerable gap between the outcomes of research carried out, and the information used by stakeholders to understand the value of the natural environment. Working to minimise this gap is central to this fellowship and I will work closely with relevant NERC-funded research outputs and key stakeholders ensuring that opportunities to integrate data, models and outputs are realised. NERC funds a wide range of research focussing on the values and services provided by the natural environment, and a key part of this fellowship will be to work closely with those involved in that research to ensure that results are of use to stakeholders. Relevant programmes include The Changing Water Cycle Programme, The Biodiversity & Ecosystem Service Sustainability and The Valuing Nature Network.This fellowship will work closely with these (and other) programmes to identify where data sets, research results and information relating to natural capital can be interpreted for use by stakeholders. I will also work with the LNPs, LEPs and local authorities to investigate how the information can be presented in the most useful format and to demonstrate how it can support decision making. I will manage the two-way flow of information between stakeholders and the research community, feeding back to NERC the ongoing scientific needs that currently hinder the progress of the LEPs and LNPs. This support will further raise the profile of the value of the natural environment which will in turn contribute to the Government's long term goal 'to be the first generation to leave the natural environment of England in a better state than it inherited'.Consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, both through the LNPs and LEPs and through direct engagement, will ensure that the value of the environment is understood in its widest context. Lessons learnt in exchanging knowledge with different stakeholder groups will be documented and shared so that the experience gained can have lasting benefit. By demonstrating the usefulness of NERC-funded research to stakeholders it is anticipated that this work will set in place ongoing relationships between the producers and users of research, data, evidence, analytical tools and models. The application of existing and future NERC research outputs will empower LNPs and LEPs to take a strategic approach to planning for nature within and across local areas. These relationships will be fundamental to the ongoing development of natural environmental research and its use in informing decisions and policies.