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A thin wet sky, that yellows at the rim, And meets with sun-lost lip the marsh’s brim.   Hushed lie the sedges, and the vapours creep, Thick, grey and humid, while the marshes sleep.

An Talamh Briste “The Broken Ground” (2006) By Anne Campbell Oil on canvas of a summer moorland walk with observations in pencil

relu Rural Economy and

Land Use Programme

relu Rural Economy and

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Plan%

Part%1:%Managing%future%change%1.  The%project%

2.  The%future%of%the%uplands%

3.  Challenges%or%opportuni:es?%

%Part%2:%Paying%for%peatlands%1.  Payments%for%Ecosystem%Services%

2.  Peatland%Code%and%placeAbased%schemes%

All#photos#and#video#have#copyright#permission#for#use#in#this#presenta6on#

24/10/14% 5%relu Rural Economy and

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Part 1

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1.1 Sustainable Uplands Project

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•  Since%2005%•  £1.1M%from%RELU%and%ESRC%

•  £1M%from%research%users%

•  29%researchers:%Birmingham%City%University,%Universi:es%of%

Leeds,%Aberdeen,%St%Andrews,%Durham,%Sheffield%&%others%

with%Moors%for%the%Future%&%Heather%Trust%%

Working#with#people#in#uplands#to#be;er#an6cipate#and#respond#to#future#change

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1.2 The Future of the Uplands

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“Where%do%we%come%from?%

What%are%we?%

Where%are%we%going?”%

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?%

Fortune%Telling%

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Dreaming%

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Scenarios%

“The%best%way%to%predict%the%future%is%to%invent%it”%Alan%Kay%

�The%future%belongs%to%those%who%prepare%for%it%today�%Malcolm%X%

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•  “Thinking%out%of%the%box”%to%an:cipate%and%prepare%for%a%wider%range%of%futures%in%greater%

depth%

•  Combines%knowledge%from%mul:ple%

stakeholders%with%evidence%from%literature%

and%computa:onal%modelling%

•  7%steps…%

A%new%approach%to%scenarios%

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1. Better understand stakeholders priorities and their relationships through stakeholder analysis and social network analysis, and select working group

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2. Understand current/future challenges/opportunities: interviews & site visits with stakeholders/researchers

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Managedburns overless areaDefra Burning

Code Review

10% leftunburned

Blanket BogBurning Ban

ShorterBurningSeason

Lessshooting days

Futureshooting ban

Increasedanimal rights

activism

Lowereconomic

returns fromgrouse

Lessmoorland

managed forgrouse

Smaller rurallabour pool

Demographicchange

Culturalchange

Conservationpriorities

More longheather

More scrub

Morebroadleaf

forest

Moreaccidental

fires

ClimateChange to

warmer/drier

Less erosion Less watercolour

More erosionMore water

colourLess

vegetationcover

Afforestationschemes

Coniferreplacement

schemes

Burningtechnologyadvances

CAP reform

Single farmpayment

EnvironmentalStewardship

Scheme

Hill sheepless

profitable

Less gamekeepering

Rural-urbanmigration

Ageing ruralpopulation

Less interestin rural

livelihoods

Less intensivegrazing

Agriculturalmarkets

Diversification?

Ecologicalrestoration

Recreationalpriorities

More controlof burning

Less bareground

Less 'flashy'hydrology

Badly timed burns,possibly under

burning

Reduction insheep numbers

Increasedrecreational use -walking, climbing,

tourism

Reluctance toclose moors

under fire risk

3. Conceptual system model from interviews, site visits & literature; trace drivers to create scenarios

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4. Refine and prioritise scenarios for investigation

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5. Model possible futures: details, feedbacks, scenarios interactions, ES trade-offs for future planning

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6.%Communicate%model%outputs%through%stories,%films%

and%visualisa:ons%that%depict%different%likely%futures%

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www.see.leeds.ac.uk/sustainableuplands

7.%Find%innova:ve%ways%that%people%can%respond%and%discuss%

ideas%from%literature%(How%would%you%respond%if%this%happened?)%

•  Model%innova:ve%ideas:%how%likely%to%work?%%

•  Use%results%to%revise/refine%ideas%to%ensure%they%work%

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•  Extensifica:on%of%land%use%&%management%in%uplands%

•  Intensifica:on%%(in#reality,#probably#a#patchwork#of#both)#

The%scenarios%

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1.3 Challenges or opportunities?

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Opportuni:es?%

•  Carbon management via peatland restoration (as opposed to renewable energy developments) under the extensification scenario may bring a number of co-benefits: •  Less brown water •  Reduced fire risk •  Protection of moorland/bog species

important for conservation •  Limit scrub/forest encroachment •  Supplement incomes in remote areas

via carbon markets?

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Challenges%•  Extensive management will benefit biodiversity in over-

grazed moorlands and carbon, but compromise provisioning services such as game and sheep production, and in drier locations where scrub/forest encroaches, lead to a loss of moorland species and current recreational benefits

•  Intensification prioritises provisioning services at the expense of most other ecosystem services

•  Both scenarios are likely to compromise upland biodiversity in in many locations •  Already a source of conflict... Golden Plover

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Upland communities tend to be well connected – this is the Moors for the Future partnership, in the Peak District

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This is a sub-sample of 22 individuals we interviewed, showing those

who communicated most with other (no matter how infrequently) in the network as

larger dots

Hill Farming

Conservation

Sporting Interests

Water Companies

Recreation

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Those who communicate on a monthly or more frequent basis

Hill Farming

Conservation Sporting Interests

Water Companies

Recreation

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Hill Farming

Conservation Sporting Interests

Water Companies

Recreation

“I think perhaps the moors are over-burnt and not respected from the point that they are driven too hard and pushed too hard for the purpose of the grouse…they are looking for more and more and more…But it becomes like any mono-culture then – if you�re driven so single-mindedly by one thing, that tends to knacker nature – that�s the problem.�

“At the moment there is a conflict between us [Natural England] and the people who manage fires, that we need to sort out. It’s a big thing - its probably the most important thing.”

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Hill Farming

Sporting Interests

Water Companies

Recreation

Conservation

�The heather moorlands… are there because of grouse shooting. Full-stop… Whether we like it or not, grouse shooting is the raison d�être.� “[They] want to paint by numbers. The problem is [they] can’t tell you what the numbers are. [They] can’t tell you what is going to happen.” “I’ve spent thirty years managing land and I’ve seen all these things come

and go. So when you tell me as a very sincere young man with a great deal of credentials, that your prescription is right, you just listen to me: the guy who gave me 100% grant aid…to plough heather moorland also believed he was right because moorland was “waste”.”

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The majority of individuals perceive considerable overlap between their views

on upland management and the views of those they

know from other groups

Hill Farming

Conservation Sporting Interests

Water Companies

Recreation

“I hear people say “Of course ours is the best way to manage...”. It’s the best way of managing moorland for grouse production. Absolutely A1. The best for anything else? That’s open to question and that’s probably why a mix with people doing different things is our best hope of creating some semblance of balance.”

Agent

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Reproduced%with%permission%from%Michal%Šúr%

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Land Use Programme

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So what can we do?

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1.%Link%agricultural%payments%more%effec:vely%to%

provision%of%ecosystem%services%

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2.%Facilitate%peatland%carbon%markets%

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3.%Understand%how%upland%researchers,%policy%makers%and%

prac::oners%can%coAproduce%&%share%knowledge%for%a%more%

sustainable%future%

%

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1.4 Discussion

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Part 2

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2.1 Paying for Ecosystem Services

The problem

What are our options? !  Nationalisation of land !  Information provision and capacity building !  Regulation !  Financial mechanisms !  Creation of new markets

Payments for Ecosystem Services !  A voluntary transaction where !  A well-defined ecosystem service (or land use

likely to secure that service) !  Is being �bought� by a (minimum one)

ecosystem service buyer !  From a (minimum one) ecosystem service

provider !  If and only if the ecosystem service provider

secures provision (conditionality)

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Implement and review PES agreements

Identify ES prospects, potential

buyers and sellers

Resolve institutional, legal

& technical issues

Negotiate agreements

1. Identify PES opportunity

2. Identify potential PES actors

3. Assess the prospects for trade

4. Establish appropriate institutional set up

5. Address legal issues

6. Address technical issues

7. Develop ‘win-win’ markets

8. Formalise the PES scheme

9. Monitoring, evaluation & review

10. Identify opportunities for multiple-benefit PES

Payments for Ecosystem Services Best Practice Guide

Who should pay?

Putting a price-tag on nature

!  The voluntary standard for peatland restoration projects in the UK that want to be sponsored on the basis of their climate and other benefits "  Guidance for restoration projects "  Assurance for sponsors "  In pilot phase (2013-2015) "  Not an offsetting scheme

Summary

Development !  IUCN Peatland conference, Stirling 2011 !  Report for EMTF: ranked their top opportunity !  Highlighted in Defra’s PES Action Plan !  National Action Plan & Committee

on Climate Change: “key priority” !  Joint ministerial statement, 2013 !  Code developed via Valuing

Nature Network project and Defra PES Pilot

Governance !  Owned by IUCN UK Peatland Programme !  Steering group chaired by Paul Vaight:

"  Government departments and agencies for UK and devolved administrations

"  Environmental NGOs "  Landowners "  Business "  Research

!  Defra-funded R&D project to support pilot phase managed by selected steering group members

Why is business interested? !  Reduce costs (some sectors) !  Demonstrate responsibility towards environment !  In future, meet environmental obligations !  Promote brands &

product lines linked to peat

Restoration on Exmoor funded by South West Water

How will it work for landowners? !  Minimum 30 year contracts during pilot phase

"  Possibility of shorter contexts via Glastir

!  Negotiate price with sponsor "  Bi-laterally or via brokers "  Cover costs of work plus maintenance payments – no

set rate, to be agreed between buyer and seller

Submit Expression of Interest to

Steering Group Project Design

Document Contracts and

project implementation

Payments and work start

!  Commercial brokers are beginning to emerge !  Peatland Alliance national prospectus and pitch:

"  Peatland-owning NGOs with selected landowners "  Trusted brands and choice of sites

!  Government e.g. via Glastir?

Brokers

Case study "As a business that depends on peatlands for drinking water, we believe that restoring and maintaining peatlands in good condition can save the company and our customers money, whilst protecting the climate and wildlife. Our Upstream Thinking programme is already improving drinking water quality and reducing water treatment costs by improving land management on the moors. The Peatland Code offers us an opportunity for this work to be recognised nationally, and work with others to realise the benefits of healthy moorlands for the climate and wildlife.” Lewis Jones, Future Quality Obligations and R&D Manager, South West Water

Case study

www.iucn-uk-peatlandprogramme.org/peatland-gateway/uk/peatland-code

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Place-Based Approaches

Helping walkers and cyclists learn about nature – and pay for it

Developed in conjunction with Pennine Prospects

Developed in conjunction with Nurture Lakeland, Project Maya Community Interest Company, URS consulting, Visit England, Campaign for National Parks and the English National Park Authorities Association.

Key findings !  Benefits of linking donations to the provision of

ecosystem services included: "  Ability to link payments to specific, tangible and

measurable benefits, which evidence from the literature suggests may increase donations

"  Raising awareness about conservation and the wider societal benefits of the projects they support

"  Avoiding perceptions that visitor giving is a “bed tax”, and so encouraging wider participation in schemes

!  Apps may reduce cost of administering schemes and elicit payments linked to visitor destinations

Conclusions

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