Nick Baker on Westhay nature reserve.

If you don't follow the Somerset Wildlife Trust on Facebook you are missing a treat.  Here is a very recent posting with a video clip describing a nature reserve not far from where I live and which I only occasionally visit. Time and other interests make it difficult to keep in touch with the natural world around us but it's a shame if we don't try.  Thanks to Jane for bringing it to our attention!

Viewing this video with Nick Baker taking us on a walk on the reserve is very well put together and gives us an insight into our own local natural world.

Here are links to the Trusts Facebook page and to the video clip

http://www.facebook.com/somersetwildlifetrust?

ref=streamhttp://www.facebook.com/somersetwildlifetrust?ref=stream

Somerset Wildlife Trust

Did you see Nick Baker watching dragonflies being caught by sundews on our Westhay Moor Nature Reserve the other night, on BBC's Inside Out? Don't worry if you missed it, you can watch it again here. Enjoy! It's really great footage! Jane

Inside Out South West: 12/11/2012

www.bbc.co.uk

Nick Baker visits Westhay Moor nature reserve in Somerset, an outstanding haven for wildlife largely created by man.

Like ·  · Share · 422 · about an hour ago · 

• 4 people like this.
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  Somerset Wildlife Trust Great to see our very own Mark Blake being interviewed as well - explaining how we are conserving the largest surviving fragment of lowland acid mire in the south west. Jane

  about an hour ago · Like
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  Ruth Bartleet This is a lovely film. Thank you so much for sharing it.

Recipes for Disaster. George Monbiot

Recipes for Disaster

Once again George spotlights a serious issue. This time it's the way responsible people promote the eating of fish that are on the unsustainable list. Use the link to see the article.

Incidentally a member of the audience for Question Time last night actually challenged the panel on the subject of economic growth. As she rightly said it is irresponsible to continue to talk about restoring wealth and the economy as if it can continue without limit for ever.

I've written before about the book "Only one Earth--The Care and Maintenance of a Small Planet" written in 1972 and still very few people and Governments act on its advice and warning.
George is commenting on a similar blind spot in our understanding of the reality of living on a small planet!

Barcroft Hall- The Field of Dreams

The publicity given to the wild flowers sown on the Olympic Park is mirrored by the large numbers of people visiting Barcroft Hall. The Royal Horticultural Society provides some pictures showing parts of the  Olympic Park. Click here for the RHS web site:     or use this URL.    http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Plant-features/Olympic-Park-plants.

You can also see a list of plants sown in the Field of Dreams on the Barcroft Hall web site.

It was a bit cloudy this afternoon and some of the brightness of the flowers left the photographs.  The display was spectacular as last year. It appeared that the flowers were not so tall and maybe the planting density was a bit lower. That such a display should survive the earlier wet conditions is a tribute to the resilience of nature. There is much food for thought from the use of wild flower seed from around the world. I was pleased to see bees and other insects, on for instance the sunflowers, but not many butterflies but then the lack of the sunshine must have reduced the number flying as it does on our own native flower meadow.  

The separate field of sun flowers is perhaps the most visually dramatic image for me.

I was pleased to revist this year, almost on the same date as 2011. I certainly think if you are interested in wild flowers regardless of their normal habitat then a visit to see the display for yourself is recommended.

I hope the experiment continues next year and I will give some thought to making comment as Brian and Denise  Herrick have invited.  

Here are a few of my photos.

The first shows a child with a large collection of balloons running on a path through the field for the benefit of a professional photographer!  

The others show various views through the field.

Barcroft Hall, South Petherton.

I recently received the email copied below which gives up to date information about the Field of Dreams. I am hoping to visit soon after the opening date of 30th June.

This is a very big experiment in creating a wild flower meadow out of derelict farm land and produced a wonderful display last summer. I took this photo last summer:

As usual more information is on their web . Click here:

Or copy this web address:  www.barcrofthall.co.uk

Brian and Denise have worked hard to create the meadows , orchards and gardens and support local charities and I hope eventually to persuade them to support Somerset Wildlife Trust not just because of their Field of Dreams but because of the work done throughout their estate.

The conservation techniques employed here are somewhat different to the usual approach of the Wildlife Trust  but I feel its a good idea to visit to get your own view of their efforts across the whole of their estate.

***********************************************************************************************

From: Brian Herrick <brian.herrick@leisuredata.com>

Subject: 'FIELD OF DREAMS 2012' AND 'OPERA THROUGH THE FLOWERS'

Date: 29 May 2012 14:04:01 GMT+01:00

To: Brian Herrick <brian.herrick@leisuredata.com>

Hi Everyone

It seems like summer is here at last!

I thought I would write and let you know that the Field of Dreams 2012, despite the difficult spring weather is flourishing and  and we hope to see the first blooms within weeks, ready for the gates to open on Saturday June 30^th. 2012.

This year there are over 60 different wildflower species planted and an even larger area for you to enjoy!

So if you are thinking of visiting us please register as soon as you know your plans.

For those who are wanting to come to the wonderful ‘Opera through the Flowers’ on July 7^th. then I would strongly advise you to book as early as possible as it is proving very popular indeed and there is a limited number of tickets available. It’s an evening designed for everyone to enjoy!

You can book by telephoning 01444 443000 or on line

All other details about this year’s Field of Dreams, accommodation, places to eat and directions are to found by visiting www.barcrofthall.co.uk

Thanks so much for your support, all for charity!

With best wishes

Book Now for ‘Opera Through the Flowers’ 2012 Book Here: http://www.barcrofthall.co.uk/Pages/OperaThroughTheFlowers.aspx

See the Field of Dreams on BBC Gardeners World here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01g8g28

Brian & Denise Herrick

‘Field of Dreams’
Barcroft Hall, North Street,South Petherton,Somerset, UK, TA13 5DA
web: www.barcrofthall.co.uk

 

Follow us on Twitter  -  @barcrofthall

Barcroft Hall, Somerset

This is a large private estate in Somerset which has attracted quite a bit of media coverage lately because the owner has created a 2 acre wild flower meadow out of old derelict farm land over the last two years or so. Abandoned buildings have been removed and the land worked on to make it suitable for planting wildflower seeds. This summer and up to the end of August visitors are invited to walk round the field on pathways kept for the purpose to admire this remarkable collection.

I visited last weekend and was surprised to see so many plants still in flower and more so the range of plants. There are some non native plants.
As a visual spectacle it certainly has the wow factor in big measure.

I recommend you visit before it is all over for this year.

Click here for a link. If that doesn't work use this URL:     http://barcrofthall.co.uk

This is the first year for this project and next year may be different and without in any way detracting from this achievement there may be ways in which it can be made even more interesting and wildlife friendly. I should add the conservationist have a wide rang of views on what they consider good practice so my views may not be the only way to go. I think you have to see it for yourself and then we can comment. Bearing in mind that if it wasn't for the private owner there would not be anything except derelict farm buildings to comment on.

For your interest here is a list of some of the flower growing on the field but not necessarily in flower for your visit in August:

Details taken from the Barcroft web site  ( any errors in transcribing the list especially in spelling will be mine!)




Ammobium alatum    Winged everlasting


Brachyscome iberidifolia   Swan River daisy


Calendula arvensis    Calendula


Chrysanthemum carinatum   Chrysanthemum


Cladanthus arabicus   Palm Springs daisy


Clarkia amoena     Farewell to spring


Collinsia bicolor    Chinese houses


Consolida regalis   Forking larkspur


Convolvulus tricolor  Morning glory


Coreopsis basalis      Golden Mane


Coreopsis tinctoria    Plains Coreopsis


Cosmos bipinnatus      Cosmos


Cosmos sulphureus      Sulphur Cosmos


Cynoglossum amabile    Chinese forgrt-me-not


Daucus carota          Wild carrot


Delphinium ajacis      Wild dephinium


Didiscus caerulea      Silver scabious


Echium vulgare         Viper’s bugloss


Eschscholtzia californica    Californian poppy


Gaillardia aristata     Blanket Flower


Gaillardia pulchella    Indian blanket



Gilia capitata       Blue field gilia


Gilia tricolor       Birds eye gilia


Gypsophila muralis     Baby’s breath


Helichrysum monstrosum    Dwarf everlasting flower


Helipterum roseum       Paper flower


Iberis amara         Dwarf candytuft


Iberis umbellata       Candytuft


Delphinium consolida     Larkspur


Lasthenia Californica     California goldfields


Lavatera Trimestris     Rose mallow


Leontodon hispidus      Rough hawkbit


Linaria maroccana      Spurred snapdragon



Linum grandiflorum     Scarlet flax


Linum usitatissimum     Blue flax


Lomas inodora         Yellow ageratum


Nemophila menziesii    Baby blue eyes


Origanum majorana      Origano


Nolana paradoxa        Wild bird


Papaver rhoeas        Poppy


Phacelia Campanularia   Californian bluebell


Phacelia Tanacetifolia   Lacy phacelia


Ratibida columnifera     Prairie coneflowers


Scabiosa columbaria      Scabious


Silene vulgaris      Catchfly



Tolpis barbata      Umbrella milkwort


Ursinia anethoides     Ursinia


Venidium fastuosum    Cape daisy


Viscaria occulta     Blue angel


Agrostemma githago    Corncockle


Chrysanthemum segetum  Corn marigold


Xeranthemum annuum    Everlasting flower


Zinnia elegans     Zinnia


Anthemis Arvensis    Corn Chamomile


Ammi majus      Queen Anne’s lace


Centaurea cyanus    Cornflower


Clarkia unguiculata    Mountain Garland

Conservation of meadows

We held a Wildlife Trust site visit on Sunday 10th July which was a great success. The weather was warm and dry and 16 members arrived to explore the plants and insect life. No sooner had I said that I knew that the Great Green Bush Cricket was usually found in the field and one appeared on cue for photographs.

The photographs shown here are a common sights in our meadow: Marbled White butterfly, Common Ragwort and Bee Orchid , this latter now finished flowering and hence difficult to spot. Examples were found showing the seed pods well developed hopefully to provide a good population next year.


Two groups were led around the paths kept mown to reduce the impact of random walking except for occasional inspections of particular plants. Dr Anne Bebbington led the exploration to identify flowering plants and John Bebbington FRPS led a group looking for insects of which there were many. Including day flying moths.Almost every time we do such an inspection we find new species.
Well over 100 plant species, large and small have been found in the 4 acres including 15 grasses.

Following the visit we agreed that the site was worthy of an annual visit by our Botany Group to carry out a formal transect survey probly each June. This would use a fixed and permanent line on the long axis of the field with a half metre square  examind at fixed locations along the line. The records would be kept for comparison from year to year.  A long term project!

Because the Bee Orchid photo is out of focus here are two Pyramidal orchids of which there are many still in flower in the meadow.

News update from Somerset Wildlife Trust

Been seeing a few regular specimens of this lovely Brimstone butterfly. Plus Small Tortoiseshell and the Peacock


A regular feature of running our local Wildlife Group is to take part in meetings with SWT officers to review and comment on issues, plans and choices for future action.
Today's meeting looked at Business plans for 2012 and beyond and big hopes for a living landscape project to cover our Somerset urban area of Taunton.This is a new challenge for us and the local area group.The emphasis this time is to get the community fully involved at the start rather than work up a scheme and hope to implement it. Funding for such a project will be a major aspect of any plans and it will all take some time, probably years, to fully implement.
The Trust also has been working up schemes to get more involved with a living sea project on our northern coastline. Hinkly Point nuclear power station replacement must feature in any plans.
Amongst other matters was the Plantlife International project to "save our meadows" which is important for Somerset
As if that wasn't enough we also reviewed the Trusts understanding of the Big Society.

Ancient woodland protection- the Woodland Trust

I've just received an email from the Woodland Trust who are very concerned about proposed changes to planning laws and the effect it will almost certainly have on Ancient Woodland. It would follow that all woodland will be more vulnerable to over development with little or no protection. I will be sending an email in support of their campaign.

I've also added some photos taken in a local wood being managed for conservation. Probably a very old wood.

The heading below should give a link to their web site.

Ancient woodland protection- the Woodland Trust

National Planning Policy Framework Consultation

25+ policy statements into one

Changes to the planning system are threatening what little protection from development is in place for ancient woodland.

Ancient woodland is land continuously woods since 1600 and is our richest habitat for biodiversity, yet covers a mere 2% of England's landscape. Once lost it cannot be recreated - it is irreplaceable. Protecting what we have left is vital and this will in turn deliver the ‘ecosystem services’ that trees and woodland provide such as flood alleviation, aiding climate change mitigation and adaptation, tackling wildlife loss and improving

Paragraph 10, in Planning Policy Statement 9 Biodiversity and Geological Conservation, explicitly recognises ‘ancient woodland is a valuable biodiversity resource both for its diversity of species and for its longevity as woodland. Once lost it cannot be recreated. Aged or ‘veteran’ trees found outside ancient woodland are also particularly valuable for biodiversity and their loss should be avoided’.

In stressing that Local Planning Authorities ‘should not grant planning permission for any development that would result in its loss or deterioration' it has been instrumental in protecting ancient woods and trees since its publication in 2005.

The existing caveat however – ‘unless the need for, and benefits of, the development in that location outweigh the loss of the woodland habitat’ - has left, and continues to leave, ancient woodland open to development threats.

Without the proposed NPPF retaining and strengthening the essence of this policy and removing this specific caveat, outright protection for this precious asset will never be achieved and what little remains of our heritage lost forever.

Nature Reserve. Fivehead Arable Fields.

These two photos, which I took in 2006 show a general view of the Trusts nature reserve known as Fivehead Arable Fields. They were the subject of a recent appeal for funds. I 'm pleased to post a copy of a news release from SWT because its a reserve in our Area and our committee contributed to the appeal. Its very satisfying to see such a good result and its good for our Group too. Please read the press release below.

08 December 2009

The Trust saves rare flowers near Taunton

One of the most significant collections of nationally rare cornfield flowers will continue to bloom in Somerset thanks to SITA Trust and Somerset Wildlife Trust members.

Fivehead Arable Fields is home to rare and beautiful flowers coating an area of more than 10 football pitches. It is because these rare flowers coat the entire 10 hectare site, rather than just at the field edges which is more typical, that Fivehead Arable Fields is unique and designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI.)

The project to protect the fields and increase the amount of rare flowers is supported by a £10,908 grant from SITA Trust and an appeal to the Trust’s members saw donations pour in.

Somerset Wildlife Trust Reserve Manager Emma Daniel said: "The SITA Trust grant and donations from our members means we can secure the future of this rare habitat to preserve the rich variety of plants and animals that thrive there.”

Rachael Fickweiler, Regional Fund Manager for SITA Trust said: “We were delighted to offer this funding to enable Somerset Wildlife Trust to make a real difference to this amazing habitat and are very happy to hear that our donation helped kick start the Trust’s funding campaign.”

Fivehead Fields are extremely vulnerable and home to nationally scarce flowers including broad-leaved spurge, spreading hedge-parsley and slender tare. Skylarks, grey partridge, the great green bush-cricket and brown hare are amongst the animals that call this rare habitat home and it is hoped barn owls may also be attracted back.

The money given by SITA Trust and donated by members will enable Somerset Wildlife Trust to:

• Instigate a two-year cultivation regime to extend the range of the rare cornfield flowers.
• Carry out detailed survey and monitoring to ensure that the management regime is achieving the right results.
• Install an interpretation panel for visitors to raise awareness of the value of the rare habitat.
• Improve site security through the installation of a field gate.

Meg Tyler, Volunteer Reserve Manager for Fivehead Arable Fields, said: "The rare flowers at Fivehead are extremely vulnerable and the money will help us to protect them and encourage wildlife to the fields.”

"Plantlife"

Twice in one week I have been very pleased to welcome conservationists to have a good look at our local meadow. This is a private nature reserve.


The photo of one of our visitors was taken this week and the colourful Grass vetchling was a new species found on the field last summer.

Today it was people from "Plantlife".
They were interested to hear about our 4 years of looking after a 4 acre grass meadow and how we had started with no experience in such management undertakings. The field is only just coming to life but should have more to offer visitors over the next few months. We hope that our mutual interests can come together so that we can welcome school parties and groups of volunteers who might use the field for visits to practice plant identification , help with surveys and maybe even hedge maintenance and laying. Over the next month or so we will try to work out a possible programme.
There is a great potential for us to learn from being involved in such a project so that our field increases its ecological value and interest.


Here is an extract from their web site:

*********************************************************************************

Who we are, what we do…in the UK

Plantlife is a charity working to protect Britain’s wild flowers and plants, fungi and lichens in the habitats in which they are found.

We were established in 1989 after a meeting of conservationists and botanists, led by Professor David Bellamy, called for a new organisation, an 'RSPB for plants', to champion wild plant conservation. Today, Plantlife is the leading charity working to protect wild plants and their habitats with national offices in England, Scotland and Wales. HRH The Prince of Wales is our Patron and Adrian Darby OBE our President.

Plantlife identifies and conserves sites of exceptional botanical importance, rescues wild plants on the brink of extinction and works to ensure that common plants don’t become rare in the wild. We are a Lead Partner in the Government’s Biodiversity Action Plan (which targets the UK’s Priority Species and Habitats for conservation action) and are responsible for conserving over 100 of the UK’s most threatened plants and fungi. We do this by:

As the UK’s only membership charity dedicated to the conservation of wild plants, we encourage everyone to become a member of Plantlife. Your support helps us to get the message across that the UK’s flora is, quite simply, the bedrock upon which all our wildlife rests.

*********************************************************************************

Local wildlife news

This post shows a note I expect to publish in our local parish magazine. Comments welcome and my email address is shown elsewhere on the page.

Somerset Wildlife Trust, Local Wildlife News.

Wild Orchids will be showing again soon on a field near the village.

The old Rugby Field is publicly owned and open to all to visit and enjoy. The Parish council is responsible for its management. That is important because most other green areas round the village are privately owned and farmed and not dedicated to supporting wildlife. We know some farmers do a great deal to encourage wild life but they do have to produce our food. The Parish Council has both an opportunity and a responsibility to conserve the natural value of the field and by doing so protect its biodiversity.

Round the Rugby Field, old blackthorn hedges are in full bloom in mid April and the field is coming to life again after a winter rest. Soon we will see the rich mixture of flowering plants and some 15 different species of grasses. There will be numerous butterflies including the lovely Marbled White.

.

Last year we mapped the areas where the wild orchids grow and other flowering plants such as Broomrape and we can share this with you.

The field has been surveyed by a number of qualified experts including the Ecologist working for the District Council who all agree that it is of significant flora and fauna interest. The field has been registered as a County Wildlife Site and local nature reserve.

Members of the Wildlife Trust will know we organise guided walks to local sites of special interest and this local field is no exception. To join a walk email me.

Wildflower meadow campaign

My first post in 2009 is a few extracts from a letter I have written to my local Council which tries to give good reasons for keeping a 4 acre field as a local nature reserve rather than use it for building tennis courts, bowls club or just more football pitches.

"20 th December 2008

Dear Councillor,

Nature Reserve and Wildflower Meadow,

As the Council expects to be discussing the future of the old field at its meeting in January, may we remind you of the benefits of adopting the field as a nature reserve and wildflower meadow.

( local school children on a field visit on an adjoining farm during the Kingfisher Project)

A new path winds its way round all sides of the field providing a well cut, firm and reasonably level path. The path is intended to provide access for everyone including those with disabilities, so that all can appreciate the natural beauty of the meadow. It can also be used as a fitness trail. (Visitor numbers are rising steadily.)

( Oct 2008 view of walking / jogging trail round field)

Leading off the main trail will be smaller paths cut into the centre of the field, and from April through to July and usually into August you will be able to get close to both Pyramidal and Bee Orchids.

( Bee Orchid)

You will see many fine examples of the interesting and attractive Broomrape, looking similar to the orchids, and which grows and flowers as a parasitic plant, usually on the roots of clover.

(Broomrape)

Numerous butterflies of a dozen or so species will be seen all over the field and birds will be attracted by the trees. At the eastern end is a mature blackthorn hedge, which in the spring looks magnificent in a total covering of blossom, later to become sloes. This bushy hedge is a haven for birds and other wildlife including the scarce Brown Hairstreak butterfly whose eggs can be seen during the winter by close inspection of the young hedge growth. In the spring there are large clumps of cowslips to admire. The path loops round so that you can enjoy the full spread of the blackthorn in bloom and then turns along the southern side.

(massed white blossom on blackthorne)

Yellow Rattle has been introduced in the field, which has the effect of reducing the growth of the grasses and this in turn helps the more delicate wildflowers. However the grasses are home for the lovely Marbled White butterfly which in a good year can be seen in great numbers.

If you stop to look carefully at the grasses you will find several species of grasshopper, the very impressive Great Green Bush Cricket and no doubt many other insects and moths. There are small mammals in and around the edges of the field and from time to time larger birds can be seen such as Sparrow Hawks, Kestrels and Buzzards and even optimistic Herons. A survey of birds in the field taken in 2007 showed a total of 21 species which we anticipate will increase in coming years. Along the southern boundary, in the adjoining field, a new hedge with seven native hedging plants was created in 2007 and has taken well in its first year. This hedge will begin to flower and produce berries even during its second year and this will be an attractive addition to the landscape and a major boost to the bird population in particular. The hedge plant list is: Blackthorn, Quickthorn, Field Maple, Spindle, Wayfaring Tree, Wild Privet and Dogwood. The next few years will see the trees and new hedge adding to the attractiveness of the meadow and increasing populations of wildlife and wildflowers. Educational visits will be encouraged for all ages to experience this fine example of a rapidly vanishing feature of Somerset life."

Except where stated the photographs have all been taken on the field at various times.

Conservation, Biodiversity , Living Landscapes and the Ecosystem Approach.

Somerset Wildlife Trust and in deed all county wildlife trusts are pushing hard for funding to establish Living Landscape areas as the best and most effective way of protecting wildlife for the long term.

The SWT AGM heard a great deal about such efforts in Somerset and I have attended meetings on the subject to find out more about this significant development in conservation thinking. An important and quite technical aspect which underlies the way conservation is linked to biodiversity and ecosystems management is summarised in the notes included below.

This is my own summary of a presentation given by Diana Pound who runs a consultancy called:

dialogue matters

The Ecosystem Approach
What is it all about?
Discussions with others about the Ecosystem Approach usually include whether or not it matters that so many different terms are being used – sometimes to mean the same thing and sometimes the same phrase is used to mean different things. The phrases being used include: Ecosystem Approach, ecosystems approach (lower case sometimes used deliberately to denote something different), ecosystem-based approach, ecosystem function approach, ecosystem services approach, and ecosystem thinking.

If this change in language means we are all starting to think more holistically then that can only be a good thing. If on the other hand, our casual use of these terms is confusing each other, watering down what they mean, resulting in us reinventing wheels, and missing out on realising that (particularly for the Ecosystem Approach) there are well-developed principles and guidance that could, when implemented, deliver good practice in management and genuine sustainability, then there is a problem.

The Ecosystem Approach The Ecosystem Approach has been adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as the main way of delivering genuine sustainability and the primary framework for action. It is defined as ’a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way’ (CBD).

To guide implementation the CBD has agreed 12 Ecosystem Approach principles and 5 points of Operational Guidance and provided implementation guides.

The 12 ecosystem approach principles are:

1. The objectives of management of land, water and living resources are a matter of societal choice.
2. Management should be decentralised to the lowest appropriate level.
3. Ecosystem managers should consider the effects (actual or potential) of their activities on adjacent and other ecosystems.
4. Need to understand and manage the ecosystem in an economic context.
5. Conservation of ecosystem structure and function to provide ecosystem services should be a priority.
6. Ecosystem must be managed within the limits of their functioning.
7. The approach should be taken at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales.
8. Process and objectives for ecosystem management should be set for the long term.
9. Management must recognise that change is inevitable.
10. Seek the appropriate balance between integration, conservation and use of biodiversity.
11. Decision-making should consider all forms of relevant information (scientific, indigenous and local).
12. Involve all relevant sectors of society and scientific disciplines.

The 5 points of operational guidance are:

1. Focus on the relationship and processes within the ecosystem.
2. Enhance benefit sharing.
3. Use adaptive management practices.
4. Carry out management actions at the scale appropriate to the issue, with decentralisation to the lowest level appropriate.
5. Ensure intersectoral co-operation.



The 12 principles plus explanation can be seen at:
http://www.cbd.int/ecosystem/principles.shtml;

The 5 points of operational guidance at:
http://www.cbd.int/ecosystem/operational.shtml


Implementation Guides
Beginners: http://www.cbd.int/ecosystem/sourcebook/beginner-guide.shtm;
Advanced: http://www.cbd.int/ecosystem/sourcebook/advanced-guide.shtml .



The ecosystem services approach The ecosystem services approach has a focus on understanding and quantifying the services the natural environment provides for us, and then managing the environment so that the provision of these services is sustained over the long term.

The approach is defined by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment as a way of “identifying, valuing and enhancing the goods and services that the ecosystem provides for us by conserving ecosystem structure and function in a way that ensures these services can be provided over the long term”.

Services include:
• Supporting services: The services that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services including soil formation, photosynthesis, primary production, nutrient cycling and water cycling.
• Provisioning services: The products obtained from ecosystems, including food, fibre, fuel, genetic resources, biochemicals, natural medicines, pharmaceuticals, ornamental resources and fresh water;
• Regulating services: The benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem processes, including air quality regulation, climate regulation, water regulation, erosion regulation, water purification, disease regulation, pest regulation, pollination, natural hazard regulation;
• Cultural services: The non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation and aesthetic experiences – thereby taking account of landscape values;
In effect, this is a focus on Principle 5 of the 12 Ecosystem Approach principles.

Millennium Assessment
http://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.300.aspx.pdf
Ecosystem Services
http://www.ecosystemservices.org.uk/ecoserv.htm


The following terms are also used – working definitions are provided

ecosystem function:
Includes the following:
The flows of energy, nutrients, minerals, and water within a system.
The spatial and temporal processes which include connectivity and succession.
The sensitivity and resilience of the system.
The predator prey relationships, age structure of species, and whether or not all trophic levels are present and functional.
The effect of human interventions on ecosystem function arising from extracting and harvesting resources or disposing of waste.