• Cultural Ecosystems Services and
the “Hydrocitizenship” project
• NRW workshop: An Ecosystem Approach for
Biodiversity and Human Well-being. Feb 5th 2015
• Dr Alex Plows, Bangor University
• Overview of the “Hydrocitizenship” project and
the Wales “Cymerau” case study.
• A short overview of “cultural ecosystem services”
(National Ecosystems Assessment)
• Summing up: Towards mixed methods, practical and
applied approaches to understanding more about how
and why people value nature, and why this matters.
For its own sake. (important! “intrinsic value” of
nature)
“To support decision-making”… (NEA 2014)
We currently have an evidence gap with regards to
“cultural ecosystem services”: identifying the “nonmaterial benefits” which nature provides, and
identifying and/or exploring their significance, such as
links to material benefits such as health and wellbeing.
• Public and stakeholder views and values, and “local
knowledge” and expertise, can inform and shape
policy in particular contexts such as flood
management plans. Understanding more about
peoples views and values can also help with managing
contentious planning issues and competing interests.
• There is a need to develop interdisciplinary practice:
social sciences, arts and humanities, working with
ecologists, planners and other disciplines and
stakeholders.
• A three year Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
funded project involving many different universities, artists,
community groups and academic disciplines. Part of AHRC
“Connected Communities” programme
“This 3 year project will investigate, and make creative contributions
to, the ways in which citizens and communities live with each other
and their environment in relation to water in a range of UK
neighbourhoods…[enabling] creative conversations about ...people
and their diverse relationships with water, environment and nonhuman communities”
• Interdisciplinary, with a focus on arts- led participatory
approaches to exploring issues of water, citizenship, community
• Place- based: four case study sites: Bristol, the Lee Valley
London, Shipley, and Mid Wales (Borth/Tal y Bont).
• Horizontal structure: Community partners and local artists in
each case study are working in partnership with each academic
team;
• Potential to inform policy. NB. “Better ways of enabling public
participation and finding out what people think” (about water,
about nature, about particular water policies/ issues, about
their own ‘patch’ and lived practice) is a likely outcome of this
project but “better governance” is not its key focus per se.
Lee Valley London
Shipley, Yorkshire
Borth and Tal y Bont, mid Wales
Bristol
Borth and Tal y Bont, mid Wales : “Cymerau “– “Convergence”
Cultural services: The non-material
benefits people obtain from ecosystems.
For example, through :
• spiritual or religious enrichment
• cultural heritage
• recreation and tourism
• aesthetic experience
http://uknea.unepwcmc.org/EcosystemAssessmentConcepts/E
cosystemServices/tabid/103/Default.aspx
“To support decision-making”… (NEA 2014)
• Potential to quantify, or at least to explore,
possible/likely links between these types of
“non material benefits” and “material
benefits” (eg wellbeing, health savings)
• As quantitative measures of value(s)
• As exploratory narratives of value(s)
• As deliberative exercises enabling different stakeholders,
public groups etc to explore and to share perspectives on
how and why they value particular places- this may help with
navigating and/or mitigating differences of opinion
between stakeholders
= “upstream public engagement” (Demos)
• Potential for such insights to help with linked policy goals, such
as ‘behaviour change’
• Missing the point- square pegs round holes- too reductive?
Theoretical and practical problems with “converting” (eg)
spiritual values into an economic score .
• Very time –consuming to do well and thoroughly. “thin”
descriptions unless done properly
• Narrative exploratory and deliberative approaches provide
“thick description” but still the problem of “apples and pears”ie comparing an ecological biodiversity score with a narrative
of how and why people value a particular place.
“A range of quantitative and interpretative research techniques are
required to gather evidence for cultural ecosystem services and the
benefits they provide to human well-being” (NEA)
Mixed methods from different disciplines, eg:
• Social science: Qualitative (deliberation, participation) and
quantitative (measuring, modelling). Background social/cultural
data.
• Arts: interpretative, exploratory, performative
• Ecological and environmental data
• The findings of the UK NEAFO reinforce the case for using
mapping techniques to develop a participatory approach to
assessing cultural ecosystem services. .. Participatory mapping
produces new understandings of the cultural significance of
ecosystems and helps bring latent cultural values to light, which
may remain hidden when using other methods. The use of artbased mapping techniques can further animate and expand the
understanding of cultural ecosystem services among communities.
Creative approaches influenced by research in the arts and
humanities not only provide new forms of evidence for decisionmakers, but can help engage communities and engender
stewardship of local natural resources (NEA 2014)
• A hub, a collection point for other projects, perspectives and
approaches.
• Place- based and arts- led approaches to co- creating
community –led expressions of value and interest in relation to
water: ‘participatory action research’
• “layering” of different information (social, ecological etc). Lots
of maps!
• Project not designed for “better governance” per se- but will
provide insights about values and nature, and provide
methodological pointers.
Hydrocitizenship: a hub for like minded projects and people
Hydrocitizenship: a hub for like minded projects and people
Hydrocitizenship: facilitating discussion about peoples values and
nature
Hydrocitizenship: methodological examples
Hydrocitizenship: methodological examples
(Lee Valley)
Hydrocitizenship: methodological examples (Shipley)
This in-depth local case study focuses on valuing ecosystem services around
inshore fisheries and marine conservation in Hastings, Sussex. Working
with the Hastings Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) this case study
focused on shared values for the cultural benefits of the marine
environment and activities within it, particularly inshore fisheries, such as a
shared sense of identity and sense of place. The main stage of data
gathering consisted of three intensive workshops with local stakeholder
representatives…
The initial part of workshop 1 focused on discussion of transcendental
values and wellbeing…A number of values emerged as being dominant
including ‘sense of belonging’; ‘enjoying life’; and ‘protecting the
environment’. Values of self-direction (including creativity and freedom)
and social justice also featured prominently….
• Participants continued making extensive connections between a
wide range of issues in a conceptual systems modelling exercise…
Results showed an appreciation of the highly inter-linked (and
complex) nature of the relationship between variables as
participants made extensive linkages between ecological, social,
economic and cultural variables. Wellbeing was related to not
only economic factors but also pride of place, social cohesion,
social justice, biodiversity, and, in the long term, resilience to
climate change.
• NB This to me flags up difficulties with quantifying such “non
material” value(s) in economic terms…
Leader
£10,00
Cylch Meithrin
SROI
£1/£4.89
Active, Inclusive
and Safe
Total value including 10%
deadweight and leakage
£48,908
Improved access to
community resources
20 additional weeks
of support for 16
children
£2,252 x 16 x 0.38
= £13,692
Increased
volunteering
16 children increasing
healthy living
95 hours
£650
Improved wellbeing
16 x £2500 =
£40,000
Catalys: Social Return on Investment (SROI) calculations of ‘added
value’ including wellbeing
Total £325,000
Leader
£100,000
Total value including 10%
deadweight and leakage
£1,057,353
Aberystwyth Market Hall
SROI £1/£3.25
Active, Inclusive and
Safe
Thriving
14 stalls holders and
4 incubator units
40 volunteers
18 jobs supported
Improved well being
through greater use
of community space
Increased
volunteering
Increased employability
of local people
40 x 13,500 =
£540,000
18 x 3,800 = £68,400
3750 households
spend 5% of
indicator value at
hall
£3021 / 20 x 3750
= £566,437
• Diolch am eich amser!
• Thanks for listening!
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http://www.hydrocitizenship.com/
http://www.hydrocitizens.com/
http://ecosystemsknowledge.net/node/2206
(above page has links to NEA “Follow On” research projects)
http://www.catalys.org/
• a.plows@bangor.ac.uk