Making Natural Capital Data Meaningful

20 October, 10:30 am – 13:00 pm
Royal Statistical Society, 12 Errol St, London EC1Y 8LX

There is a wealth of data and mapping regarding our natural capital – but how useful is this data to local decision makers who want to take natural capital into account? What information do they need? What tools are useful, and what underpinning data is needed for these tools?

The previous Environment Secretary, Liz Truss, outlined a vision of individuals being given greater information, tools and capability to contribute to their local environment, and communities having the wherewithal to make local decisions. Defra’s Environmental Analysis Unit and Natural Capital Committee are developing frameworks for decision-making, with a number of pioneer projects under development.

This meeting brought together data users and data producers to ascertain what they key challenges and opportunities are in making natural capital data meaningful and usable, and how to overcome them.

Chaired by Alison Hester, NCI Chair and Theme Leader for Safeguarding Natural Capital at the James Hutton Institute, with talks by Andy Stott, Head of Science in the Environment Analysis Unit at Defra; Alessandro Gimona, spatial ecologist at the James Hutton Institute; Lisa Norton, Head of Land Use Group and Countryside Survey Project Manager at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; and Henri Brocklebank, Strategy Lead at the Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre and Sussex Wildlife Trust.

Speaker Presentations