Valuing our life support systems – Workshop 1:
Balancing our options for rural land use. Food, biodiversity, sustainable biofuels and flood prevention
There are competing demands on rural land in Britain. The traditional focus of the agricultural regulatory system has been on achieving a balance between the production of food and protection of the environment, as much of our biodiversity is dependent on farming methods. However, as our agricultural systems develop and novel crops – potentially genetically modified – are introduced for purposes such as biofuels, the regulatory system needs to evolve. Any evolution of this system should explicitly consider potential benefits as well as risks, and allow us to explore all options to cope with the increasing demands on our rural land.
This workshop aims to inform the development of the agricultural regulatory system and broaden the debate beyond the tensions between agriculture and the environment to include other issues such as energy production, climate change, water quality and flood prevention. All too often other environmental goods and services provided by rural land, beyond primary food production, are overlooked for their economic value, yet these add substantial elements to GDP. A holistic approach to land management is required for the future, incorporating social, economic and environmental considerations. We aim to explore gaps in research, policy and the implementation of policy, which need to be addressed to advance this more holistic approach.
Programme
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| 08.30am | Registration and coffee | ||
| 09.00am | Opening remarks | Workshop chair: Baroness Barbara Young, President, British Ornithological Society | |
| 09.05am | Opening address: An overview of natural resource planning | Prof Tim O'Riordan, Sustainable Development Commission | |
| 09.25am | What should a policy framework for sustainable land use look like? | Prof Chris Pollock CBE, Aberystwyth University and Chair, Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment |  |
| 09.45am | Balancing options for rural land use: Sociological perspectives | Prof Philip Lowe OBE, Director, Rural Economy and Land Use programme of the UK Research Councils | |
| 10.05am | Whose land is it anyway? The importance of property rights and the market to the delivery of ecosystem services. | Prof Michael Winter OBE, Director, Centre for Rural Policy and Policy Research, and Professor of Rural Policy at Exeter University | |
| 10.25am | Panel discussion and Q&A | ||
| 10.40am | Coffee break | ||
| 11.00am | Facilitated breakout groups to discuss issues and develop recommendations | ||
| 12.30pm | Report back from breakout groups | ||
| 12.55pm | Closing remarks | Prof Rosie Hails MBE, Chair, Natural Capital Initiative | |
| 13.00pm | Lunch | ||
| 14.00pm | Close | ||