Welcome boost for nature as businesses get chance to recognise its true value

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Welcome boost for nature as businesses get chance to recognise its true value………

Woodland Trust applauds ‘first steps’ taken by Ecosystem Markets Task Force………

The Woodland Trust has welcomed the publication of the Government’s Ecosystem Markets Task Force report, a document which takes some of the first steps to integrate the real value of nature into business thinking – the role of ecosystem services.

Austin Brady, Woodland Trust Head of Conservation, said:

“Trees and woods provide a broad range of ecosystem services, including mitigation for flooding, locking up carbon and providing shelter for crops and livestock. The Woodland Trust is already working with a number of landowners and businesses to realise this potential. Examples include using £60,000 from the Royal Bank of Canada¹ to increase awareness of the role trees play in managing water and flood management and planting trees with landowners in Cumbria² affected by flooding in 2009 to create natural flood defences. We also work with a number of businesses through our ‘Woodland Carbon’ scheme to capture and store carbon through woodland creation.

“The Government’s recent response to the Independent Panel on Forestry’s recommendations identified ecosystem services as beneficial, but it remained unclear how landowners could be properly remunerated for the benefits society will reap from increased management and expansion of woodland cover. The Ecosystems Markets Task Force makes this clearer by identifying key areas for action such as biodiversity offsetting and sustainable local woodfuel.

“We look forward to continuing to develop our work to benefit both biodiversity and the economy.”