Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure

Useful sources of information on climate change adaptation regarding Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure.

Adapting through Natural Interventions

Climate East Midlands commissioned AECOM to produce a report and scoping study titled "Adapting through Natural Interventions" in 2010. The literature review considered how the natural environment can help us adapt to a changing climate and also incorporated a scoping study for a decision making tool to help quantify the socio-economic benefits of different kinds of natural environment interventions. The report covers:

• the policy and strategic context
• climate change impacts in the East Midlands
• understanding the role of natural interventions in adaptation
• biodiversity and ecosystem services in the East Midlands
• understanding socio-economic benefits arising from adaptation
• a socio-economic profile of the East Midlands
• recognising the multiple benefits of using natural adaptation interventions
• a review of best practice decision-making tools and resources
• scoping a decision-making framework

Toolkits

The East Midlands Green Infrastructure Network (EMGIN) website provides lots of useful information, including case studies and publications. Of particular interest is the Green Infrastructure Guide and Toolkit, which was commissioned by emda, and explains the types, role and benefits of green infrastructure, an evaluation framework for existing projects, and an assessment framework for future projects.

Northamptonshire's Environmental Character and Green Infrastructure Suite covers the following:

• The Environmental Character Strategy documents map and describe Northamptonshire's landscape, and through this help planners, developers, landowners and the community appreciate the varied landscape resource and ensure its long term protection and enhancement. Guidlelines are presented to facilitate postive management into the future.
• The Green Infrastructure section explains what green infrastructure is, the Northamptonshire approach, key outputs, identifies sub-regional green infrastructure corridors and the multiple functions they will have, provides the Northamptonshire Green Infrastructure Strategy and guidelines, and outlines the policies and priorities for action.

In the North West of England several green infrastructure toolkits have been developed, including Community Adaptation Training Materials focused on green infrastructure, and a Green Infrastructure Toolkit for Developers.

Other publications and websites

East Midlands Landscape Character Assessment aims to increase understanding of the East Midlands' varied landscape by identifying distinctive, rare or special characteristics. It presents objective, non-technical descriptions of each of the 31 regional landscape character types, and includes forces for change, such as climate change. The assessment was completed in 2010, and was guided by the East Midlands Landscape Partnership.

Published by Defra on behalf of the UK Biodiversity Partnership, "Conserving biodiversity in a changing climate: guidance on building capacity to adapt" sets out guiding principles and actions for people who plan and deliver conservation of terrestrial biodiversity:

• conserve existing biodiversity
• reduce sources of harm not linked to climate
• develop ecologically resilient and varied landscapes
• establish ecological networks through habitat protection, restoration and creation
• make sound decisions based on analysis
• integrate adaptation and mitigation measures into conservation management, planning and practice.

The Wildlife Trusts' "Living Landscape" full report describes the science behind landscape-scale nature conservation, with case studies from the East Midlands. It details policy changes needed to restore the UK's ecosystems, including using the planning system to enhance biodiversity, investing in management and restoration, tailoring policy and practice for landscape-scale restoration, and buying time to address climate change.

The Environmental Change Network (ECN) provides detailed, regular and high quality measurements at a range of sites across the UK to identify and quantify ecological responses to changes in climate and other pressures. Their publication "Climate change impacts: evidence from ECN sites" highlights some of the findings from ECN monitoring and research which provide evidence of the sensitivity of natural ecosystems in the UK to variability and change in climate.

The Royal Horticultural Society has a webpage on gardening in a changing climate, which includes planting and biodiversity issues, and argues that gardens are an important resource to help us adapt to climate change.

The Green and Blue Space Adaptation for Urban Areas and EcoTowns (known as GRaBS) is a network of leading pan-European organisations involved in integrating climate change adaptation into regional planning and development. Their website includes case studies from across the world. One of the project's aims is to raise awareness and increase expertise as to how green and blue infrastructure can help new and existing mixed-use urban development adapt to projected climate change.