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The powerpoint presentations used for the Ecosystem and Landuse Policy Engagement Group (ELPEG) May 2022 as part of the RESAS strategic research programme

There is an urgent need for transformational change in agriculture to address current and future issues caused by climate change, biodiversity loss and socio-ecological disruption. But change is slow to come and is hindered by a lack of transdisciplinary evidence on potential approaches which take a systems approach. The research described here was co-developed with the Pasture Fed Livestock Association in the UK to objectively evidence their practices. These include producing pasture-based meat from livestock fed on pasture and pasture-based forages alone. This approach sits alongside wider aims of fitting their practices with the ecological conditions on each individual farm to facilitate optimal production and working collaboratively through a forum for sharing knowledge. The research provides strong indications that the PFLA approach to livestock production is resilient and viable, as well as contributing to wider public goods delivery, despite variability within and between farms. It also reveals that learning and adaption of practice (through farmer experience) is central to farming using agro-ecological approaches. This fluidity of practice presents challenges for reductionist approaches to "measuring" agricultural innovations.

Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR) are threatened by breed homogenisation. Rare breeds may carry important genes that allow breeders to respond to global production challenges including climate change and emerging disease risk. Yet, exploration of approaches to improve cost-effectiveness of investments in farm animal genetic diversity has been limited. We employ multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to investigate how rare breed incentive schemes can be rationalised. A performance matrix was used to assess 19 UK cattle native breeds at risk, in terms of diversity, marketability and endangerment criteria, and an expert workshop was used to assign weights for prioritisation. The workshop participants suggested that criteria pertaining to diversity, marketability and endangerment should be weighted 30%, 20% and 50% respectively. A principal component analysis (PCA) on the criteria suggested that fewer criteria could be used to characterise breed status but that each criteria node contributed effectively in explaining variation in breed scores. Breed scores from the MCDA model were used in a hypothetical exercise to rationalise monetary investments across the case study breeds. The allocation of the hypothetical breed improvement fund (BIF) revealed that the greatest variation in the allocation of incentives occurred when marketability was weighted highest, while least variation occurred when endangerment received the highest weight. We suggest MCDA can support more targeted investments in diversity by considering the multiple factors that may be driving extinction risk in addition to the cultural and diversity attributes that compliment conservation.

There is increasing interest in the use of economic valuation of ecosystem goods and services for a wide variety of purposes. These include relatively familiar uses in project appraisal and more novel applications in advocacy, performance tracking and accounting in public and private settings. Decision makers who use valuation information need to understand the background, strengths and weaknesses of these approaches. The methods have a strong foundation in economic theory and offer a rapidly growing evidence base, improving ability to evaluate a broad range of ecosystem goods and services. Nevertheless, there are theoretical and practical limitations that need to be understood and kept in mind when interpreting results. In this paper, we briefly review the economic valuation methods and situate them in their historical and theoretical contexts. We assess the main critiques, attempts at resolving them, and implications for the usefulness of the methods in different contexts. We examine the main barriers and opportunities for wider uses of valuation evidence, and draw conclusions on the appropriate role of valuation in future, as a tool for aiding reflection and deliberation processes.

The development of environment measures in the reformed CAP can be informed by the evaluation of existing policies. We undertook a cost-effectiveness analysis of biodiversity measures in Scotland to determine whether current biodiversity objectives have been achieved. We assessed measures targeting 13 species and 5 habitats under the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) and similar schemes. Expert interviews were used to determine the extent to which published conservation objectives for species and habitats have been achieved. Effectiveness scores for multiple objectives were then weighted and combined to produce overall effectiveness for each species or habitat. Cost data for relevant SRDP and other scheme measures were apportioned to our study species and habitats. There was a wide variation in cost per unit of effectiveness both across and within species and habitats, e.g. Hazel gloves fungus cost-effectiveness was £3,286 per unit whilst Black grouse ranged between £112k and £4m. These results reflected both levels of funding and effectiveness; also the often wide variation in assessment of effectiveness can be linked to vague objectives and lack of monitoring. We also considered impacts on wider ecosystem services which found that there are often broader benefits from biodiversity measures that should be considered.

Introduction In this chapter we look at the costs and benefits of three possible interventions that would enhance the planet's biodiversity and improve its ecosystems over the next forty years The results are based on a study carried out across four research institutes and coordinated by the Scottish Agricultural College (Hussain etal 2011) that combined a global biophysical model (IMAGE-GLOBIO) which analyzed the biophysical impacts of different development scenarios compared to the counterfactual with a set of valuation studies that placed monetary values on the outcomes resulting from the different policy options in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem services (ESSs) While reference is frequently made in the popular press to biodiversity losses in practice it is difficult to quantify and value them There are several studies that attempt to do this in specific cases but no one has successfully estimated the value of the loss of biodiversity at a global level This is because the links between biodiversity and biolo-gical systems and the economic and social values that they support are extremely complex Even the measurement of biodiversity is problematic with a multi-dimensional metric regarded as appropriate (Purvis and Hector 2000; Mace etal 2003) but with further work considered necessary to define the appropriate combination

Food security is a major current and future policy concern. The world population is projected to reach 9 billion by 2050 and continuing growth in economic output and incomes is expected to result in changing food consumption patterns. In particular the wider adoption of ‘Western’ diets will result in both higher calorie intake and greater meat consumption. Continuing climate change is expected to add further pressures to agricultural production. This paper presents the results of a global analysis funded by the TEEB study on the environmental benefits of investment in agricultural knowledge, science and technology, specifically in terms of closing the gaps between developing and developed country agricultural productivity. The results show that by easing pressures on land use change on terrestrial biomes (forests and grasslands), and the ecosystem services they provide, investment in agricultural science and technology provides environmental benefits of US$161.3bn per annum in 2050. Between 2000 and 2050 these benefits amount to US$2,964bn in addition to US$6,343bn in carbon benefits and compare to costs of US$5,68bn