Summary
This qualitative study examined six UK landscape initiatives using varied natural capital approaches to support collaborative governance. The findings demonstrate that systematically describing natural assets and ecosystem benefits can facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration and unlock new funding, but monetary valuation frameworks are not essential for attracting partners and resources. The work challenges the current policy emphasis on economic valuation in natural capital approaches and offers evidence-based insights for designing governance mechanisms that deliver multiple benefits for people and nature.
UK applicability
The findings are directly applicable to UK policy and practice, as the study examined six operational UK landscape initiatives. The evidence suggesting that natural capital approaches can prioritise management actions and enrol collaboration partners without requiring full monetary valuation may inform domestic environmental policy design and landscape-scale governance frameworks.
Key measures
Approaches to articulation, description and valuation of natural capital; consequences for collaborative governance, partner enrolment, co-production of plans, and ecosystem market investment
Outcomes reported
The study assessed how six UK landscape initiatives articulated, described and valued their natural systems, and examined the consequences for collaboration and investment. It found that systematic description of natural assets and their benefits stimulated ecosystem markets and co-production of plans, though monetary valuation was not always necessary for enrolling new partners and resources.
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