Dowdall, L (2024) A Natural Capital Approach to management of a UK estuary. Doctoral thesis, Liverpool John Moores University.

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Abstract

Estuaries in Northwest Europe are generally in poor condition due to continuous use, and previous conservation approaches have had limited success. Natural Capital approaches have not been widely attempted in these areas, but they could be valuable tools for restoring ecological conditions and maintaining socio-economic benefits. This study aims to explore the use of the Natural Capital approach for managing an urban estuary, using the Upper Mersey estuary as a test case. This area has a history of ecological degradation and heavy human use, making it ideal for testing Natural Capital approaches to improve a human-dominated environment. A framework for the application of a Natural Capital approach is presented and assessments of Natural Capital for contrasting habitat and land use types under different development scenarios were undertaken using two tools: EcoservR and the Biodiversity Metric. The intensity of development directly affects the severity of the environmental impact, with green development showing the least negative effects. The location of the development also has an influence on the overall environmental impact, highlighting the importance of considering baselines in natural capital assessments. The results show that not all environmental improvements yield positive outcomes, and trade-offs will need to be considered highlighting importance of multi-metric analysis to support these considerations. Stakeholder engagement was undertaken through a questionnaire and focus groups with residents, workers, and decision makers in the area. From this work, the varying importance of ecosystem services at different scales is evident as well as conflicting views on priorities and actions. This demonstrated both the importance of visibility in selection and promotion of priority services and a potential set of trade-offs within demands of the system which will need to be balanced. It was also shown that decision makers generally support the use of Natural Capital approaches but emphasised the need for ongoing implementation support, guidance with monitoring and evaluation, and facilitation of co-design. Recommendations arising from this work include assessing service supply and demand across landscapes, establishing condition indicators, fostering collaborations and codesign, promoting upskilling, and developing tools. These conclusions also provide valuable insight for future work on Natural Capital approaches in similar environments.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Natural capital; urban; estuary; natural capital approach
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
Divisions:	Biological and Environmental Sciences (from Sep 19)
SWORD Depositor:	A Symplectic
Date Deposited:	09 Dec 2024 10:27
Last Modified:	09 Dec 2024 10:27
DOI or ID number:	10.24377/LJMU.t.00024194
Supervisors:	Bowe, C, Kirby, J and Drewitt, A
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/24194

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