The natural environment provides the very essentials of life - the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. We also receive other important services from the environment such as climate regulation and flood protection, and a range of cultural and recreational benefits. These benefits can be called ecosystem services.

Ensuring the natural environment is adequately valued in policy and decision making is crucial to the continuation of these essential services. One way of doing this is by using the Ecosystems Services Approach – a framework for making decisions about the management of land, water and living resources in an integrated way that promotes the conservation and sustainable use of natural assets.

This study identifies the types of ecosystem services provided by the natural habitats in Yorkshire and Humber and assesses their relative importance. The implications of emerging policy drivers on provision of these services are considered and available indicators for monitoring environmental change are reviewed.

The study was commissioned by Yorkshire Futures and carried out by URSUS Consulting and the University of York.

• Download Applying an Ecosystem Services Approach in Yorkshire and Humber (pdf)