Natural Environment Services

The ecosystem concept reflects and symbolizes the interconnectedness and interdependence of life on Earth. Conservation and human development objectives therefore rely upon understanding ecosystems and the dependencies between people and the natural environment. These dependencies are often only partly understood; in fact in many cases we don`t have full inventories of natural resources, let alone detailed information on change or more complex inter-relationships. However, while the detail is sometimes uncertain, it is clear that the natural environment supports people`s health and wellbeing and provides society and business with a range of potential risks and opportunities.

Conservation agencies have long recognised the need for comprehensive information and in supporting their requirements we have specialised in a range of natural environment services designed to support strategies, policy development and projects. These have included strategic use of information to help quantify natural/conservation resources, to help quantify and therefore effectively manage important resources. We have worked on regional habitat opportunity mapping exercises and additionally specialise in the analysis and use of socio economic data. We make use of primary and secondary research methods and data collation and spatial analysis with GIS.

Ecosystem quality and dependencies
Ecosystem quality and function and biodiversity provide essential services to society and the economy. We have worked on the operationalisation of the of ecosystem services concept as part of our work on developing understanding of natural and ecological relationships, functions and the benefits they provide to people and society - for policy development and decision making.

Information development & management
We can help you gather, collate analyse and review data and provide assistance with data management and maintenance. We have worked with environmental, social and economic data to support, strategy, conservation policy and landscape protection. Specific applications include: resource mapping (including habitat inventories), opportunity mapping, risk profiling, quantifying environmental quality and character.

Knowledge management
We can help you make your environmental data/intelligence more accessible and work harder, through information utilisation, Information strategy and system specification. identification of key information requirements and mapping data needs to business activities.

Specific technical support and advice
We have extensive experience in geographical information systems – GIS, information strategy & system specification and management planning & scoping studies.