29Feb 2016
EEA publishes CEP’s work on ecosystem mapping and assessment

EEA PUBLISHES CEP’S WORK ON ECOSYSTEM MAPPING AND ASSESSMENT

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has just published a report on Mapping and assessing the condition of Europe’s ecosystems: progress and challenges. This report is based on a manuscript drafted by CEP’s Ric Eales and Liza Papadopoulou and synthesises the EEA’s work on ecosystem mapping and assessment over the last few years. The EEA’s approach has built on the work of the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) initiative and this report will also be published by the European Commission as the 3rd MAES report.

Team CEP
23Feb 2016
CEP’s evaluation of biodiversity offsetting pilots published

Defra publishes CEP’s evaluation of the biodiversity offsetting pilot scheme in England

Defra has published the final evaluation report by CEP [1] of the Biodiversity Offsetting Pilot Scheme in England that ran from April 2012 to March 2014.

Dr Bill Sheate, CEP’s Project Director for the evaluation said:

We are delighted that Defra has finally published the biodiversity offsetting evaluation report.  We concluded in our evaluation that whilst biodiversity offsetting has the potential to deliver improvements in biodiversity outcomes it will require additional resources and ecological expertise in local authorities to deliver it.  

Where residual biodiversity loss is identified offsetting will increase costs overall for developers compared to current practice. It is likely that it would, at best, deliver only marginal benefits in terms of streamlining the planning process for agreeing compensation for biodiversity loss.

The final report includes supplementary reports on Indicative Costs of Current Compensation Arrangements for Biodiversity Loss: Illustrative Case Studies (Task 4 Report) and A review of recent biodiversity offsetting practice in Germany

 

 

[1] CEP, in association with IEEP, was commissioned to evaluate the biodiversity offsetting pilot scheme between July 2012 and June 2014.  

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23Feb 2016
Self-Assessment tools for catchments

Self-Assessment tools developed by CEP for Catchment Based Approach partnerships

CEP has developed a suite of self-assessment tools for catchment based approach (CaBA) partnerships to enable them to quickly assess how well they are performing in terms of recognised milestones and good practice from around the country. The tools were produced as part of a Defra-funded project to evaluate the second phase of the Catchment based Approach. The tools are available on the Catchment Based Approach website.

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22Feb 2016
CEP at Flood and Coast 2016 conference

FLOOD AND COAST 2016

CEP is participating in Flood and Coast 2016: Risk, Resilience and Response in a Changing Climate, a conference which is being held in Telford between 23 – 25 February.

Clare Twigger-Ross is presenting on Developing community resilience to flood risk – the role of flood groups in the session on Working with people and communities at 4 pm on 23rd February.

Paula Or is presenting on How to measure success in building community resilience to flooding – developing frameworks for understanding and evaluating community resilience to flood risk in a UK context in the session on Working with people and communities at 4 pm on 24th February

 

Team CEP
16Feb 2016
CEP providing environmental assessment training for EKN

One-day training courses in environmental assessment and ecosystem services being provided by CEP for the EcosystemS Knowledge Network 

CEP is providing two one-day training courses on Incorporating ecosystem services into environmental assessment in the UK on behalf of the Ecosystems Knowledge Network (EKN). The training days, which count for IEMA CPD, will be run in London (24 May 2016) and Manchester (29 June 2016).

The course is being offered for those who commission or undertake formal environmental assessments of all types in the UK, as well as those who use them, and will cover:

  • Why might the ecosystem service concept be useful in environmental assessment?
  • How can the concept be used in SA, SEA and EIA?
  • How might you use the concept? (theoretically and practically)
  • How is the concept actually being used?
  • Challenges and opportunities (data requirements; legal compliance; guidance).

The trainers will be Dr Bill Sheate (Technical Director, CEP) and Dr Peter Phillips (Senior Consultant, CEP)

Further details and booking are available here. 

Team CEP
2Feb 2016
CEP presenting at SNH marine planning event

CEP’s Peter Phillips presenting at Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) marine planning event

CEP’s Dr Peter Phillips will be presenting at a Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) sharing good-practice event on 12 February 2016 on Dealing with uncertainty in the marine environment – assessing the impact of renewable developments.  The presentation will cover the approach and findings of a Sciencewise-ERC public dialogue project that CEP has been undertaking for Marine Scotland on the social impact of offshore renewables.

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