In this month's newsletter:
Derbyshire's Billions
Valuing Derbyshire's Natural Capital and Creating a Strategy for Improvement
Volunteering in Our Neighbourhood
eftec clean up Hoxton Square with Hackney Parks
Our New Team Members
eftec welcomes Ally Couchman and Nil Torrebadella-Bulta
Derbyshire's Billions
Valuing Derbyshire's Natural Capital & Creating a Strategy for Improvement
We recently developed a Natural Capital Strategy for Derbyshire County Council, alongside Environment Systems and SLR.
In producing this strategy, we found the total annual net value of ecosystem benefits provided within Derbyshire to be £2.6 billion. This figure reflects the ecosystem services that we were able to quantify and express in monetary terms.
77% (£2bn) of this value comes from carbon sequestered by Derbyshire's diverse habitats including woodlands, heathlands, wetlands, and grassland. 11% (£298 million) comes from from mineral production and 7% (£181 million) from recreation. The carbon sequestration benefits provided by habitats outweigh the emissions produced by both habitats (-£95 million) and livestock (-£249 million).
The Natural Capital Strategy describes the current condition of Derbyshire’s natural environment and the benefits it provides to people. It then identifies opportunities to adjust land management to increase these benefits. The Strategy will help the Council analyse how and where to invest in maintaining and enhancing natural capital, while maintaining the County’s distinct landscape character.
An independent review of the findings published by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust can be viewed here. The full report will be published later this year by Derbyshire Council.
Volunteering in Our Neighbourhood
eftec clean up Hoxton Square with Hackney Parks
Two weeks ago we 'downed tools' (well, our laptops at least) and picked up some secateurs, shovels, and rakes as part of our volunteer day with Hackney Parks Volunteering.
We spent a sunny day de-weeding, mulching, and pruning in Hoxton Square: a small green space just around the corner from our office in Shoreditch. We ended the day's work with slightly better tans, dirty hands, and a sense of satisfaction that we had helped to improve one of our local green spaces.
If you are in the area, we highly recommend a visit to Hoxton Square for a park lunch or even finding some time to volunteer yourself. You can organise your own volunteer day through the Hackney Council website.
Ally Couchman and Nil Torrebadella-Bulta Join the Team
This month we welcomed two new team members: Ally Couchman, Researcher, and Nil Torebadella-Bulta, Intern.
Ally will be working on natural capital projects and has a background in accounting, administration and management. She holds an MSc in Environmental Economics and an HDip in Economics from Galway University in Ireland. She has recently worked on a research project in Ireland to help businesses account for their impacts and dependencies on biodiversity for CSRD reporting. Previously, she researched agroecosystem services for the Farm Zero C project at Trinity College, Dublin. Her masters dissertation examined the role of Irish dairy farm management practices in optimising ecosystem service delivery.
Nil has recently completed a BSc in Economics, Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick. At eftec, he will be assisting with research and administrative tasks for projects and proposals. He will work most closely with the Chemicals Policy team while providing support in other service areas when required. Nil will be starting his MSc in Environmental Economics and Climate Change studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science from September.
Comments