RD 1.4.1: Natural asset inventory and accounts

Natural Asset Register and Natural Capital Accounts research considers how we can systematically account for ecosystem services in Scotland. We are developing a publicly accessible register of Scotland’s natural assets, to improve our knowledge of how much of what is where, and which assets are at risk in particular places. The web page for the current version of this register can be viewed by clicking here. Datasets will be added to the register as they become available during the five years of the research programme. Bundled ecosystem services within specific habitats in the register can then be valued and act as a foundation for natural capital accounting. These data will be used in the rest of Work Package 1.4 looking at sustainable management of natural assets.

Research will explore how the stocks and condition of natural capital assets can be better linked to ecosystem service flows through the use of remote sensing data and the development of modelling approaches. The research will also inform the refinement of SNH’s Natural Capital Asset Index and better targeting of agri-environment measures in Scotland.

Natural capital accounting research will focus on applying accounting approaches across a range of spatial scales to meet the needs of different end users. This will rely on existing data supplemented where necessary with new valuation studies. A case study approach is used, with initial accounts developed for agriculture and forestry sectors with urban greenspace currently in development. Approaches to measuring non-monetary values are also being explored with particular reference to cultural services.

Aim of Research

The aim is to develop a spatially-referenced register of Scotland’s natural assets and contribute to a set of natural capital accounts for Scotland that can over time track the progress of Scotland's green growth aspirations.

Further Information:

General information on the Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes (SEFARI) and the Scottish Government funded Strategic Research Portfolio can be found on the SEFARI website.
Within this, there are webpages providing summary overview information for each of the Research Deliverables (RDs) within the Strategic Programme. The page for RD 1.4.1 Natural asset inventory and natural capital accounts is available here and includes annual progress and highlights summaries, key outputs and links to case studies and key research staff.
To complement this, additional more detailed information is provided below on contacts for specific projects as well as a more extensive list of outputs.
 

Contacts:

• To learn more about the Natural Asset Register, please contact David Donnelly
• To learn more about the Natural Capital Accounting work, please contact Alistair McVittie

There is a suite of underpinning scientific projects assessing ecosystem service delivery and interactions to fill gaps in the register and improve our accounting:

• Remote sensing data collation to improve the resolution of ecosystem service mapping – contact Alessandro Gimona
• Understanding Ecosystem Service Flows from an inventory of Assets – contact Alessandro Gimona
• Extending and improving the Natural Capital Asset Index – contact Rob Brooker
• Linking peatland restoration project data to a model of peat depth and condition – contact Matt Aitkenhead
• Improving the targeting for SRDP Agri-environment climate scheme Payments – contact Robin Pakeman
• Extending and improving Cultural Ecosystem Services indicators and mapping – contact Kate Irvine

These projects are being delivered by multi-disciplinary teams from James Hutton Institute, Scottish Rural College and Royal Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh.

Outputs from the Research to date:

• Donnelly D., Macleod C. and Ibiyemi A. (2021). Natural Asset Register: Data Portal – project report, James Hutton Institute, 33 pages. This report describes the work done to create the Natural Asset Register: Data Portal.
• Pakeman, R.J. (2018). Improving the targeting of agri-environment payments, James Hutton Institute, 6 pages. This policy brief summarises the potential efficiency gains made if alternative methods are used to select areas for targeted agri-environment payments.
• Irvine, K.N., Conniff, A., Aalders, I. (2018). Touch table mapping and photo activities: Methods for capturing Cultural Ecosystem Services, James Hutton Institute, 16 pages. This working paper describes two cultural ecosystem services studies using (1) public participation GIS and a touch table and (2) a picture-word matching task.
• Macleod, C.J.A. and Donnelly, D. (2018). Development of a Natural Asset Register Data Portal: Access Consultation Report, James Hutton Institute, 18 pages. This report summarises an email consultation on a prototype Natural Asset Register Data Portal: covering its content, how the data was structured, and the functionality of the web application and the user experience of the interface.
• Macleod, C.J.A. and Donnelly, D. (2018). Reviewing CKAN Natural Asset Register-Data Portal (NAR-DP) performance on mobile devices and suggested improvements, James Hutton Institute, 12 pages. This report summarises a review of the performance of the Natural Asset Register Data Portal on mobile devices and presents suggestions for improving the tool.
• McVittie A and Faccioli M (2017) Natural Capital Accounts: Progress report on primary valuation studies, Scottish Agricultural College, 33 pages.This report provides an update on primary valuation studies that have been undertaken to inform the development of natural capital accounts for the agriculture and forestry sectors in Scotland.
• Faccioli, M.and Blackstock, K.L.(2017). Review of UK Natural Capital Initiatives, James Hutton Institute, 22 pages. This review considers 10 UK-based natural capital initiatives and considers their focus, approach and future plans. The review concludes that the landscape is relatively crowded and initiatives may need to move beyond awareness raising to helping operationalise the concept.
•  Blackstock K.L, Christie M., Elm M., Faccioli M., and Herett S. (2017) Understanding and using the concept of Natural Capital in Scottish Public Sector Organisations, James Hutton Institute, 6 pages. This briefing was prepared to support a Round Table on Natural Capital involving Scottish public sector bodies, chaired by Scottish Natural Heritage, on 23rd November 2017.
• Donnelly D, Macleod C and Ibiyemi A (2016) RD1.4.1a Deliverable D1: Review existing natural asset registers and literature, Report to Scottish Government, James Hutton Institute, 55pp.
• Faccioli M, McVittie A, Glenk K and Blackstock K (2016) Natural Capital Accounts: Review of available data and accounting options, 37pp
• McVittie A, Donnelly D, Faccioli M, MacLeod C, Ibiyemi A, Glenk K and Blackstock K (2017) Summary of reviews of Natural Assets Registers and Natural Capital Accounting, RESAS1.4.1 Briefing document for ELPEG April 2017, 4pp
• Poggio L and Gimona A (2017) Assessing ecosystem service delivery and interactions: methodology to integrate Remote sensing data into ecosystem services mapping, Technical Report, James Hutton Institute, 6 pp.
• Brooker R, Eastwood A and Pakeman R (2017) Report on Assessment of New Indicators to include within the NCAI, James Hutton Institute, 7 pp
• Aitkenhead M (2017) Internal report: Linking peatland restoration project data to a model of peat depth and condition: Acquisition and integration of restoration project data with spatial covariates
• Conniff, A., Irvine, K.N., Aalders, I. (2016) Social Science Methods for Investigation of Spiritual and Emblematic Cultural Ecosystem Services, James Hutton Institute, 11pp
• Aalders. I and Stanik. N. (2016) Data Gap Analysis for Cultural Ecosystem Services. James Hutton Institute, 21pp