Local authorities and developers are, for the first time, being given greater certainty on the robustness of different Green Infrastructure tools, thanks to a report published by Natural England today.
The report looked at a range of global tools and methods available for assessing the value of green infrastructure in terms of the ecosystem services and benefits provided and the financial costs and benefits gained.
Carried out by consultants Eftec and Cascade, the report focused on value transfer tools which can be used to estimate financial values for green infrastructure projects, such as street trees, green walls and roofs and rivers and canals.
The report, which will be particularly useful for local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships and third sector landscape organisations, looked at the scientific and economic analysis of the tools and whether they were applicable within the UK.
Tim Sunderland, Natural England principal economist, said there were a large number of projects that aimed to quantify the economic, social or environmental value of Green Infrastructure, which had resulted in a number of very useful tools for assessing the value of GI in terms of the ecosystem services and financial benefits.
“This report is really useful in terms of drawing together and reviewing the micro-economic GI valuation tools and methods available and looking at the best systems currently available,” he added.
The report Green Infrastructure – Valuation Tools Assessment includes detailed analysis of the nine different Green Infrastructure tools.
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