A new report by the British Ecological Society and National Trust, co-authored by Newcastle University’s Professor Darren Evans, makes clear that human wellbeing over the coming years and decades will not depend on the extinction or abundance of particular wild species in particular places, but on ecosystems continuing to function in a resilient way.

Despite some conservation successes for individual species, fragmented strategies aren’t big picture enough: one in six species is threatened with extinction in the UK. This threatens the critical ecosystem services upon which society is built upon.

In recent years, UK governments have launched several initiatives to support nature recovery including committing to legally binding targets in the Environment Act. However, these plans focus on disconnected elements of ecosystems (such as species, water quality, carbon) rather than on the whole dynamic picture.

Professor Darren Evans from Newcastle University's School of Natural and Environment Sciences, who is a co-author of the report, said “We now have the tools to model the impacts of environmental change on whole ecosystems. Working with researchers from the Schools of Computing and Mathematics, Statistics and Physics we are applying advances in network science to understand and manage ecosystem functioning in the face of unprecedented change.”

Urgent action needed

Professor Rosie Hails MBE, Director of Nature & Science at The National Trust and chair of the Defra Biodiversity Expert Committee, said, “I’d like to see Defra really leading the charge on an ecosystem approach in England. It’s the department of food, environment and rural affairs and this is in some ways the rural affairs part of their remit, which you hear relatively little about. But this work needs to cut across government departments with Defra connecting up the departments for transport, health and housing.”

The Aligning Environmental Agendas for Nature Recovery report brings together leading experts from organisations including National Trust, Zoological Society of London, and Natural History Museum. For more expert insight into an ecosystem approach and policy recommendations, read the full report.

Adapted with thanks from the British Ecological Society.