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1st November: Exploring the multiple values and preferences that people hold for trees, forests and their biodiversity
November 1, 2023 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Exploring the multiple values and preferences that people hold for trees, forests and their biodiversity
Martin Dallimer, Professor in Environmental Change, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds
Wednesday 1st November, 1-2pm, Cottrell LTB3 and streamed on Teams (contact the seminar organiser for the link).
This seminar is open to all staff, students and affiliates of the University of Stirling. The seminar is hosted by Biological and Environmental Sciences (BES). Please note this seminar will not be recorded.
Abstract: Trees, woodlands and forests provide a vast array of ecosystem goods and services that underpin benefits to people, whether they themselves live in forested areas, or in agricultural and urban settings. To secure these benefits many national and international policy initiatives have been established, such as the Bonn Challenge, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and, more recently, commitments made as part of the Convention on Biological Diversity to protect 30% of the world’s surface by 2030. Inevitably such land and cityscape transformations affect large numbers of people. Indeed, forest restoration and creation programs often seek to provide “triple wins” for climate change, biodiversity and human wellbeing. There are therefore widespread calls for forest restoration and creation to provide “the right tree in the right place.” However, given public backing and stewardship are crucial for success, and that the socioeconomic and biophysical impacts associated with trees and forests can transform landscapes that people already use, it is also essential to understand for whom the trees are right. Exploring the multiple preferences and values held by local communities should therefore be a central concern. Drawing on our work in the UK and Africa, we draw out the multiple ways in which people value and interact with forests and their biodiversity, and consider the implications for underpinning successful forest management, conservation and restoration programmes.
Bio: I am interested in applying and integrating research techniques from across different disciplines to better understand the restoration, rehabilitation, conservation and sustainable management of natural environments, biodiversity and ecosystems in a human-dominated world. My research falls into four broad areas: (i) human-nature relationships, and the role of biodiversity in underpinning human health and wellbeing gains; (ii) biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services; (iii) land degradation, sustainable agriculture, land-use and development; and (iv) nature-based solutions and urban greenspaces in sustainable cities. In particular, I am interested in applying and developing methods to understand the multiple values (including in monetary and non-monetary terms, as well as metrics of ecological ‘quality’) of ecosystems and natural environments. I am particularly interested in how these values might be linked both to biodiversity and underlying ecosystem properties, as well as to the multiple benefits and burdens that humans gain from nature.