Urban nature
Flanders is a highly urbanized region, and as cities expand, so does the demand for “nature.” Knowledge about urban habitats is lacking or highly fragmented. This knowledge is crucial to understand spatial issues from a social-ecological perspective. The link between policy and knowledge about basic nature quality, distribution of nature benefits between population groups, and the impact of urbanization on nature quality is still missing. We want to translate existing and new knowledge into a better urban and regional nature policy. Current policies, such as the Nature Restoration Law, the Flanders Spatial Policy Plan and the building shift, make these questions urgent.
The research program Urban Nature aims to translate scientific insights at the interface between climate, biodiversity and urban green space into usable tools and policy.
- Mapping and monitoring of urban nature quality: determining basic quality of urban nature (urban nature targets), the role of urban nature in realizing a robust nature network, measuring urban nature (e.g. Biological valuation map of Ghent)
- Investigate equity and social distribution of nature benefits: who decides where what type of nature comes and what benefits and ecosystem services this provides for different social groups? (e.g. FairNature project)
- Underpin policy instruments and strategies scientifically to increase livability and biodiversity in cities: Nature-based solutions (e.g. INTERLACE project), Nature fabric planning (NWP), new green standards “3+30+300 rule”, interpretation of the Nature Restoration Law.
- Support practical cases and build networks: developing urban nature and Nature-based solutions in practice (e.g. Nature fabric planning pilots, Atlas Green Blue Solutions), in order to better investigate effectiveness (cooling, water buffering, nature corridors), cost-effectiveness and financing aspects, among others.
By mapping urban nature, determining its diverse values and examining policy instruments, we aim to develop nuanced targets for urban nature that contribute to biodiverse, socially just and livable cities.
Our research helps to apply international to local policy goals in cities and supports regional and local governments and administrations to develop new tools around urban nature and climate. We support local coalitions to self-identify multiple values of urban nature and achieve a supported, equitable and biodiverse urban environment.
For more information on urban nature, please contact Sander Jacobs and Julie Callebaut.
Natural capital accounting (NCA)
Our society is intimately bound up with the natural system in which it functions. We make use of the natural capital that our environment offers: raw materials such as water, wood, food and minerals, regulatory functions such as water purification and air purification, and cultural services such as recreation and inspiration. Natural capital is the basis for our economy, prosperity and well-being, but the methods we use to identify our economic activity do not reflect the link between economy and natural capital.
Natural capital accounting (NCA) is a framework that offers an integrated approach. It measures how stocks of natural capital change and integrates the value of the ecosystem services that natural capital provides into the country’s economic accounts.
INBO can use NCA to provide policymakers with comparable information about:
- changes in the composition and quality of ecosystems and biodiversity and
- changes in ecosystem services for different economic units such as households, economic sectors and society as a whole. This is done by bringing existing data and new data together in a single central accounting system.
INBO wants to put NCA on the map for Flanders in order to give natural capital a more central place in society and ensure that it plays a bigger role in policy decisions. We will work closely with partners to come up with a widely applicable policy tool.
When NCA has been developed as a policy tool, it has a wide range of applications, for example for cost-benefit analyses and impact assessments of projects and programmes (socalled ecosystem service impact reports), scenario analyses and studies, economic modelling, international reports, indicator reports and policy evaluations. NCA can be used to draw up an integrated budget and to map the economic value of individual ecosystem services. NCA does not aim to express the value of nature in monetary terms, but to ensure that it is clearly included in policy decisions.
INBO also uses NCA for nature reporting. We regularly report on the state and importance of our natural capital, interpret and explain trends and make specific policy recommendations. We also create derivative applications at the request of users. By working with the standards for NCA, we can tackle this efficiently and consistently.
