Changes in the value of ecosystem services along a rural–urban gradient: A case study of Greater Manchester, UK: Fid-Bau Portal

Changes in the value of ecosystem services along a rural–urban gradient: A case study of Greater Manchester, UK

Radford, Kathleen Gail / James, Philip

Highlights ► We have created a new analytical tool for the non-economic valuation of a number of ecosystem services. ► The provision of the ecosystem services described are found to exist at significantly lower values in highly urban areas, but not necessarily in suburban or peri-urban environments. ► The methodology described in the paper provides a tool for stakeholders to assess the synergies and trade-offs of ecosystem services within urban areas to plan for sustainable cities and to benefit the health and wellbeing of residents.

Abstract The degradation and loss of vital ecosystem functions and services have been an uncontested result of urbanisation. An understanding of how ecosystem services are provided along rural–urban gradients is crucial in the task of conserving and enhancing vital services in urban environments, increasing the quality of life of urban dwellers, and working towards a sustainable future. Focusing on nine ecosystem services – aesthetic, spiritual, recreation, water flow regulation, carbon sequestration, climate change adaptation, pollination, biodiversity potential, and noise attenuation – regarded as important to urban areas the authors detail the changes in the values of these services along a gradient comprising four categories of urbanisation: urban, suburban, peri-urban and rural, in Greater Manchester, UK. The data on which the discussion is based are derived from an interdisciplinary assessment tool, developed from a selection of previously used assessment methods including the Residential Environment Assessment Tool and the Green Flag Award. Based on a mixture of a field and desktop study, the new tool assigns non-economic values of 0–10 to the selected services, allowing for evaluation of quality between, as well as within, each category of ecosystem service. Trends in the results are discussed, as are drivers for the changes in values along the rural–urban gradient. It is foreseen that this new body of knowledge will allow both practitioners and academics to gain further insight into the provision of ecosystem services along a rural–urban gradient to allow them to tackle the problems associated with them and to optimise open space planning.