Published on 24 June 2024
Regan Early– University of Exeter
Alice Drysdale – University of Exeter
Kevin Gaston– University of Exeter
To understand the relationship between biodiversity and human communities in urban areas. .
Previous research has focused on access to the wellbeing value of greenspaces. For example, the ORVal tool was created to look at the recreational welfare value of greenspaces in cities across the UK. However, the biodiversity value of these spaces has yet to be quantified.
Biodiversity can be measured in a number of ways, whether that’s the amount of greenspace or the number of meadows. We have chosen to focus on trees as a measure of biodiversity, with the area of the tree canopy cover as our primary focus.
One of the nice things about trees is that they’ve been well-studied. There are many existing datasets of woodlands, such as the National Forest Inventory. However, these datasets are largely incomplete. As such, when the Bluesky National Tree Map became available for much of the UK, we jumped at the chance to use it.
Using this map, we can then compare the area of tree canopy cover and the ecosystem services (i.e. the benefits) provided by the trees to a number of human demographic factors. Some of the factors we are interested in exploring include income deprivation, housing tenure (i.e. renting or owning a home), and/or houses of multiple occupancy.
This research fits within the aim of Theme 2 of RENEW to increase inclusive and fair access to biodiversity renewal benefits.
Our next steps are to investigate the calculation of the ecosystem services (e.g. pollution absorption) and wellbeing benefits provided by the trees within urban areas and how they are distributed across these areas.
We are also keen to see how these benefits are distributed in relation to human communities.
Photographer, Alice Drysdale
