Introduction

The Upland Ecosystem Service Pilots were developed by Natural England as demonstration projects to understand how the ecosystem approach could be applied in practice. Three pilots were delivered – in Bassenthwaite Catchment in the Lake District, the South Pennines and South West Uplands.

CAG was commissioned by Natural England to undertake an evaluation of the pilots with the objective of determining what was working well and less well, with a view to informing future policy and delivery.

How we delivered the project

The evaluation explored how effective the pilot projects were in achieving the original aims of:

• Providing practical examples demonstrating how the ecosystem approach could be applied on the ground.
• Using a consultative ecosystem approach to define land and water management based upon stakeholder’s perceptions of the best options.
• Demonstrate that investment in the natural environment can result in multiple benefits (carbon, water, food, biodiversity, recreational and landscape benefits).
• Showing how working in partnerships can deliver a range of ecosystem services in a cost-effective way and link these services to the beneficiaries.

Evaluation research included the development of a theory of change (ToC), document review, development of topic guides, and qualitative research with key stakeholders.  Interview insights were thematically analysed, and the findings synthesised with the outputs from the document review, subsequently triangulated with the ToC.

Summary of Key Findings

All the pilots were found to have played an important formative (both direct and indirect) role in developing the regional ‘conversation’ around the ecosystem approach and the development of successor projects in their localities. Whilst the evaluation did not focus on the issue of national impact, we found that the pilots also appear to have had a significant positive effect on national thinking and policy, primarily in relation to ecosystem services, the ecosystem approach and, more recently, to thinking and practice in relation to the natural capital approach.