Ecosystems can be thought of as functional units composed of the complex network of interactions between organisms and the environment, and among organisms themselves, and the idea that ecosystem services are essential for human well-being is increasingly embedded in policy at local, national and global scales. To better understand the provision of ecosystem services in the future, a number of studies have developed scenarios that explore drivers of change and implications for the delivery of ecosystem services across a range of possible futures, and to provide a tool to engage with stakeholders and develop responses to challenges that the scenarios raise.
Scenarios have also been widely used in the energy domain to explore alternate future pathways of energy system change. During UKERC phase 3, the pathways research theme will develop and analyse a wide range of energy system pathways for the UK, and a major part of this work will be to explore fully the whole systems dimensions of these pathways. This TPA research project seeks to build a link between energy pathways and ecosystem service scenarios, to understand interactions between the domains, and to provide information that will allow scientists and policy makers to consider the implications of energy systems for ecosystem service provision and vice versa.
Dr Rob Holland is the key contact.