Nature-based solutions for biodiversity and ecosystem services

We are pioneering research on the sustainable management of resources and biodiversity protection. Our work is breaking barriers between research, policy and practice and underpinning national and international policies for a better world.

A bee collecting pollen from a flower

Bringing everyone together

Our research has identified the need for knowledge sharing between science, policy and practice to support land management decision-making successfully. 

Through our work, we have:

  • Established a spin-out company used by thousands, including national and international policymakers
  • Contributed to key research that informed policy decisions, including UN climate policy.
  • Provided technical infrastructure to support the United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform (IPBES)

Oppla is an online innovation hub used worldwide that shares and provides access to research outputs and examples of good practice. It uses nature-based solutions to support sustainable use of land and natural resources (ecosystem services).

Between 2012 and 2017, Professors Mark Rounsevell and Marc Metzger led the OPERAs (Operationalising Ecosystem Research Applications) project. This project was funded by the European Commission, to help determine how the ecosystems services concept could move from theory into practice.

The project collaborated with organisations and policymakers to develop methods that enhance policy and ecosystem management. This helped develop new approaches to understanding user needs and creating actionable research.

Scotland served as a key case study, with national and regional assessments of ecosystem services in policy, including collaboration with environmental organisations to incorporate the public in land management.

An ecosystem services resources community was formed, bringing together over 600 individuals to share knowledge and experiences.

This eventually led to the creation of the spin-out company Oppla by our researchers. Oppla will help improve access and creation of knowledge for better environmental management.

 

The Oppla hub has over 100 strategic partners and a community of over 2000 members drawn from a wide range of sectors who share resources and best practice. 

The Oppla approach has become established as best practice in its field. Oppla is now recognised as the EU Knowledge Repository for Nature-based Solutions by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and Environment.

Research from the School of Geosciences has supported the United Nation’s IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services). Oppla provided the technical infrastructure for the development of the IPBES web portal on policy support tools and methodologies, which underpins IPBES’s support of policy action worldwide. 

Other notable examples include:

  • International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
  • World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
  • Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI)
  • Joint Research Centre (JRC)
  • World Wildlife Fund Colombia
  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
  • Scottish Government
  • Scottish National Heritage

The new Oppla Application Programming Interface (API) service enables sharing research hosted on Oppla around the world. OPPLA has played a key role in the EU-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) knowledge sharing programmes, funded through the EU Horizon 2020 initiative.

There are over 500 products in the Oppla marketplace, such as tools, guidance, software and data. There are also over 270 case studies demonstrating multiple examples of nature-based solutions worldwide. 

Since launching in 2016, Oppla has generated over £1.5 million in income and employs eight staff members. 

You can read more about the Oppla hub on the Oppla website:


IPBES

Our researchers are significant contributors to IPBES (United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services). The IPBES has more than 130 government members and has a crucial role in translating scientific knowledge into policy action through the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA). 

Our research has supported the IPBES assessment process, providing insight to key international policies on biodiversity and natural resource management. Our research focused on translating the outcomes of IPBES assessments into policy concepts.

For example, our research exploring the equivalent for biodiversity of the 2°C global mean temperature change target is used in relevant climate policy. 

Professor Mark Rounsevell co-chaired the IPBES regional assessment for Europe and Central Asia, leading the production of the report and summary for policy-makers.  He subsequently led on summarising the outcomes of the four IPBES regional assessments for SBSTTA as input to the Convention on Biological Diversity policy process.

You can read more about the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) on their website:


European Commission

Professor Mark Rounsevell is engaged with the European Commission (ECA) with work involving translating the findings of the ECA assessment into the EU's post-2020 Biodiversity Strategy, using IPBES assessments to support this. 

This work focuses on defining a single indicator of biodiversity to match the policy relevance of the 2°C target for a global mean temperature change used in climate policy.

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