Landscapes generate a wide range of valuable ecosystem services, yet land-use decisions often ignore the value of these services. Using the example of the United Kingdom, we show the significance of land-use change not only for agricultural production but also for emissions and sequestration of greenhouse gases, open-access recreational visits, urban green space, and wild-species diversity. We use spatially explicit models in conjunction with valuation methods to estimate comparable economic values for these services, taking account of climate change impacts. We show that, although decisions that focus solely on agriculture reduce overall ecosystem service values, highly significant value increases can be obtained from targeted planning by incorporating all potential services and their values and that this approach also conserves wild-species diversity.

/pdf/bringing-ecosystem-services-into-economic-decision-making-22ox6dpfcq.pdf

Bringing ecosystem services into economic decision-making: land use in the United Kingdom.

Links between wellbeing and environmental factors are of growing interest in psychology, health, conservation, economics, and more widely. There is limited evidence that green or natural environments are positive for physical and mental health and wellbeing. We present a new and unique primary research study exploring the relationship between momentary subjective wellbeing (SWB) and individuals’ immediate environment within the UK. We developed and applied an innovative data collection tool: a smartphone app that signals participants at random moments, presenting a brief questionnaire while using satellite positioning (GPS) to determine geographical coordinates. We used this to collect over one million responses from more than 20,000 participants. Associating GPS response locations with objective spatial data, we estimate a model relating land cover to SWB using only the within-individual variation, while controlling for weather, daylight, activity, companionship, location type, time, day, and any response trend. On average, study participants are significantly and substantially happier outdoors in all green or natural habitat types than they are in urban environments. These findings are robust to a number of alternative models and model specifications. This study provides a new line of evidence on links between nature and wellbeing, strengthening existing evidence of a positive relationship between SWB and exposure to green or natural environments in daily life. Our results have informed the UK National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA), and the novel geo-located experience sampling methodology we describe has great potential to provide new insights in a range of areas of interest to policymakers.

/pdf/happiness-is-greater-in-natural-environments-1bdw10fmtl.pdf

Happiness is greater in natural environments

The relationship of physical activity and overweight to objectively measured green space accessibility and use

http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/pubs/pdf/pub4192.pdf

Landsat continuity: Issues and opportunities for land cover monitoring

https://purehost.bath.ac.uk/ws/files/72345992/s2.0_S0022169414002856_Kjeldsen.pdf

Assessing the impact of urbanization on storm runoff in a peri-urban catchment using historical change in impervious cover

Land Cover Map 2000 (LCM2000) is a thematic classification of satellite image data covering the entire United Kingdom. The map updates and substantially upgrades the Land Cover Map of Great Britain (LCMGB), made in 1990–92. This paper outlines the character of the map through a description of its specification, production and outputs. The paper is aimed at users of LCM2000 and derived data who need to understand more of the map and its characteristics. The paper also outlines plans for making data available to researchers and applied users.The most important development in LCM2000 was the spectral segmentation of images to generate vector land parcels. Land cover was then identified by the spectral classification of the image data in these parcels. Classification used specially developed procedures which exploited known spatial, spectral and contextual characteristics of land cover. The resultant GIS incorporates, within its vector structure, detailed attribute data which record parcel-based land ...

J. M. Sanderson

Papers

The UK Land Cover Map 2000: Construction of a Parcel-Based Vector Map from Satellite Images

Countryside Survey 2000 Module 7. Land Cover Map 2000. Final Report

Land cover map 2000

Land Cover Map 2000: a parcel-based map from satellite images

Countryside Survey 2000 module 7: Land Cover Map 2000. Second interim report, incorporating the Fourth Quarterly Progress Report