1. Attaining Sustainable Services from Ecosystems through Trade-off Scenarios - ASSETS
Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) funded multidisciplinary research project (May 2012 to April 2016)
The link between the health of our planet and the health and prosperity of people is becoming more understood and recognised. When we responsibly manage nature’s resources, we ensure the continued supply of fresh water, nutrient-rich soil, food and other ecosystem services.
How can we assure that everyone – especially the world’s poorest people – have access to the services nature provides while also anticipating consequences that may negatively impact our environment?
There is an urgent need for data and analytical tools that will inform and guide sustainable development.
The ASSETS project is an interdisciplinary, four-year initiative that aims to undertake world-class research on how ecosystem services provided by forests interconnect with poverty alleviation.
The overall goal is to explicitly quantify the linkages between the natural ecosystem services that affect – and are affected by – food security and nutritional health for the rural poor at the forest-agricultural interface.
Methodological Framework
The framework integrates the modelling tools and the DP-SIR approach to evaluate drivers, pressures and impact on ES over multiple spatial and temporal scales.
Meet the Team
Southampton University: Prof. Guy Poppy (PI) Prof. Nyovani Madise Prof. Barrie Margetts Dr. Kate Schreckenberg Dr. Felix Eigenbrod Dr. Malcolm Hudson
Dr. Carlos Torres Vitolas
Dr. Simon Willcock
Mrs. Carolin Bothe-Tews
Conservation International: Dr. Miroslav Honzak Dr. Celia Harvey
Mr. Erwin Palacios
Chancellor College, University of Malawi, and LEAD South East Africa:
Prof. Sosten Chiotha
Mr. Welton Phalira
Dr. Dalitso Kafumbata
WorldFish:
Dr. Daniel Jamu
Rhodes University : Prof. Charlie Shakleton
International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT): Dr. Andrew Jarvis
Ms. Carolina Navarrete Frias
Ms. Marcela Quintero
Dr. Gisella Cruz-García
BC3 Basque Centre for Climate Change: Prof. Ferdinando Villa
Dr. Elena Pérez-Miñana
Dundee University: Prof. Terry Dawson
The University of Malawi CHANCELLOR COLLEGE
inspiring leadership for a sustainable world
Contact
Professor Guy Poppy DPhil CBiol FSB
Director of Multidisciplinary Research
Director of University Strategic Research Groups
Professor of Ecology
Life Sciences Building
University of Southampton
ASSETS will develop modeling and risk management tools that integrate three key components:
drivers, pressures and linkages between food security, nutritional health and ecosystem services
crises and tipping points: past, present and future interactions between food insecurity and ecosystem services at the forest-agricultural interface
the science-policy interface: How can we manage ecosystem services to reduce food insecurity and increase nutritional health?
The project will deliver data from a range of sources and in various formats to inform policies affecting the lives of 2 million poor people living in three regions of Malawi and Colombia. It is hoped that our work can serve as an effective model to help 550 million people living in similar environments around the world.
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The project (NE-J ) is funded with support from the United Kingdom’s Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation program (ESPA). ESPA receives its funding from the Department for International Development (DFID), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
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