1. Valuing our Life Support Systems Professor Rosie Hails 29.04.09

2. Human health depends on biodiversity — Decomposition of waste — Cycling of vital nutrients — Maintenance of healthy water, air and soils — But relationship between the loss of species and loss of these services is not well understood

3. Pollinators: Are we close to a tipping point?

4. The best things in life are not free —Costs may appear somewhere else —Items may have financial value, it’s just hard to estimate what that is —Can we put an economic value on biodiversity for its own sake?

5. Climate change has highlighted the issue

6. Which way forward? —Bring together scientists, practitioners and policy makers —Three workshops over the next two days —Future events

7. Balancing our options for rural land use: food, biodiversity, sustainable biofuels and flood prevention Topics —What should policy framework for sustainable land use look like? —Is there really a tension between agriculture and the environment? —Whose land is it anyway? Property rights and the market Questions —Alternative economic models to ensure sufficient food, access and biodiversity from our rural land? —Valuation of non-economic goods? —How can we reconnect the public with an awareness of ecosystem services? Coordinator: Prof Rosie Hails, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

8. Coordinator: Prof Jim Harris, Cranfield University The Urban Planning SystemQuestions Should there be an end to the urban/rural divide? What issues impinge on our ability to manage and adapt urban land use? What might we do to protect and enhance ecosystem goods and service provision? Topics Ecotowns Ecosystem services and urban areas Implications for planning

9. Topics —The Marine Bill —A business perspective of offshore renewable energy —Valuing marine environments Questions —How can legislation be appropriate to meet our needs? —How can we value marine ecosystem goods and services? —Governance of ecosystem goods and services at political, national and regional scales? Coordinator: Prof Paul Leonard, Environmental Consultant Sustainable Use of the Marine Environment

10. Sustainable Cities, 15 June 2009 —Free event exploring how science can inform policy to ensure sustainable urban development —Delivered in partnership with the British Library and sponsored by the Science Council —Panel discussion, networking drinks reception and research showcase Panelists Ken Livingstone, Progressive London Sara Parkin, Forum for the Future Dr William Bird, Natural England Peter Wilder, Macfarlane Wilder Malcolm Smith, ARUP Lorna Walker, CABE 18.00 – 21.00, British Library, London BOX OFFICE http://boxoffice.bl.uk T +44 (0)1937 546546 Contact: science@bl.ukscience@bl.uk Pre-event blog: www.britishecologicalsociety.org/blog

11. —Human Health and Ecosystem Services: Autumn 2009 —A workshop for economists & ecologists: Spring 2010 —Action plans will develop from workshops Future projects