National Character Area 63
Oswestry Uplands - Natural Capital and Key Ecosystem Services
Introduction
The Oswestry Uplands NCA provides a wide range of benefits to society. Each is derived from the attributes and processes (both natural and cultural features) within the area. These benefits are known collectively as ‘ecosystem services’. The predominant services are summarised below. Further information on ecosystem services provided in the Oswestry Uplands NCA is contained in the ‘Analysis’ section of this website.
Note: The natural capital in this NCA is mapped below. This displays more recent national and publicly available data sets as used within Natural England’s 2020 Natural Capital Atlas Profiles.
The predominant ecosystem services in this NCA are also summarised below. The text contained in this section is based on the previous NCA profiles in 2014, and so is not entirely current. Further information on ecosystem services provided in the North Northumberland Coastal Plain NCA is contained in the Analysis: Ecosystem Services page of this website.
What is Natural Capital?
Natural capital means “the elements of nature that directly or indirectly produce value to people, including ecosystems, species, freshwater, land, minerals, the air and oceans, as well as natural processes and functions” (Natural Capital Committee, 2017).
It is helpful to consider natural capital in the form of a logic chain that represents the links between ecosystem assets, services, benefits and value to people. The figure below displays that logic chain. The quantity and quality of ecosystem assets (woodland, bogs, etc) support different types of ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration or water filtration. These ecosystem services then provide different benefits to society, providing value for people. The figure also shows how management interventions, as well as pressures and drivers of change, influence this chain. Other capital inputs are also often needed for people to obtain the benefits from ecosystem services (a simple example is the processing of trees to produce wood products).
As an example, an area of woodland (ecosystem asset) may reduce air pollution created by traffic on a nearby road. This woodland is therefore improving air quality (ecosystem service) in the local area which results in cleaner air and improved health in the adjacent residential street (benefit). This cleaner air has a value because we know it impacts the health and wellbeing of communities.
Sometimes for ease of understanding, economic framing is used to give these benefits a monetary value. The figure below shows how natural capital assets support the provision of ecosystem services, benefits and value. The roots of the tree show how aspects of asset quality are critical to the provision of ecosystem services. The roots also show that geodiversity underpins the ecosystem assets and therefore the ecosystem services and benefits they can provide. It is important to remember that this diagram, and natural capital frameworks more generally, are a simplification of how nature works in practice.
Natural Capital within this NCA
In 2018, Natural England published ‘Natural Capital Indicators: for defining and measuring change in natural capital’ (Lusardi et al., 2018). This report identified key properties of the natural environment vital for the long-term sustainability of benefits, which can act as indicators of change.
These indicators are designed to inform our understanding of the state of our natural assets. The indicators highlight the importance of our natural assets for delivering which ecosystem service and the benefits they provide for society. The indicators and datasets identified in Natural England’s Natural Capital Indicators Project provide the foundation for the Natural Capital Atlas Profiles.
Natural England’s Natural Capital Atlas Profiles provide an “off the shelf” natural capital evidence base for each county or city region. They have a wide variety of uses with more information in the How to Start Using Your Natural Capital Atlas.
The Natural Capital indicators are presented on the map below by broad asset theme, displaying the natural capital within the NCA.
It is noted that not all indicators listed within the Natural Capital Atlas Profiles are included within the map as data is not yet available to measure them. Refer to the “Indicator Gaps and Limitations” of the Natural Capital Atlas Profiles for further information.
Natural Capital Atlas Profiles
The following Natural Capital Atlas Profiles cover counties within this NCA:
- 33: Shropshire
Note that numbers and figures in the body of the text are based on the 2014 profiles, unless otherwise stated.
Provisioning services (food, fibre and water supply)
Food provision: The Oswestry Hills are significant for beef and sheep production. Some mixed arable farming takes place on the lower ground to the eastern fringe of the NCA.
Water availability:The western upland areas of the NCA act as an important catchment supplying water of recognised good quality to watercourses flowing generally to the east and south, including the River Tanat, and northwards via the River Ceiriog along the northern boundary of the NCA.
Regulating services (water purification, air quality maintenance and climate regulation)
Climate regulation: Woodland cover, pasture and the relative absence of built development contribute to the important carbon storage capacity of the area.
Regulating water quality: The River Ceiriog and Morlas Brook in the north of the NCA have a ‘good’ ecological status. The rivers Morda and Tanat in the centre and south of the NCA have a ‘moderate’ ecological status. The chemical status of the surface waterbodies in the NCA ‘does not require assessment’. The chemical status of groundwater throughout the NCA is ‘poor’. A very small portion of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs West Midlands Meres priority catchment lies within the NCA, to the north of Pant in the south-east of the NCA. Key problems include sedimentation of watercourses and nutrient enrichment from agricultural run-off.
Regulating water flow: Oswestry Town Council recognises flooding as a significant risk within its Strategic Flood Risk Assessment. The area is important in respect of regulating surface water run-off into its steep-sided valleys by maintaining – and where possible increasing – the porosity and water storage potential of the soils and woodlands. Woodlands (particularly wet woodlands) play an important role in regulating water flow (reducing run-off) and improving quality (diffuse pollution) by stabilising soil. The underlying limestone geology and associated thin soils to the west mean that such water retention measures may be difficult here. The free-draining limestone strata will assist in feeding springlines to the east, naturally regulating surface water flooding.
Cultural services (inspiration, education and wellbeing)
Sense of history: The history of the landscape, evident in its moorland pastures and anciently enclosed fields, is linked to its proximity to Wales and cross-border tensions and to its natural resources. Historical elements most evident to the general public are the prominent hill forts and Offa’s Dyke, as well as the market town of Oswestry with its Norman castle and its surrounding extensive parks and designed landscapes such as Brogyntyn.
Tranquillity: The western areas of the Oswestry Hills offer some of the most tranquil landscapes within the West Midlands, particularly within the incised valleys that characterise the border areas with Wales.
Recreation: This takes the form of low-key enjoyment of the landscape through walking, cycling and riding. Offa’s Dyke Path National Trail runs through the heart of the NCA and is a well-used visitor attraction.
Biodiversity: There is one internationally designated site that lies partially within the NCA: the River Dee and Bala Lake SAC (a site over 1,300 ha, 5 ha of which lie within this NCA), which is designated for its rare watercourse vegetation.
