132 - Salisbury Plain and West Wiltshire Downs : Natural Capital and Key Ecosystem Services

Introduction

The Salisbury Plain and West Wiltshire Downs 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 this NCA is contained in the ‘Analysis’ section 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:
 

• 17: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
• 43: Wiltshire

Provisioning services (food, fibre and water supply)

Food provision: Substantial arable crops, of national importance – mostly wheat and (often for distillers and maltsters) barley, with additional oilseeds (rape and linseed) and (largely for animal feed) maize; pig meat, one of largest sources in England, largely outdoor reared; limited mixed farming; and livestock. The current mosaic of agricultural production is important in preserving the NCA’s landscape character.

Water availability: Local rivers and aquifers are currently broadly sufficient for the supply of water within the NCA and beyond5 and the underlying rocks are such that water flow is good. For information regarding the current state of water availability within this NCA, refer to the Environment Agency (Abstraction Licensing Strategy).

Regulating services (water purification, air quality maintenance and climate regulation)

Regulating water quality:For information regarding the current state of water quality within this NCA, refer to the Environment Agency (Draft river basin management plan maps).

Cultural services (inspiration, education and wellbeing)

Sense of place/inspiration: The Chalk dominates the NCA’s history and topography; Stonehenge and the surrounding open pasture land supply a strong sense of place to the NCA. The strength of the NCA’s character here can be seen from the enduring power of the visitor attractions such as Stonehenge and its associated monuments; the range of chalk-cut figures, to demonstrate man’s interaction with the chalk hills; and Salisbury itself, with the cathedral and its close.

Sense of history: The area has captured the imagination of antiquarians and writers from the 16th century, and it has a strong sense of being one of the most anciently settled landscapes in the world. Much of this rich evidence has been conserved by military use of the Plain, its airfields and training areas also being highly evocative of militarisation before and during the First World War. To this can be added rich evidence of how pre-Roman land use has shaped present boundaries, and in its farmsteads, traditional buildings and farmed landscape together with the development of a distinctive rural economy based on corn and sheep. Old Sarum, north of Salisbury, is both a medieval site and a former rotten borough. Wilton House is a stately home (and now a visitor attraction and thus an economic force) which has been inhabited by the same family since its construction in the 17th century (Wilton House); Salisbury is a medieval town, now city, that is still in operation and serving as a centre today, showing continuity in human presence in this NCA and that activity in the city has endured and evolved over time.

Tranquillity: The NCA enjoys quiet countryside and a sense of isolation and escape, partly owing to the open spaces themselves, and there are many areas which seem to pre-date the modern world. This is appreciated by both residents and visitors. The area remains tranquil, with dark night skies away from the major transport links of the A36 and A303 (Dark Skies, CPRE), and this is largely unaffected by the many military uses.

Recreation: The NCA is richly endowed, with an extensive network of rights of way (including byways open to all traffic) and scope for game shooting, fishing, birdwatching (including of the great bustard, now restored to the NCA  (Great Bustard), and many visitor attractions in relation to both heritage and nature. The NCA has resources for education on English history and culture, and on the natural world.

Biodiversity: Around a fifth of the NCA is recognised as being important for its diversity of wild species. There are large areas of semi-natural habitat and a wealth of flora and fauna. A number of key sites are supported by international and national designations.