A major sustainability challenge is determining where to target management to enhance natural capital and the ecosystem services it provides. Achieving this understanding is difficult, given that the effects of most actions vary according to wider environmental conditions; and this context dependency is typically poorly understood. Here, we describe an analytical framework that helps meet this challenge by identifying both why and where management actions are most effective for enhancing natural capital across large geographic areas. We illustrate the framework’s generality by applying it to two examples for Britain: pond water quality and invasion of forests by rhododendron.
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Data availability
The data used in this study are available from Forest Research and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology but restrictions apply to their availability. These were used under licence for the current study and are not publicly available.
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Acknowledgements
We thank J. Catford and B. Ditchburn for advice on variables to consider for invasive species modelling. Thanks also to J. Lefcheck and J. Forster for invaluable discussions on statistical approaches. This research was funded by the ERC Starting Grant ‘SCALEFORES’ (grant no. 680176) awarded to F.E.
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F.E., J.M.B. and K.W. conceived the project ‘SCALEFORES’. R.Sp., C.B., L.G., J.M.B., K.W., R.Sc., L.N. and F.E. designed the analytical framework and case study designs. R.Sp., C.B., C.W. and R.Sc. carried out all statistical and GIS analyses. T.W., C.W. and C.B. collated and supplied data. R.Sp., C.B. and F.E. wrote the manuscript. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the manuscript.
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Spake, R., Bellamy, C., Graham, L.J. et al. An analytical framework for spatially targeted management of natural capital. Nat Sustain 2, 90–97 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0223-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0223-4
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