RDE629 Quantification and valuation of benefits from freshwater, marginal

The present work is being conducted as part of the EA's input to the Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment Programme (NCEA). This is a Defra-funded "science innovation and transformation programme, which spans across land and water environments. It has been set up to collect data on the extent, condition and change over time of England's ecosystems and natural capital, and the benefits to society".

The EA Natural Capital Team are commissioning the present work. The Team is part of the Chief Scientist's Group within the Environment and Business (E&B) directorate of the EA. The Natural Capital Team's top three priorities are:

• Developing natural capital evidence and metrics • Trialling and evaluating natural capital approaches • Developing capability in the business

The Natural Capital Team aims to enable others to adopt a natural capital approach in their work. This in turns means that natural capital can be explicitly considered in business cases, strategic decision making, and implementation of measures for land and water management.