MPlan Planning with Professional Placement

It is widely acknowledged that traditional approaches to nature conservation have failed to reverse losses in biodiversity i.e., bend the curve. To reverse declines in biodiversity, a set of approaches to enhancing biodiversity have emerged under the auspices of the nature positive agenda to realise net gains in biodiversity through the decisions society makes. Nature recovery is one such approach aimed at building resilient landscapes through natural restoration and nature-based solutions, often through exploiting land-use policy mechanisms. In this context, nature recovery may be considered an over-arching approach that considers environmental restoration and rewilding as alternative or complementary approaches to enhancing biodiversity across landscapes.

Central to this course unit is how planning and land-use policy can support nature recovery. While the phrase ‘nature recovery’ has been adopted into UK policy, the principles here apply internationally. A series of lectures will provide historical context for nature recovery and the nature positive agenda (and thus the MSc more widely) by exploring conventional approaches to nature conservation. There will also be a series of lectures and workshops that establish some of the current parameters within which nature recovery approaches must operate, or that must be amended to realise a nature positive future. This includes introductions to planning systems and examples of associated nature recovery policies, and agri-environmental schemes and farm management. Similarly, nature recovery will also be considered in sectors of industry not typically considered when attempting to recover biodiversity, which includes national and multinational corporations and the extraction industries (e.g., mining, forestry). The role and influence of the general public as critical stakeholders will be explored in each instance.
The different approaches to nature recovery will be explored through a residential field visit, with students exposed to different approaches to nature recovery being implemented across and urban to rural gradient (e.g., urban and non-urban rewilding, biodiversity net-gain, regenerative agriculture). The field visit will be an opportunity to learn and apply basic field skills to assess and map ecological condition of frequently encountered habitats.

The unit aims to:

- Introduce the benefits and limitations of key conventional approaches to nature conservation and how approaches to nature recovery contrast
- Explore contemporary and emerging developments in planning and land-use policy and legislation that could support nature recovery
- Develop foundational skills in identifying habitats and species
- Develop digital skills to be able to accurately represent field research in a digital form (e.g., Geographical Information Systems)
- Provide context for exploring the opportunities and challenges to implementing alternative approaches to nature positive in different social and environmental contexts
- Identify unique or shared visions to nature recovery across alternative nature-based solutions

This course unit will utilise the ‘flipped classroom’ method, introducing core concepts, debates and case studies through a weekly asynchronous content (e.g., recommended reading, videos, blogs) which are complemented with weekly 2-hour lectures and workshops, which will allow students to embed their knowledge and understand complexities. The advantage to flipped-classroom approaches on this module is to allow for flexibility in the independent study – recognising that students will arrive from varied backgrounds. Thus, allowing for more independent, directed study will scaffold students more, or less, familiar with topics to top up their understanding in their own space and time, while the face-to-face sessions can offer a more discursive approach and facilitate more peer-to-peer learning. Appropriate approaches to scaffolding student learning may be E-tivities (broadly encompassing the five-stage learning process of 1) Focus; 2) Action; 3) Support; 4) Feedback; 5) Debrief. How asynchronous content is engaged with will be monitored through usage statistics collected by the VLE.

In addition, students will have 6 hours computer suite session where they will utilise ArcGIS Pro. Students will also attend one half day (5 hours) and three full day (8 hours) field visits to learn practical field skills in basic habitat and species identification and mapping, and to explore different nature positive approaches and interact with practitioners responsible for them.
 

Contrast conventional approaches to nature conservation with those aligned with nature recovery.
Identify the key concepts and theories that underpin nature recovery and their translation into practice.
Describe relevant policy and legislation to nature recovery
 

Evaluate the opportunities for nature recovery in different social-ecological contexts.
Describe the role of different stakeholders in achieving nature recovery including the business sector.
Evaluate some of the ethical, scientific and technological issues related to the implementation of nature recovery.

Carry out basic ecological surveys to inform a condition assessment of widespread habitat types.
Use a geographical information system to map habitat boundaries and calculate habitat distribution.

Take accurate field notes for subsequent desk-based interpretation.
Empathise with a range of different stakeholder perspectives on nature recovery initiatives. 

Group baseline mapping of a newly designated nature recovery site(s) Map + 500 words. Weighting 50%

Individual options assessment for a newly designated nature recovery site(s) 1500 words. Weighting 50%

Online via Turnitin within 15 working days of submission

Indicative Reading List 

Scriven, S.A., Waddell, E.H., Sim, S., King, H., Reynolds, G., Yeong, K.L. and Hill, J.K., 2022. Supporting decision-making by companies in delivering their climate net-zero and nature recovery commitments: Synthesising current information and identifying research priorities in rainforest restoration. Global Ecology and Conservation, 40, p.e02305.

Schéré, Constance M., Cunningham, Charles a., Metcalfe, Chloë Alexia, Griffin, Donal C., Hoppit, George, Turner, Rebecca K., Travers, Thomas, Hill, Jane K. and Sinnadurai, Paul (2022) Protected Areas and Nature Recovery: Achieving the goal to protect 30% of UK land and seas for nature by 2030. Project Report. British Ecological Society.

Elphick, A., Ockendon, N., Aliácar, S., Crowson, M. and Pettorelli, N., 2024. Long-term vegetation trajectories to inform nature recovery strategies: The Greater Côa Valley as a case study. Journal of Environmental Management, 355, p.120413.

Crowther, L.P., Gilroy, J.J., Hawkes, R.W., Peach, W.J., Salliss, D., Webb, J.R. and Dolman, P.M., 2023. Harnessing biodiversity data to inform policy: Rapid regional audits should underpin Local Nature Recovery Strategies. Biological Conservation, 282, p.110004.

Natural England (2024) Policy Paper: The Nature Recovery Network. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nature-recovery-network/nature-recovery-network

Wilkes, M.A., Mungee, M., Naura, M., Bell, V.A. and Brown, L.E., 2024. Predicting nature recovery for river restoration planning and ecological assessment: A case study from England, 1991–2042. River Research and Applications.

Parris, K.M., Amati, M., Bekessy, S.A., Dagenais, D., Fryd, O., Hahs, A.K., Hes, D., Imberger, S.J., Livesley, S.J., Marshall, A.J. and Rhodes, J.R., 2018. The seven lamps of planning for biodiversity in the city. Cities, 83, pp.44-53.

Nilon, C.H., Aronson, M.F., Cilliers, S.S., Dobbs, C., Frazee, L.J., Goddard, M.A., O’Neill, K.M., Roberts, D., Stander, E.K., Werner, P. and Winter, M., 2017. Planning for the future of urban biodiversity: a global review of city-scale initiatives. BioScience, 67(4), pp.332-342.

Hall, T., 2019. Town planning: the basics. Routledge.

Smith, N., Croft, N. and Sheppard, A., 2019. The Short Guide to Town and Country Planning 2e.

Wuepper, D., Wiebecke, I., Meier, L., Vogelsanger, S., Bramato, S., Fürholz, A. and Finger, R., 2024. Agri-environmental policies from 1960 to 2022. Nature Food, pp.1-9.

Leclère, D., Obersteiner, M., Barrett, M., Butchart, S.H., Chaudhary, A., De Palma, A., DeClerck, F.A., Di Marco, M., Doelman, J.C., Dürauer, M. and Freeman, R., 2020. Bending the curve of terrestrial biodiversity needs an integrated strategy. Nature, 585(7826), pp.551-556.