Developing practical guidance on assessing air quality regulation as a service from nature

Air pollution is an acute environmental pressure that affects human health, interacts with climate change, and impacts biodiversity and sensitive ecosystems at a range of scales. It can also increase susceptibility to respiratory conditions like COVID-19.

Remediation by natural vegetation can cost-effectively reduce air pollutants from different sources (industry, etc.), lowering risks to both human health and biodiversity. However, practical tools for non-specialists on measuring and communicating the benefits of air quality regulation provided by natural ecosystems at site-scale are – to our knowledge – still lacking.

There is a need to create guidance on quantifying air quality regulation under different land-uses or management options at particular sites, to support evidence-based decision-making in conservation, restoration and sustainable management.

Project Aims

We will expand the scope of the Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA; http://tessa.tools/) by developing a module for the ecosystem service of air pollution removal by vegetation. It will include accessible, practical guidance and methods for non-experts to assess air quality regulation at individual rural or urban sites, and how this service may change under different land-use or management regimes.

The results generated from applying this module would inform local and national decision-making, and would support implementation of multiple international conservation targets and goals (e.g. the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration goals, pandemic treaty ‘One Health’ approach, SDGs, UNFCCC, etc.).

Key Activities

• Organise an expert workshop to help shape the guidance.
• Undertake a literature review on air quality regulation. [does this come first?]
• Develop and run atmospheric meta-models to calculate the pollution removal by vegetation and the associated benefits to people.
• Make the models applicable to the site-scale in both rural and urban vegetated areas.
• Create the guidance on applying the pollution removal model to quantify the biophysical value of this service at site-scale
• Construct an excel tool enabling users to assess the consequences of different management or land-use states of a site on this value
• Disseminate information on the new TESSA module to enable better-informed decision-making.

Conservation Impact

• Application of the new module would lead to increased evidence-based recommendations for pro-nature solutions and policies that benefit biodiversity and human health and well-being.
• Better-informed decision-making (e.g. in public policy, private sector actions) that takes account of the net impact of different management or land-use options.
• Further conversion of natural habitats would consequently be reduced, resulting in enhanced air quality and an increase in other services. This will ultimately lead to improving human and ecosystem health.

Outputs

• A new TESSA module with guidance on assessing air quality regulation at site-scale in rural and urban areas, including practical assessment methods that would be suitable for piloting in a subsequent phase of work.
• Increased capacity and knowledge of project participants and end-users through workshops and presentations.
• Communication of the module on the TESSA website, social media and other institutional networks.