SCIENTISTS from the University of York have taken part in multi-million pound research to help shape the future of the British Landscape.

The Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability programme (BESS) is a six-year, £13 million scheme to look at how changing climate and demands for food production and biofuels could shape landscapes and human life.

Professor Dave Raffaelli, from the university’s environment department and the York Environmental Sustainability Institute, is director of the scheme, which is funded by the Natural Research Environment Council (NERC).

He said: “We know that biodiversity generates our natural assets such as food, timber, carbon regulation, clean water, crop pollination and flood protection, but what we do not know is how much biodiversity is needed for the UK’s landscapes to continue delivering these benefits in the coming decades.

“In the face of continuing changes in biodiversity, the scientific research will give us the evidence, knowledge and understanding we need to ensure all the UK’s landscapes can be sensibly managed in the years ahead.

“This is particularly important in the face of challenges such as climate change, the need to provide alternative energies and the necessity of maintaining food security.”

The university will work with specialists from across the UK who will decide in the next few weeks which kinds of landscapes to investigate, set up groups to make sure research addresses local and national priorities.

Dr Pamela Kempton, NERC’s head of research, said: “We need a much better understanding of the critical levels of biodiversity needed to maintain essential ecosystem services that not only provide water and food, but also benefits such as medicines, the breakdown of waste and the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.

“NERC’s investment in the BESS programme will improve our knowledge and, ultimately, help the UK to develop a sustainable economy.”