EcoUplift helps to:
- Quickly calculate biodiversity and ecosystems service accounts for any location in the UK.
- Identify sites for nature preservation and restoration.
- Convert complex ecosystem services metrics into easy-to-understand monetary values.
- Plan, review and compare future land use scenarios.
- Communicate biodiversity and natural capital concepts to stakeholders.
EcoUplift calculates:
- Air quality
- Biodiversity (mapped to Defra metric)
- Crops
- Flood regulation
- Global climate regulation (carbon sequestration)
- Livestock
- Pollination
- Recreation
- Visual amenity
- Water quality
Benefits in brief
unique automation saves time and lowers costs compared to industry standard assessment approaches.
Defra metric aligned Biodiversity Net Gain accounting and better-informed, more sustainable, and regenerative project planning and land use decisions.
elevate the importance of biodiversity and natural capital within your organisation and your annual reporting.
select the ecosystem services that are most relevant to your sector’s specific needs and reporting interests.
accounts are supported by an extensive, peer reviewed evidence base, ensuring that outcomes are well supported and defensible.
EcoUplift undergoes continuous refinement as natural capital metrics and ecosystem service values change, and habitat data becomes more accurate
EcoUplift connects with PlanEngage, our digital engagement platform, to generate highly visual, interactive digital natural capital accounts that bring your natural asset reporting to life.
CivTech funding: taking EcoUplift to the next level
CivTech is a Scottish Government programme that brings people from the public, private and third sectors together to build things that make the world a better place. As part of the CivTech 8, the 8th in the CivTech series, AECOM is partnering with NatureScot, the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate and the Scottish Wildlife Trust to tackle the nature-climate crisis through innovation.
Under the banner of Innovate for Nature, AECOM has won innovation funding to further develop our EcoUplift solution to support the Scottish Government define and create a nature network across all of Scotland, and to increase investment in Scotland’s marine natural capital.
Habitat Connectivity Map of Scotland
The Habitat Connectivity Map of Scotland will give us insights into the current state of habitat connectivity across Scotland by analysing the willingness of species to move through the landscape. In doing so, the connectivity map will allow us to map opportunities for preserving and improving connectivity through nature-based projects. Users will be able to:
- View the state of connectivity across Scotland from the perspective of multiple species.
- See their land interests in the context of habitat connectivity.
- Assess the potential of future land-use change to impact on habitat connectivity.
- Search and view opportunities for connectivity protection and improvement.
Coming 2023/24
Marine Natural Capital Accounting
This module will introduce natural capital accounting for the marine environment, including coastal/ intertidal. Our marine natural capital accounts make use of publicly available datasets to estimate marine ecosystem service provision, including but not limited to:
- Climate regulation
- Hazard regulation (flood protection)
- Biodiversity
- Fish capture
We will also map opportunity areas for improving marine natural capital. Users will be able to:
- Calculate marine natural capital accounts for anywhere in Scotland’s territorial waters.
- Search and view opportunity areas for marine natural capital improvement.
- Compare and contrast future scenarios of change.
Coming 2023/24
Nature-based Project Optimiser
For both the terrestrial and marine environments, EcoUplift will guide users through their nature-based project planning and help optimise investment and nature recovery decision-making based on a user’s objectives, for example:
- Location, including A-B habitat connectivity, for example to optimise the connectivity between multiple areas protected area.
- Nature-based project type e.g. woodland, seagrass.
- Cost of project.
- Potential return on investment, expressed as carbon credits, biodiversity units and co-benefit (ecosystem service) provision.
Coming 2023/24
Co-Design Hub
The Co-Design hub is the last piece of the puzzle and will enable anybody in Scotland with an interest in nature recovery to engage with and contribute to Scotland’s Nature Network and 30x30 ambitions.
Fundamentally, the Co-Design Hub is about encouraging empowering communities and landowners, encouraging collaboration, and accelerating local nature recovery. The Hub will take users on a step-by-step journey to:
- Identify potential opportunities for nature-based projects in their areas of interest, for example their local council administrative area or within their land holding.
- Create a profile for their projects – this may include, for example, giving it a name, describing their visions, uploading images etc.
- Find, connect to, and collaborate with partners in a process of co-design to bring their project to life.
- Identify potential funding routes, including to connect with investors and private developer looking to offset.
- Post about their projects to a Co-Design dashboard and to the social media channels of their choosing.
Coming 2023/24