Natural England reports: The Natural Environment in 2060

Natural England has a series of reports that consider how the natural environment in England may change between now and 2060. They cover the following topics:

• Report 1 No charge? Valuing the natural environment sets out the contribution that nature makes to our economy (i.e. clean water and carbon storage), the report argues that its contribution should be recognised and valued, and highlights ways in which this could be achieved.
• Report 2 Describes 14 drivers that will impact upon the global environment (climate change, new technologies, demographics, energy, food security, world economic power shifts, governance, health and wellbeing, infectious diseases, marine issues, mobility, money, wealth and economy, resources, values and people).
• Report 3 Describes 4 scenarios of how the world might look in 2060 and assesses the long term risks and opportunities that these scenarios could present.
• Report 4 Provides an inventory of other scenarios that have been developed and that cover similar issues, analyses their relationship to Natural England’s scenarios and clarifies how they can help in thinking about environmental decisions.

In connection with these reports, Natural England has published Vital Uplands, Natural England’s vision for the upland environment in 2060, which sets out how the uplands could be managed sustainably in 2060. Accompanying this report is a series of publications that describe, through maps, the contribution that the uplands provide (together with some of the ways in which these are being undermined) to: carbon storage, food, water, recreation, biodiversity and ecosystem services.