Environment
Our health, wealth creation and quality of life depend on the natural world, its biodiversity and its constituent ecosystems. The UK National Ecosystem Assessment published in June 2011, highlights that the tendency to focus only on the market value of resources we can use and sell, such as timber, crops and fisheries, has led to the decline of some ecosystems and habitats through pollution, over-exploitation, and land conversion. It strengthens the arguments for protecting and enhancing the environment.
Water is the most precious natural resource essential for life. Water needs to be fully valued globally, and more thought given to overall security of water in future decades, and its contribution to many ecosystem services as set out in the National Ecosystem Assessment. The Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir John Beddington, places high priority on this issue and on the important role for water research and innovation. This includes chairing a UK Water Research and Innovation Partnership (UKWRIP) composed of private, public and third sector organisations convened to address urgent and important water challenges. The UKWRIP has developed a UK Water Research and Innovation Framework (UKWRIF), published in November 2011, which sets out a strategic approach to the highly diverse and interrelated challenges, by highlighting key priorities, and mechanisms to ensure better coherence and co-ordination of different public funding schemes for water research and innovation.
