Lewes & Ouse Valley eco-nomics
Contact: Colin Tingle
There is a group under the TTL banner, called Lewes & Ouse Valley eco-nomics (L&OVe). This group will be looking at the things that the Lewes economy gets for free from the local environment, (things like pollination, water purification, flood protection, nutrient cycling, carbon storage, etc.) but that are already threatened or in decline. We will be trying to identify the most important of these 'services' for the local economy; which local businesses and institutions benefit from them; possibly putting a monetary value on them; and investigating what can be done to help the local economy by enhancing the ecosystems locally that provide these 'services'. We will also be looking at what role the Lewes Pound may have within this process.
It's all about the resilience of the local economy and recognising what the mainstream economy currently doesn't recognise nor put value on, yet actually underpins all businesses and all life on earth.
Please come and join us!
For those of you who, like me, missed this article: Valuing nature, changing economics on BBC news, you may be interested to read it. It basically summarises quite well the key issue that L&OVe (with our focus on awareness-raising) is about, at a local level, of course!! Colin Tingle.
Read all about it...
New ways of thinking and a new word to match: 'Naturegain'
Summary: Local Nature Partnership - Nature & Health
How can nature make a difference to public health?
By Elisabeth van de Grift
December/January 2012 Update...
L&OVe Workshops
The Lewes and Ouse Valley eco-nomics Group are developing and running excellent workshops exploring what we get from the local environment and why it is so important to value this 'Naturegain'. This is a new word coined by John Parry, Director of the Railway Land Project, and is defined as 'ecosystem services that flow from natural capital stock; with the reflex that in order to continue to provide these services, nature must gain too by being kept healthy'. more...
APPEAL!!!
Please read this report on our workshop: What does the local environment do for Lewes’s economy? and come and get actively
involved in this timely and important activity, bringing together
appreciation of our local environment, recognition of the value of local
businesses and enterprises within the Lewes Economy and understanding
that there are win-wins in the relationship between economy and
environment as we set about adjusting to the impacts of climate change
and peak oil. The more people we have engaging in the issue, the more we
can achieve ….. and faster!
What does the local environment do for Lewes’s economy?
We held a very successful workshop at the Linklater Pavillion (on the 27th of April, 2011), using discussion/mapping exercises to explore the interdependence between the Lewes economy and the surrounding environment.
Here's the introduction to the Workshop...
Take a look at what we found...
LOCAL LINKS
Sussex Wildlife Trust 'Living Landscapes'
Sustainable Sussex - Business Forum
E. Sussex County Council Environment Strategy
From TEEB (see under INTERNATIONAL below)
...of particular relevance to local policy
NATIONAL LINKS
National Ecosystem Assessment
Natural Environment White Paper
Natural England - No Charge? Valuing the Natural Environment
INTERNTIONAL LINKS
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)
TEEB's Bank of Natural Capital
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA)
The MA report for Business & Industry (particularly worth looking at!)
Linking the Lewes Pound to the Value of Local Nature
We shall also be exploring the potential of linking our local currency, the Lewes Pound, to the value of local nature. News on this to come.

Supported by:
