Finding your way in environmental stewardship: Tools worth knowing about
As interest in nature markets grows, many practitioners are looking for practical ways to understand, assess, and communicate the wider benefits of environmental interventions. A growing number of tools are available to support this, but knowing where to start can be a challenge when making critical decisions for environmental stewardship.
This webinar marks the launch of new tools and updates to the Ecosystems Knowledge Network Tool Assessor, highlighting a selection of new tools included in the updated resource, offering practical insight into how they can support natural capital assessment, ecosystem service evaluation and nature market development.
Through a series of short presentations, you’ll gain insight into how these tools work, what they can be used for, and how they may support decision-making in practice.
Tools featured:
Alison Smith (University of Oxford) will introduce two complementary tools featured within the EKN Tool Assessor.
Environmental Benefits from Nature Tool (EBNT)
The Environmental Benefits from Nature Tool (EBNT) is a free, Excel-based decision-support tool designed to work alongside the Biodiversity Metric. It enables users to assess changes across a wide range of ecosystem services (including flood regulation, carbon storage, recreation and air quality) using a habitat-based scoring approach. It is particularly useful for exploring trade-offs and demonstrating the wider benefits of development and land-use change.
Agile Opportunity Maps
The Agile Opportunity Maps are a spatial decision-support approach that use GIS and ecosystem service modelling to identify opportunities for nature recovery and nature-based solutions. The maps help highlight where interventions may deliver the greatest benefits while minimising trade-offs, supporting more strategic landscape-scale planning.
Donya Davidson (NatureScot) will present the NatureScot Natural Capital Tool:
NatureScot Natural Capital Tool
This is a web-based platform designed to support natural capital assessments across Scotland
The tool integrates environmental and socio-economic data to map ecosystem service capacity, demand, and opportunity. Outputs include maps and metrics that can be used to identify priority areas for intervention, compare land-use scenarios, and support policy, planning and investment decisions.
Why attend?
Whether you are new to environmental stewardship or looking to strengthen your understanding of available tools, this session will provide a practical starting point. You’ll come away with a clearer sense of:
- which tools might be useful for your work
- how they can support decision-making
- how to begin navigating the growing landscape of natural capital tools and approaches
About the Tool Assessor
For more information on a wide range of tools that can support you in your work, visit the Ecosystems Knowledge Network Tool Assessor on our website. It brings together accessible information on tools for natural capital, ecosystem services and nature-based solutions, helping you identify those most relevant to your needs.
FAQ
No, this webinar is designed as an introductory session, and no specialist technical knowledge is required.
All tools featured in this webinar are available free or open access, although some require software such as Excel or GIS platforms.
You can explore a wide range of tools through the Ecosystems Knowledge Network Tool Assessor on our website.
In this session, we will:
- Introduce practical tools for assessing ecosystem services and natural capital
- Highlight newly featured tools within the updated EKN Tool Assessor
- Explore how these tools can support understanding of environmental benefits and trade-offs
- Show how outputs can inform planning, investment, and nature market opportunities
This webinar is aimed at:
- Local authorities and public sector organisations
- Land managers, landowners and farmers
- Environmental and infrastructure practitioners
- Developers and planners
- Businesses exploring nature market opportunities
- Community groups and charities
The session is introductory and accessible, with no specialist technical knowledge required.
