This year’s Landscape Institute award ceremony was a ground-breaking afternoon for Natural Course.

Natural Course was the proud winner of the Transforming through Management and Science award, with particular focus on the project’s innovative new mapping tool.

The ceremony, which took place on Thursday 28th November in London, brought together big environmental players and featured some incredible projects, all aimed at enhancing our natural landscape. The winning projects showcased better management of water resources, reclaiming streets and green spaces, improving air quality, connecting communities, and restoring habitats.

A focus on the future

This year, the awards focused on the topic that’s highest on everyone’s agenda right now – climate change.  

Many of the winning projects celebrated the innovative ways that landscape projects connect people, place, and nature, making a positive contribution to our lives at a crucial point in human history.

But the highlight of the evening came from a very special visitor. Guests were honoured to welcome David Attenborough, who accepted a lifetime achievement award for his environmental contributions. Attenborough gave a rousing speech about the climate and the biodiversity crisis, focusing on what we can all do to help.

He highlighted: “The world depends on an understanding of the natural world. You have a great responsibility to bring the realities of the natural world to the understanding and the love of human beings worldwide.”

Natural Course’s big win

Natural Course won the Transforming through Management and Science award. The Environment Partnership and VIVID Economics, as part of their work with GMCA, have developed an integrated Ecosystem Service (ESS) Mapping Tool. The tool calculates the value of ESS derived from many Natural Capital assets and how they can be monetised, providing a quantifiable estimate of their benefits they to society.

Krista Patrick, GMCA’s Natural Capital Coordinator, said: “As part of the Government’s Urban Pioneer there are a number of exciting natural capital initiatives being developed across Greater Manchester. The ESS opportunity tool for Greater Manchester provides an excellent opportunity to support and inform future decisions on the protection of our natural environment and investment in projects.”
 

As extreme weather becomes the new norm, the way we manage our landscapes is becoming even more important. This year, the Landscape Institute, along with councils across Greater Manchester, declared a climate emergency. The focus on climate change this year is no coincidence, and is likely to become a major theme for awards going forward.

Find out more about Natural Course’s latest award.