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(Warwickshire County Council)

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Escape 2 - Warwick shop - News release:

Warwick outdoor specialist welcomes “nature worth billions” report

A major report published this week which concludes that nature is worth billions of pounds a year to the UK has been welcomed by a Warwick outdoor specialist.

Emscote Road’s Escape 2 says the report underlines what its staff have known all along – that the natural environment is infinitely valuable. But what was previously unquantifiable has now been assigned a financial figure.

The government-commissioned 2,000 page National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA) says the UK's parks, lakes, forests and wildlife are worth up to £300 per person per year.

The policy findings are designed to help government determine future planning policy, but for Russell Coleridge and Alan Kinch from Escape 2 the report merely highlights what to them and their many customers is plain common sense.

“The report was compiled to help planners decide whether the economic gains caused by destroying areas of green space would be offset and increased by the buildings being put in their place,” explained Russell.

“For example it places an economic value - £430m on the value of bees and pollinating insects, with other aspects less precisely calculated.

“It seems that some of life’s greatest pleasures only have a value if they can be determined in monetary terms. What price can be put on freedom, pleasure and physical and mental wellbeing? Nevertheless, regardless of the way the report measures the value of nature let’s hope the net result is to everyone’s benefit.”

•(caption) Russell Coleridge from Warwick outdoor specialist Escape 2 welcomes a 2,000 page report quantifying the value of the natural environment to the economy.


For further information on this press release call Escape 2 press officer Helen Salisbury on 01926 495425 or 07966 167269 or at helensalisbury@btconnect.com