Environmental legislation sets a value on natural ecosystems

New environmental legislation from the UK government will set a "value on natural ecosystems", according to Guardian writer Fiona Harvey, who recently weighed-up the environmental impact of plans laid out by the environment secretary on Monday.

The natural environment will now be considered in law as having a value on the economy which must be weighed up when making planning decisions for new homes, supermarkets and other developments. Ministers will now have access to new tools that will allow in depth environmental analysis of local ecosystems, with a view to improving the protection of biodiversity.

Caroline Spelman, the environment secretary, set out a roadmap for the UK's National Eco-System Assessment, which has been announced as the government announced details of planning policy reform, which critics have called a 'developers' charter'.

Ms Spelman said:  "Much of what we value in nature cannot be calculated in pounds and pence, but that's precisely why we should find other ways of measuring it so that local authorities and government can take it into account when making decisions."

Posted by Joseph Hutton