A wider aim of the DURESS Project is to foster the development of a UK biodiversity research community with the capacity to deliver internationally excellent and strategic ecosystem science. Enthusiastic researchers from A-level to post-doctoral level have benefitted from on–the-job training as part of the DURESS project.

Our own research has shown that if people know and understand the processes within the natural environment that support human life and provide societal well-being, then they value them more. Placing value on the benefits we gain from ecosystems is the first major step towards management that will ensure the benefits remain for future generations.