Alison Smith

I am a Senior Research Associate at the Environmental Change Institute, and also at the Nature-based Solutions Initiative, both at the University of Oxford. I work on developing and applying methods for mapping and assessing the benefits that nature provides for people.

These include a wide range of 'ecosystem services' such as provision of food and water, protection from floods and erosion, storage of carbon, and provision of green spaces for recreation and interaction with nature. My aim is to make these benefits more visible to policymakers, so that the value of nature is recognised, protected and enhanced in policy decisions.