The loss of nature and biodiversity poses significant risks to UK national security, threatening food and water supplies, climate stability and societal resilience, according to new research involving the Environmental Change Institute (ECI).
In an expert comment published on the University of Oxford's website, Alison Smith, Senior Research Associate with the ECI's Ecosystem and Biodiversity Programme, and Dr Timothy Clack, Associate Professor and Director of the Climate Change & (In)Security Programme, at the School of Archaeology, explore the links between nature loss and national security.
Their work draws on a nine-month research sprint through an Agile Initiative involving 35 Oxford researchers and more than 60 policy officials and practitioners from 14 government departments, statutory bodies and military services.
The researchers highlight the importance of protecting and restoring critical natural systems, including tropical forests, ocean ecosystems, pollinators and farmland, and call for greater recognition of nature-related risks in national security planning.
Read the full expert comment on the University of Oxford website – Is nature really a security issue?