Guest blog from Dr Rob Field & Dr Richard Bradbury RSPB Conservation Scientists

How do you put a value on a nature reserve like Wicken Fen?

Man — despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication, and his many accomplishments — owes his existence to a six inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains. ~ Anon.

The natural world has always provided for us, and throughout history we have valued that…