Human-ecosystem interactions and sustainability

At the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, we recognise that the natural world is the source of all the resources that support human life and well-being. A healthy environment and a sustainable use of these natural resources are pre-requisites for human health and enduring prosperity. We collaborate closely with researchers at the UCL Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research and the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity to illuminate the linkages and interdependencies between the economy, the environment, and the use of natural resources.

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Research areas

Our research on nature and sustainable resource use focuses on the concepts of natural capital and ecosystem services, environmental sustainability of land use, novel indicators of biodiversity and strong environmental sustainability, and sustainable and healthy food systems.

Sustainable and healthy food systems

Our team of academic staff, researchers and postgraduate students works at the global scale on issues related to agricultural production and its environmental impacts, from water resources to biodiversity and climate change. We collaborate on research projects with ecologists at the UCL Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research and epidemiologists at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to get a broader perspective on the bilateral relationships between food production and biodiversity, and on the effects of food systems on human health.

For the international, interdisciplinary Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems project, we are contributing novel indicators of biodiversity pressure and water debt, to quantify the trade-offs between the healthy foods we need, and the impact of land-use change for agriculture on the environment at home and via international trade.

We are also leading a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) supported interdisciplinary collaboration with the Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research to identify crops vulnerable to pollinator declines in South Africa and potential impacts on global trade partners.

Natural capital & ecosystem services

As part of the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence of the Office for National Statistics, the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources are undertaking research to help the Office for National Statistics improve its accounting for natural capital and the ecosystem services it produces. This work started in autumn 2023 and continued through to 2025.

Strong environmental sustainability

Research funded by the French Agency for International Development built on a PhD project that calculated a Strong Environmental Sustainability Index and Strong Environmental Sustainability Progress Index for EU countries and the UK. The Agency for International Development work involved using the same approach in Kenya and Vietnam, and a follow-on project is now underway in South Africa and Colombia. Academic papers include three by Usubiaga and Ekins, and several other papers are on the AFD website.

Global land use and demand-driven food in a decarbonised energy system

Research funded by the Supergen Bioenergy Hub is focusing on global land use change. This work has quantified global land use associated with agricultural production and a decarbonised energy system, as well as the implications for biodiversity conservation within a harmonised food and bioenergy sector. Moreover, this research is expanding towards the assessment of global water use, within an integrated system of food and energy demand.

Recent projects

SHEFS project - Genevieve Okech, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
GlobalFEEDS project (collaboration with the University of Southampton).