Policy Lab is joint initiative between Journal of Applied Ecologyand the BES Policy Team. We aim to synthesize existing research to facilitate policy change by convening the academic community around policy questions that are impactful and time-sensitive, yet may not have been recently or explicitly addressed by the ecological community.
Policy Lab has two outputs: a Policy Direction article in Journal of Applied Ecology which synthesizes existing research to contribute to policy questions, and a BES Policy Brief which applies the synthesis within a specific context.
Join the 2027 Policy Lab
This year we are holding an open call for contributors to explore the question:
'How should we measure biodiversity outcomes for nature finance?'
Application deadline: Friday 20 November 2026, 23:59 BST
In-person workshop: Thursday 21 January 2027 at the BES offices in London
Online workshops: February 2027 - April 2027
What are we looking for?
We are looking to put together a global team of experts who can help us to:
- Answer the question 'How should we measure biodiversity outcomes for nature finance?'
- Write a Policy Direction paper to be submitted to Journal of Applied Ecology to inform and influence policy discussions and future research
- Work with the BES to develop a Policy Brief, getting the answer directly into the hands of policymakers when they need it
Project timeline
We will assess all applications after the closing date and will be in touch to inform you whether your application was successful. If you are selected to join the Policy Lab team, you will be expected to attend an online meeting to meet the rest of the team and learn more about the project.
Following that, we will meet in person before the British Ecological Society’s (BES) offices in London for the in person workshop. The workshop forms the most important work of the Policy Lab so it is essential to have attendance. We encourage as many people to attend in person as possible, but we will run the workshop hybrid to allow for global representation.
From January 2027 onwards, we will meet regularly online to work towards completing the Policy Direction and Policy Brief by April 30, 2027. After publication, we will utilise the British Ecological Society’s network and resources to promote the Policy Brief and the paper.[/bliss-accordion]
How should we measure biodiversity outcomes for nature finance?
Nature finance is growing quickly, from biodiversity credits, net gain units and nature-enhanced carbon credits to outcome-based bonds and portfolio-level disclosure. Each depends on claims about biodiversity or nature outcomes, yet the ecological community has no agreed view on how those outcomes should be measured. Biodiversity is multidimensional in both its constitution and its value, and no single metric can capture it. The same goes for nature. Financial institutions increasingly recognise this and are looking to ecologists for guidance on which metrics and weights to use, and when.
This Policy Lab will bring together ecologists from diverse backgrounds to assess the state of measurement for nature finance. The workshop will focus on what needs to be measured, how requirements differ with the purpose of each financial instrument, and whether the community can agree on a coherent set of metrics with clear rules for weighting them to context. It will also consider how measurement should be coordinated across sites, who certifies the metrics and prevents gaming, and how measures can stay back-compatible as monitoring and understanding improve.
The resulting Policy Direction paper and BES Policy Brief will set out ecologically grounded recommendations for policymakers, standard setters and the finance sector.
Requirements
You must be willing to:
- Be an author on a Policy Direction paper, and contribute to the Policy Brief
- Attend an workshop in London in January 2027 - international contributors are encouraged to attend online
- Attend maximum of one online meeting per month from January to April 2027
Benefits
- Join a global team of ecologists working to make real-world impact
- The chance to impact real-world policy and make a difference with your research
- Paper submitted to the esteemed Journal of Applied Ecology