Dr Katherine Simpson

  • Research Associate (Ecology & Environmental Change)

Biography

My background is in applied environmental economics with a BSc from the University of York (2010), MSc by Research in Marine Conservation from the University of York (2011) and PhD in Economics from the University of Stirling (2015). Previously I have worked as a research assistant in economics at the University of Stirling and as Project Manager for the EU-H2020 ATLAS project in the School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh.

Research interests

Google Scholar - Publications Profile

ResearchGate

I am an environmental economist with an interest in the application of economic techniques to conservation and environmental management. I focus primarily on how biodiversity offset markets can be designed to assist conservation management in the UK, as well as valuation of ecosystem goods and services in the coastal and marine context.

My research draws on a range of disciplines including ecology and economics to:

  1. Understand the key design principles of biodiversity offset markets to ensure that ecological goals are met at the least cost to society;
  2. Investigate the impacts of biodiversity offsets on changing land use in the context of the UK 25 Year Environment Plan;
  3. Provide evidence on the socio-economic value of deep sea ecosystem goods and services in the context of the EU Blue Growth Agenda;
  4. Advance literature on the appropriateness of stated preference methods to value the environment.
  5. I very much enjoy working on interdisciplinary projects combing economics and ecology. Previously I have worked with Natural England to research the application of the ecosystem approach to the management of the Tees Estuary; provided evidence to the Natural Capital Committee as part of the National Ecosystem Assessment follow on and worked with marine ecologists to provide evidence to Defra on the valuation of the UK benthic environment.

Current project: Leverhulme Trust funded project “Biodiversity offset markets for wetland conservation.”

  • Project aim: Determine what design features of a biodiversity offset market impact performance and cost-effectiveness of the tool to achieve a given level of biodiversity.
  • The project is investigating the potential of biodiversity offset markets in the UK coastal zone, using the analytical tools of economic and ecological modelling. Using lessons from the economic and ecological literature, and recent experience in the USA from both biodiversity offsetting and markets for tradeable pollution permits, we are developing an exemplar framework for offsetting in the coastal zone which can then be applied to other ecosystems within the UK and worldwide. This framework will identify key “design parameters” crucial to maximising the ecological and economic performance of a market for biodiversity offsets. The framework will then be used to develop a generalizable simulation model of offset markets, which will then be implemented for two case study areas in the UK.

PI: Nick Hanley (University of Glasgow). Also involved: Frans de Vries (University of Stirling), Martin Dallimer (University of Leeds) and Paul Armsworth (University of Tennessee).

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2014
Number of items: 17.

2022

Ankamah-Yeboah, I., Armstrong, C. W., Hynes, S., Xuan, B. B. and Simpson, K. (2022) Assessing public preferences for deep sea ecosystem conservation: a choice experiment in Norway and Scotland. Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy, 11(2), pp. 113-132. (doi: 10.1080/21606544.2021.1924286)

Simpson, K. , de Vries, F., Dallimer, M., Armsworth, P. R. and Hanley, N. (2022) Ecological and economic implications of alternative metrics in biodiversity offset markets. Conservation Biology, (doi: 10.1111/cobi.13906) (PMID:35288986) (Early Online Publication)

2021

Hynes, S., Armstrong, C. W., Xuan, B. B., Ankamah-Yeboah, I., Simpson, K. , Tinch, R. and Ressurreição, A. (2021) Have environmental preferences and willingness to pay remained stable before and during the global Covid-19 shock? Ecological Economics, 189, 107142. (doi: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107142)

Simpson, K. H. , de Vries, F., Dallimer, M., Armsworth, P. R. and Hanley, N. (2021) Understanding the performance of biodiversity offset markets: evidence from an integrated ecological - economic model. Land Economics, 97(4), pp. 836-857. (doi: 10.3368/le.97.4.030420-0032R)

Xuan, B. B., Armstrong, C. W., Ankamah‐Yeboah, I., Hynes, S. and Needham, K. (2021) Valuing high seas ecosystem conservation. Conservation Biology, 35(5), pp. 1405-1416. (doi: 10.1111/cobi.13720) (PMID:33592121)

Hynes, S., Ankamah Yeboah, I., O'Neill, S., Needham, K., Xuan, B. B. and Armstrong, C. (2021) The impact of nature documentaries on public environmental preferences and willingness to pay: entropy balancing and the blue planet II effect. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 64(8), pp. 1428-1456. (doi: 10.1080/09640568.2020.1828840)

Ison, S., Ison, T., Marti-Puig, P., Needham, K., Tanner, M. K. and Roberts, J.M. (2021) Tourist preferences for seamount conservation in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 602767. (doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.602767)

Simpson, K. , Hanley, N. , Armsworth, P., de Vries, F. and Dallimer, M. (2021) Incentivising biodiversity net gain with an offset market. Q Open, 1(1), qoab004. (doi: 10.1093/qopen/qoab004)

2020

Larsen, F., Hopcraft, J. G. C. , Hanley, N. , Hongoa, J. R., Hynes, S., Loibook, M., Mafuru, G., Needham, K. and Morrison, T. A. (2020) Wildebeest migration drives tourism demand in the Serengeti. Biological Conservation, 248, 108688. (doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108688)

McDougall, C. W., Hanley, N. , Quilliam, R. S., Needham, K. and Oliver, D. M. (2020) Valuing inland blue space: a contingent valuation study of two large freshwater lakes. Science of the Total Environment, 715, 136921. (doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136921) (PMID:32032988)

Needham, K. and Hanley, N. (2020) Prior knowledge, familiarity and stated policy consequentiality in contingent valuation. Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy, 9(1), pp. 1-20. (doi: 10.1080/21606544.2019.1611481)

2019

Needham, K., de Vries, F. P., Armsworth, P. R. and Hanley, N. (2019) Designing markets for biodiversity offsets: lessons from tradable pollution permits. Journal of Applied Ecology, 56(6), pp. 1429-1435. (doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.13372)

Armstrong, C. W., Vondolia, G. K., Foley, N. S., Henry, L.-A., Needham, K. and Ressurreição, A. (2019) Expert assessment of risks posed by climate change and anthropogenic activities to ecosystem services in the deep North Atlantic. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6, 158. (doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00158)

Needham, K. and Hanley, N. (2019) Valuing a managed realignment scheme: what are the drivers of public willingness to pay? Ocean and Coastal Management, 170, pp. 29-39. (doi: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2018.12.015)

2018

Murray, F. et al. (2018) Data challenges and opportunities for environmental management of North Sea oil and gas decommissioning in an era of blue growth. Marine Policy, 97, pp. 130-138. (doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2018.05.021)

Needham, K., Czajkowski, M., Hanley, N. and LaRiviere, J. (2018) What is the causal impact of information and knowledge in stated preference studies? Resource and Energy Economics, 54, pp. 69-89. (doi: 10.1016/j.reseneeco.2018.09.001)

2014

Foley, N. S. et al. (2014) Developing a comparative marine socio-economic framework for the European Atlantic Area. Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics, 2014(1), 3. (doi: 10.15351/2373-8456.1007)

This list was generated on Fri Aug 12 05:05:44 2022 BST.
Jump to: Articles
Number of items: 17.

Articles

Ankamah-Yeboah, I., Armstrong, C. W., Hynes, S., Xuan, B. B. and Simpson, K. (2022) Assessing public preferences for deep sea ecosystem conservation: a choice experiment in Norway and Scotland. Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy, 11(2), pp. 113-132. (doi: 10.1080/21606544.2021.1924286)

Simpson, K. , de Vries, F., Dallimer, M., Armsworth, P. R. and Hanley, N. (2022) Ecological and economic implications of alternative metrics in biodiversity offset markets. Conservation Biology, (doi: 10.1111/cobi.13906) (PMID:35288986) (Early Online Publication)

Hynes, S., Armstrong, C. W., Xuan, B. B., Ankamah-Yeboah, I., Simpson, K. , Tinch, R. and Ressurreição, A. (2021) Have environmental preferences and willingness to pay remained stable before and during the global Covid-19 shock? Ecological Economics, 189, 107142. (doi: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107142)

Simpson, K. H. , de Vries, F., Dallimer, M., Armsworth, P. R. and Hanley, N. (2021) Understanding the performance of biodiversity offset markets: evidence from an integrated ecological - economic model. Land Economics, 97(4), pp. 836-857. (doi: 10.3368/le.97.4.030420-0032R)

Xuan, B. B., Armstrong, C. W., Ankamah‐Yeboah, I., Hynes, S. and Needham, K. (2021) Valuing high seas ecosystem conservation. Conservation Biology, 35(5), pp. 1405-1416. (doi: 10.1111/cobi.13720) (PMID:33592121)

Hynes, S., Ankamah Yeboah, I., O'Neill, S., Needham, K., Xuan, B. B. and Armstrong, C. (2021) The impact of nature documentaries on public environmental preferences and willingness to pay: entropy balancing and the blue planet II effect. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 64(8), pp. 1428-1456. (doi: 10.1080/09640568.2020.1828840)

Ison, S., Ison, T., Marti-Puig, P., Needham, K., Tanner, M. K. and Roberts, J.M. (2021) Tourist preferences for seamount conservation in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 602767. (doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.602767)

Simpson, K. , Hanley, N. , Armsworth, P., de Vries, F. and Dallimer, M. (2021) Incentivising biodiversity net gain with an offset market. Q Open, 1(1), qoab004. (doi: 10.1093/qopen/qoab004)

Larsen, F., Hopcraft, J. G. C. , Hanley, N. , Hongoa, J. R., Hynes, S., Loibook, M., Mafuru, G., Needham, K. and Morrison, T. A. (2020) Wildebeest migration drives tourism demand in the Serengeti. Biological Conservation, 248, 108688. (doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108688)

McDougall, C. W., Hanley, N. , Quilliam, R. S., Needham, K. and Oliver, D. M. (2020) Valuing inland blue space: a contingent valuation study of two large freshwater lakes. Science of the Total Environment, 715, 136921. (doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136921) (PMID:32032988)

Needham, K. and Hanley, N. (2020) Prior knowledge, familiarity and stated policy consequentiality in contingent valuation. Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy, 9(1), pp. 1-20. (doi: 10.1080/21606544.2019.1611481)

Needham, K., de Vries, F. P., Armsworth, P. R. and Hanley, N. (2019) Designing markets for biodiversity offsets: lessons from tradable pollution permits. Journal of Applied Ecology, 56(6), pp. 1429-1435. (doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.13372)

Armstrong, C. W., Vondolia, G. K., Foley, N. S., Henry, L.-A., Needham, K. and Ressurreição, A. (2019) Expert assessment of risks posed by climate change and anthropogenic activities to ecosystem services in the deep North Atlantic. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6, 158. (doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00158)

Needham, K. and Hanley, N. (2019) Valuing a managed realignment scheme: what are the drivers of public willingness to pay? Ocean and Coastal Management, 170, pp. 29-39. (doi: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2018.12.015)

Murray, F. et al. (2018) Data challenges and opportunities for environmental management of North Sea oil and gas decommissioning in an era of blue growth. Marine Policy, 97, pp. 130-138. (doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2018.05.021)

Needham, K., Czajkowski, M., Hanley, N. and LaRiviere, J. (2018) What is the causal impact of information and knowledge in stated preference studies? Resource and Energy Economics, 54, pp. 69-89. (doi: 10.1016/j.reseneeco.2018.09.001)

Foley, N. S. et al. (2014) Developing a comparative marine socio-economic framework for the European Atlantic Area. Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics, 2014(1), 3. (doi: 10.15351/2373-8456.1007)

This list was generated on Fri Aug 12 05:05:44 2022 BST.

Grants

Grants and Awards listed are those received whilst working with the University of Glasgow.

  • Rewarding landowners and land managers for conserving biodiversity
    Natural Environment Research Council
    2022 - 2022