Wholescape Assessment of Social Capital (WASC) Survey

We are asking people living in Norfolk to fill in a short online questionnaire exploring both social and environmental issues and their interconnection. This contributes to a research project led by Warwick University and funded by WWF as part of the organisations collaboration with the John Lewis Partnership, exploring local communities’ social networks, relationships to nature and access to nature.

To participate in the survey please click on this link or copy and paste the folllowing url:

https://warwick.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_emT8rnIrUy5sx14

Wholescape: A Paradigm Shift in addressing the triple challenge of climate, nature and people

The Wholescape Approach, developed by WWF-UK, represents an innovative framework to address the interconnected challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and human wellbeing. Recognizing the intricate relationships between landscapes, rivers, coasts, and socio-economic systems, Wholescape moves beyond conventional models to foster a systems-based approach that integrates environmental and societal needs. By 2030, the Wholescape Programme aims to create benefits for nature, climate, and people through principles-based strategies that guide sustainable, system-wide transformations. In the short term, the focus is on piloting and refining the Wholescape methodology across key regions by 2026, delivering evidence-based insights into maximizing synergies and addressing trade-offs for a just transition.

Wholescape highlights the urgency of challenging traditional siloes in science, policy, and practice. By embracing a holistic approach, Wholescape aims to ensure that in the future nature focused policies and interventions are not only effective but also adaptable to evolving multi dimensional challenges across nature, climate and people. It underscores WWF-UK’s commitment to science-based action while empowering communities to make informed local decisions.

A social capital assessment methodology for the Wholescape programme

The Wholescape Assessment of Social Capital uniquely incorporates both natural capital and social capital assessments. While natural capital evaluations are well-established, the programme introduces a novel social capital assessment tool (WASC).

What is social capital

Social capital, a prominent concept in social sciences, was extensively explored by Pierre Bourdieu in 1986, who linked it to individual benefits stemming from social networks. Robert Putnam later defined social capital as comprising social norms, networks, and trust that enable collective action. The significance of social capital spans various sectors including well-being, economic prosperity, sustainable management of natural resources, biodiversity conservation, sustainable agriculture, and waste management. Higher levels of "good" social capital—characterized by trust, reciprocity, and robust networks—are generally associated with improved resource management.

Social capital and natural capital

Social capital intersects with natural capital, defined as nature’s stock of assets that contribute to human well-being. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) identified social capital as a mediator between ecosystem services and human well-being. Some researchers classify social capital as a cultural ecosystem service or an outcome of ecosystem services. Recent frameworks emphasize the interaction between social and natural capital, asserting that this synergy is central to delivering Nature’s Contribution to People (NCP).

The WASC framework and tool

The Wholescape Assessment of Social Capital (WASC) tool, developed by the University of Warwick for WWF, is a critical component of WWF-UK’s Wholescape programme, which aims to tackle the intertwined challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and human well-being. The tool is designed to evaluate how policy interventions impact local social capital and explore its interactions with natural capital and Nature’s Contribution to People (NCP). By doing so, WASC provides a holistic framework for understanding and improving the social dimensions of environmental policies.

The WASC tool measures social capital using several key indicators. These include institutional trust, which assesses confidence in organizations involved in environmental governance, and social trust, which gauges the trust within communities and among specific groups. It also evaluates social norms—community behaviors that protect shared benefits—and social networks, reflecting participation in both formal and informal groups. Additionally, personal values such as connections to environmental, social, and place-based values are incorporated, recognizing their role in shaping responses to policy initiatives.

A key feature of WASC is its integration with natural capital. It highlights the role of social capital in facilitating NCP, encompassing cultural, material, and regulatory benefits provided by nature. This interconnectedness ensures that the tool captures the dynamic interplay between human and environmental systems, providing a more comprehensive understanding of their interdependencies.

The tool employs a mixed-methods approach to data collection, combining personal interviews, structured questionnaires, and secondary data. This methodology captures both perceived and objective indicators of social capital, providing a nuanced perspective on local contexts. Moreover, WASC adopts a dynamic and cyclical approach, recognizing the evolving relationships between policy actions, social capital, and their outcomes on nature and communities.

Application of WASC in North Norfolk

North Norfolk has been selected as one of the nested Wholescapes where WASC is being applied. This case study will provide detailed insights into how local social capital interacts with the Wholescape programme. During the project, our team will explore specific local dynamics, such as community trust, networks, and infrastructure, and their links to natural capital and NCP indicators. By highlighting these interactions, we will reveal factors that influence the success of policy initiatives in Norfolk, offering evidence-based recommendations for enhancing programme outcomes. Through these tasks, the project aims to build a detailed understanding of Norfolk’s social-ecological system, ultimately fostering effective, community-centered nature policies.

Key Objectives of WASC application in North Norfolk

• Document the characteristics of local social capital in Norfolk.
• Explore how social capital influences and is influenced by policies for nature, people, and climate.
• Identify the ways social and natural capital interactions shape programme outcomes.
• Monitor and evaluatethe intended and unintended impacts of Wholescape programmes on social capital.

Main tasks of the project

The project will involve several tasks, each designed to provide actionable insights into the role of social capital in influencing and being influenced by nature policies.

1. Stakeholder Identification: The project begins with an inception meeting to define the study area's boundaries and map key stakeholders. These include government and local authorities, conservation NGOs, grassroots movements, and land managers. A summary report of identified stakeholders will mark the completion of this phase.

2. Personal Interviews: Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with local stakeholders to gather qualitative data on social capital.

3. Collection and Analysis of Secondary Data: Secondary data from sources like the Office of National Statistics, Natural England, and the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce will be gathered. These data will complement interview findings and deepen the analysis.

4. Questionnaire Distribution and Analysis: A questionnaire, informed by the WASC framework and earlier findings, will be distributed to a representative sample of local households using a probability sampling process. Data will be analyzed to explore links between social capital, Nature’s Contribution to People (NCP), and policy initiatives.

5. Final Social Capital Assessment Report: Insights from interviews, questionnaires, and secondary data will be synthesized into a comprehensive report. This report will detail the "stocks" of social capital, explore its interactions with natural capital, and assess its impact on WWF initiatives in Norfolk. The findings will support and guide WWF's future activities.

6. Development of an Evaluation Framework: A dedicated evaluation framework will monitor and evaluate the project's implementation, assessing both its risks and assumptions. The framework will also serve as a benchmark for future assessments.