Land Use for Net Zero Hub
Lead Research Organisation:
James Hutton Institute
Department Name: Social, Economic and Geographical Scien
Abstract
We live in the critical decade for climate change. The world increasingly experiences the damages and losses from extreme weather events caused by human-made climate change. Crop losses, devastating floods, catastrophic wildfires and rising sea levels cannot be ignored. If we do not achieve a balance between our greenhouse gas emissions and removals from the air, these impacts will become considerably worse and more dangerous. The UK has legally committed to achieving a net zero greenhouse gas balance by 2050. However, it is currently hotly debated how this goal can be achieved.
The Land Use for Net Zero (LUNZ) Hub brings together researchers, policy-makers, industry leaders, innovators and rural community representatives from all four nations of the UK. Our 33 member organisations include researchers and practitioners from green finance, agricultural advisory organisations, NGOs, and an arts collective.
The goal of the LUNZ hub is to accelerate positive land use change that reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions, increases food security and restores a healthy environment for plants, animals and people. The Hub will equip UK policy-makers, industry and stakeholders with the advice they need, in the format and timeframe they require, to take policy decisions to help avert dangerous climate change and lead to a better future.
We will bring together scientific evidence and stakeholder perspectives to define shared, net zero scenarios (plausible alternative futures)and credible pathways (steps including policies and incentives) to achieve them by 2050. The Hub will establish an Agile Policy Centre, a Net Zero Futures Platform, and a Creative Methods Lab. Within the Hub, our four National Teams will work together with our Topic Expert Groups to build capacity for a Just Transition to net zero that benefits people and planet alike.
The Hub will support the UK Government and the devolved administrations in achieving multiple environmental goals by understanding the impacts of policy decisions on all relevant aspects, including renewable energy, agriculture, planning frameworks, afforestation, water management, nature conservation, biodiversity, and rural economies.
The Hub will work on several priority policy areas:
1. Land use change that benefits the environment and is socially just, leading to ecosystem co-benefits such as biodiversity, soil health, human health and wellbeing, and green growth at national, regional and local levels;
2. Future agricultural, environmental and food policies that deliver a net zero future, building on the Agriculture Act 2020, Environment Act 2021, Agriculture Bill 2022 (Wales) and 2023 (Scotland), including future sources of finance, payment schemes and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase removals while strengthening food security, biodiversity and land-based businesses (e.g. farms, crofts, forestry);
3. Integrating policy with carbon and natural capital markets, to ensure that the drivers and mechanisms for on-the-ground transformation work together for optimal outcomes.
Achieving net zero by 2050 will require new technologies and practices which lower greenhouse gas emissions. These will include soil improvement practices, peatland protection and restoration, removal of greenhouse gases from the air and decarbonising our economy, large-scale tree-planting to take up carbon from the air, creation and restoration of habitats, transitioning to a circular economy, and significantly reduce food waste and consumption of higher emitting foodstuffs.
To cover these diverse areas the Hub is comprised of the primary players in the UKRI AgriFood for Net Zero Network+, Landscape Decisions Programme, and principal investigators from Greenhouse Gas Removals, Changing the Environment, Digital Environment, AI for Net Zero, and Treescapes Programmes. This team have the experience and expertise to bring together a single voice of authority for Net Zero transformation in the UK.
The Land Use for Net Zero (LUNZ) Hub brings together researchers, policy-makers, industry leaders, innovators and rural community representatives from all four nations of the UK. Our 33 member organisations include researchers and practitioners from green finance, agricultural advisory organisations, NGOs, and an arts collective.
The goal of the LUNZ hub is to accelerate positive land use change that reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions, increases food security and restores a healthy environment for plants, animals and people. The Hub will equip UK policy-makers, industry and stakeholders with the advice they need, in the format and timeframe they require, to take policy decisions to help avert dangerous climate change and lead to a better future.
We will bring together scientific evidence and stakeholder perspectives to define shared, net zero scenarios (plausible alternative futures)and credible pathways (steps including policies and incentives) to achieve them by 2050. The Hub will establish an Agile Policy Centre, a Net Zero Futures Platform, and a Creative Methods Lab. Within the Hub, our four National Teams will work together with our Topic Expert Groups to build capacity for a Just Transition to net zero that benefits people and planet alike.
The Hub will support the UK Government and the devolved administrations in achieving multiple environmental goals by understanding the impacts of policy decisions on all relevant aspects, including renewable energy, agriculture, planning frameworks, afforestation, water management, nature conservation, biodiversity, and rural economies.
The Hub will work on several priority policy areas:
1. Land use change that benefits the environment and is socially just, leading to ecosystem co-benefits such as biodiversity, soil health, human health and wellbeing, and green growth at national, regional and local levels;
2. Future agricultural, environmental and food policies that deliver a net zero future, building on the Agriculture Act 2020, Environment Act 2021, Agriculture Bill 2022 (Wales) and 2023 (Scotland), including future sources of finance, payment schemes and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase removals while strengthening food security, biodiversity and land-based businesses (e.g. farms, crofts, forestry);
3. Integrating policy with carbon and natural capital markets, to ensure that the drivers and mechanisms for on-the-ground transformation work together for optimal outcomes.
Achieving net zero by 2050 will require new technologies and practices which lower greenhouse gas emissions. These will include soil improvement practices, peatland protection and restoration, removal of greenhouse gases from the air and decarbonising our economy, large-scale tree-planting to take up carbon from the air, creation and restoration of habitats, transitioning to a circular economy, and significantly reduce food waste and consumption of higher emitting foodstuffs.
To cover these diverse areas the Hub is comprised of the primary players in the UKRI AgriFood for Net Zero Network+, Landscape Decisions Programme, and principal investigators from Greenhouse Gas Removals, Changing the Environment, Digital Environment, AI for Net Zero, and Treescapes Programmes. This team have the experience and expertise to bring together a single voice of authority for Net Zero transformation in the UK.
Technical Summary
We are in the critical decade for climate mitigation. The LUNZ Hub will synthesise the breadth of policies driving land use change, including on renewable energy, agriculture, planning frameworks, afforestation, biodiversity, and water management, and co-design scenarios and pathways to achieve them and deliver UK and 4 nations international commitments and national policies.
The LUNZ Hub is built on principles of capacity building and Just Transition. It brings together 33 organisations comprising world-leading researchers from multiple disciplines, public agencies, green finance, agricultural advisory organisations, NGOs, and an arts collective into a transdisciplinary community. It will co-develop evidence-based, credible pathways to achieving Net Zero together with our project partners, stakeholder and policy-makers across the UK and in the devolved administrations.
The Hub is designed to be an agile, 'big tent, four nations approach' analysing, aggregating and translating and communicating evidence to support policy-makers and other stakeholders to deliver transformative changes in land use, agricultural systems and soil health to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our Agile Policy Centre, Net Zero Futures Platform, and Creative Methods Lab, underpinned by National Teams, and Topical Expert Groups, will lead to a transformative, holistic understanding of multifunctional landscapes and plausible pathways to net zero futures that deliver co-benefits for biodiversity and people. Those pathways and resultant changes require to be socially-just at all levels, integrating existing instruments of policy and practice with new green market mechanisms to achieve net zero.
Its core aim is to synthesise and fast track emerging evidence from the LUNZ research projects and key allied research programmes to inform policy at national, regional and local levels within the four nations of the UK.
The LUNZ Hub is built on principles of capacity building and Just Transition. It brings together 33 organisations comprising world-leading researchers from multiple disciplines, public agencies, green finance, agricultural advisory organisations, NGOs, and an arts collective into a transdisciplinary community. It will co-develop evidence-based, credible pathways to achieving Net Zero together with our project partners, stakeholder and policy-makers across the UK and in the devolved administrations.
The Hub is designed to be an agile, 'big tent, four nations approach' analysing, aggregating and translating and communicating evidence to support policy-makers and other stakeholders to deliver transformative changes in land use, agricultural systems and soil health to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our Agile Policy Centre, Net Zero Futures Platform, and Creative Methods Lab, underpinned by National Teams, and Topical Expert Groups, will lead to a transformative, holistic understanding of multifunctional landscapes and plausible pathways to net zero futures that deliver co-benefits for biodiversity and people. Those pathways and resultant changes require to be socially-just at all levels, integrating existing instruments of policy and practice with new green market mechanisms to achieve net zero.
Its core aim is to synthesise and fast track emerging evidence from the LUNZ research projects and key allied research programmes to inform policy at national, regional and local levels within the four nations of the UK.
Organisations
- James Hutton Institute (Lead Research Organisation, Project Partner)
- Natural Environment Research Council (Co-funder)
- Dept for Energy Security & Net Zero (Co-funder)
- Dept for Env Food & Rural Affairs DEFRA (Co-funder)
- SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT (Co-funder)
- ESRC (Co-funder)
- UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA (Collaboration)
- University of the West of England (Collaboration)
- NatureScot (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Dumfries and Galloway Council (Collaboration)
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (Collaboration)
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) (Collaboration)
- University of Glasgow (Collaboration)
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (Collaboration)
- University of Gloucestershire (Collaboration)
- KING'S COLLEGE LONDON (Collaboration)
- Sustainable Development Solutions Network (Collaboration)
- Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) (Collaboration)
- Federated Hermes (Project Partner)
- CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND (Project Partner)
- Innovis Genetics Ltd (Project Partner)
- Nature Friendly Farming Network (Project Partner)
- South of Scotland Enterprise (Project Partner)
- National Sheep Association (Project Partner)
- World Wildlife Fund UK (Project Partner)
- Duchy of Cornwall (Project Partner)
- Scottish Funding Council (Project Partner)
- Wood Knowledge Wales (Project Partner)
- ENVIRONMENT AGENCY (Project Partner)
- Soil Capital (Project Partner)
- Scottish Agricultural Org Society (SAOS) (Project Partner)
- AGRICARBON UK LIMITED (Project Partner)
- Clinton Devon Estates (Project Partner)
- Germinal Holdings Limited (Project Partner)
- Severn Trent Water (Project Partner)
- Orkney Islands Council (Project Partner)
- The Wildlife Trusts (UK) (Project Partner)
- Nestle UK Ltd (Project Partner)
- Nourish Scotland (Project Partner)
- SEFARI Gateway (Project Partner)
- AgriSearch (Project Partner)
- Highlands Rewilding (Project Partner)
- Cairngorms Connect (Project Partner)
- The Woodland Trust (Project Partner)
- British Grassland Society (Project Partner)
- Northern Ireland Environment Link (Project Partner)
- Institute of Chartered Foresters (Project Partner)
- Natural Resources Wales (Project Partner)
- Scottish Whisky Research Institute (Project Partner)
- Scottish Forestry (Project Partner)
- Forestry Commission UK (Project Partner)
- National Farmers Union (NFU) (Project Partner)
- NFU Wales (Cymru) (Project Partner)
- CIEL (Project Partner)
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee (Project Partner)
Publications
Bateman IJ
(2024)
How to make land use policy decisions: Integrating science and economics to deliver connected climate, biodiversity, and food objectives.
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Brooker R
(2024)
Crop mixtures: yield responses to climate and management and impacts on seed and soil chemical composition in a Scottish-based study
in Plant and Soil
Davis U.
(2024)
Land: The Hidden Unknown of Food Waste
Falloon P
(2024)
Editorial: Climate science, solutions and services for net zero, climate-resilient food systems
in Frontiers in Environmental Science
Fraser H
(2024)
Resonance: The Big Dig Day Take Outs
Fraser H
(2024)
Resonance Big Dig Day
Giuliani L
(2024)
Advancing nature-based solutions through enhanced soil health monitoring in the United Kingdom
in Soil Use and Management
Hodgson E
(2024)
Upscaling miscanthus production in the United Kingdom : The benefits, challenges, and trade-offs
in GCB Bioenergy
Jennings S
(2024)
Stakeholder-driven transformative adaptation is needed for climate-smart nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa.
in Nature food
LUNZ Hub
(2024)
LUNZ Hub Theory of Change
| Title | Illustrations by Ali Foxon, Resonance project |
| Description | Geographer, green sketcher and PLACE Collective artist Ali Foxon has created a series of illustrations relating to the Resonance project, including the planting of tree circles, and the collection of the young trees from Bolton Fell Moss during the Big Dig Day. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | Some of the illustrations feature in bespoke sets of cards that are being used in tree planting events through the Resonance project. |
| URL | https://theplacecollective.org/2025/03/09/ali-foxon-resonance/ |
| Title | Large format portraits of land users for Big Tent event in Edinburgh |
| Description | I made large format, real film images of seven land users that myself and my partner, Harriet, met with to create the films that were shown at the Edinburgh Big Tent event. The seven portraits were printed A2 size and each image was complimented by a quote pulled from the interview with the person: they are shown next to their own words. The images were held on art easles and placed in the lunch space of the event. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Using an old-fashioned camera that requires a cloth to be placed over my head becomes a kind of performative act that the subject is part of. The land users were made to feel special and, through the conversations had while setting up, the idea that they had something valuable to add to the conversations around land use change. They were only given one main instruction: to look directly into the camera lens, ergo the viewer of the image once it appeared in the space. When the images were shown in Edinburgh it was observed that a large number of the attendees engaged with the row of images in the space. They had seen these people on the films in the audiotorium, now here was the opportunity to see them 'stilled' in the space. Each portrait was matched with a quote of theirs pulled from the film, which helped underline different perspectives that we wanted to get across. |
| Title | POEM: 'Ma - Earth at the Centre' |
| Description | A poem which was performed to open the first LUNZ Hub Consortium Meeting, Leicester, January 2024. The poem was connected with a physical sculpture located in the meeting room; the sculpture is also called 'Earth at the Centre'. This circular wooden container has been conceived by Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser, and designed in collaboration with artist Charlie Whinney, who created the piece by steam-bending ash wood. The sculpture contained a circular piece of 'land' in its embrace, measuring 77cm in diameter. The piece of 'land' was borrowed from the National Forest (with full permissions), where tree cover here has increased from 6% to 26% in the past few decades. |
| Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Opening an event with a poem offers an alternative opening address for a formal conference. A number of participants commented that they appreciated this. |
| Title | Poem Canvas and Living Tree |
| Description | Artworks co-created by Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser of the PLACE Collective 1 A cotton canvas measuring 2.5 x 2.5 metres was erected at the back of the conference room. The canvas was white, and held the words 'ALL THE SMALL THINGS'. 2 A living hawthorn, held in a wooden framed rectangular box, with perspex sides to show the earth and the tree's root system, and poetry carved into the wooden frame. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | A number of delegates came to discuss the work with us, and responded to it with reflections about their own relationships with trees, their own experiences of land use and change where they live, and the challenges being discussed. For instance, the presence of a very large canvas asking people to think about the 'small things', and an old tree less than 50cm high, prompted discussions about scale, and how to approach the challenge of thinking across spatial and temporal scales. |
| Title | Poem and Film: 'On listening - and what rises above the noise' |
| Description | This poem was created in response to delegates participation in a 'Make your Mark' soil exercise at the LUNZ Hub Scenario Workshop in Manchester. More than 50 participants, from all four UK nations, shared three words in response to a question about pathways enabling transitions in land use. Poet Harriet Fraser collated all the words and produced a poem in response to these. To close the conference, the poem was performed in front of a screen showing a gradually growing word-cloud. Both English and Welsh languages were used. In addition to the film, the poem exists as an audio recording and in written format. |
| Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Impact in terms of future actions or research has not been evaluated. At the event, there was applause, many people commented that it felt good to close the day in this way, and delegates requested copies of the poem. |
| Title | Poem: Meeting New Ground |
| Description | This poem was performed to close the second part of a day that launched the Resonance art project, and involved discussions about land use, peatland restoration, trees, woods and forestry. |
| Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | The content of the poem provided provocations for thought that were picked up on during small group discussions later in the afternoon. |
| URL | https://theplacecollective.org/resonance-big-dig-day/ |
| Title | Poem: Popeth yn Gysylltiedig |
| Description | A poem written by Harriet Fraser and translated into Welsh by farmer Gareth Jones during a previous project assessing relationships between soil, livestock and water in the Conwy Valley was performed at the LUNZ Hub & Agricultural Industry and Climate Change Forum workshop 'Goresgyn rhwystrau a'r gyfer llwybr sero net yng Nghymru | Overcoming net zero pathway barriers in Wales'. The reading was given in English by Harriet Fraser, with an audio recording of Gareth Jones reading the poem in Welsh. |
| Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | The poem was read to close the workshop, and gave an opportunity for participants to reflect. Copies of a booklet containing the poem were available for any participants who wanted, and these were all taken away. |
| Title | Poem: Resonance |
| Description | A poem written to be performed during the planting of each of the seven circles that are part of the Resonance sculpture. |
| Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | The poem has stimulated conversations about consideration of local, place-specific needs, and the realisation of changes over time; it also provided a shift in energy during activity and conversations among cross-sectoral stakeholders involved in the event. |
| Title | Poem: So much depends on the flight of butterflies |
| Description | A poem written to close the LUNZ Hub Big Tent event, Edinburgh, September 2024 |
| Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | At the event several people commented that the poem was a fitting and unusual way to close the day, and helped to ensure the focus was not exclusively on policy challenges, but made space for the human and emotional contexts. |
| Title | Pop up exhibition for Leicester Consortium Meeting |
| Description | The exhibition was installed in the main meeting room, so that delegates could spend time with the artworks. Artworks have been co-created by Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser 1 Sculptural piece 'Earth at the Centre'; Steam bent ash circular frame (1 metre high, 77cm in diameter, made by PLACE Collective artist Charlie Whinney), containing a circular piece of 'land' borrowed for the duration of the conference from the National Forest. 2 A collection of photographic images showing installation art. 3 A collection of portraits of farmers and land managers, accompanied by a quote from each person reflecting on their relationship to place. 4 Sculptural piece 'Space for Imagining': an adapted book, containing a miniature living tree, and suspended from a hazel-wood frame. 5 A booklet of poems |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | The works were deliberately placed so that delegates needed to pass the 'land' when entering the space. Many people engaged with the artwork individually, photographed it in place, and held conversations in response to, or stimulated by, the works. Many delegates commented that having artwork in the space helped to offer a different tone and set the event apart from more predictable formats. |
| Title | Video: Andrew Weatherall in the Resonance 'Presentations' series |
| Description | As part of the LUNZ Hub 'Resonance' project, RSPB Principal Policy Officer Andrew Wetherall gives a presentation. This is one of the the 'Village Hall' series, considering land use and land use change for net zero, nature and people, and discussing peatland restoration, woodland management and creation, as well as farming and cultural landscapes. This was filmed as part of the Big Dig Day at Bolton Fell Moss and Hethersgill Village Hall in November, 2024. The Resonance project is run by artist researchers Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser, through the PLACE Collective, which is one of the consortium members on the UK-wide LUNZ Hub (Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People). Film created and edited by Matt Sharman of the PLACE Collective, with additional material created by Juliet Klottrup and Reuben Hibbert |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Stakeholders from beyond the LUNZ Hub gained awareness of the work of the Hub, and the work of Andrew Weatherall through his role at RSPB, in particular regards to trees and peat bogs.The impact of sharing the film publicly will become apparent over time. |
| URL | https://youtu.be/s95iQLa54X0 |
| Title | Video: Anita Lazurko in the Resonance 'Perspectives' series |
| Description | As part of the 'Resonance' project, LUNZ Hub team member Anita Lazurko, from UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, talks about the LUNZ Hub, and about approaches to change, systems thinking and collaborations, and the value of place-based meetings and activities. This is one of the films created on Bolton Fell Moss, considering land use and land use change for net zero, nature and people, and discussing peatland restoration, woodland management and creation, as well as farming and cultural landscapes and systems thinking. This was filmed as part of the Big Dig Day at Bolton Fell Moss and Hethersgill Village Hall in November, 2024. The Resonance project is run by artist researchers Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser, through the PLACE Collective, which is one of the consortium members on the UK-wide LUNZ Hub (Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People). Film created and edited by Matt Sharman of the PLACE Collective, with additional material created by Juliet Klottrup and Reuben Hibbert. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Not known at this stage |
| URL | https://youtu.be/IU0MiZXktGg |
| Title | Video: Eliza Hodgson in the Resonance 'Presentations' series |
| Description | As part of the LUNZ Hub 'Resonance' project, Lake District National Park Farming Officer and tenant farmer Eliza Hodgson, gives a presentation. Eliza discusses opportunities for change in farming, particularly in the context of uplands and protected landscapes, successful collaborations aiming for landscape-scale change, and the importance of heritage and farming cultures. This is one of the the 'Village Hall' series, considering land use and land use change for net zero, nature and people, and discussing peatland restoration, woodland management and creation, as well as farming and cultural landscapes. This was filmed as part of the Big Dig Day at Bolton Fell Moss and Hethersgill Village Hall in November, 2024. The Resonance project is run by artist researchers Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser, through the PLACE Collective, which is one of the consortium members on the UK-wide LUNZ Hub (Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People). Film created and edited by Matt Sharman of the PLACE Collective, with additional material created by Juliet Klottrup and Reuben Hibbert |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Stakeholders from beyond the LUNZ Hub gained awareness of the work of the Hub, and the work of Eliza Hodgson, through her role as Farming Officer of the Lake District National Park Authority and through her experience of being a tenant farmer. The impact of sharing the film publicly will become apparent over time. |
| URL | https://youtu.be/4WavGUoLtEU |
| Title | Video: Ian Crosher in the Resonance 'Perspectives' series |
| Description | As part of the LUNZ Hub 'Resonance' project, Ian Crosher, Natural England (Senior Specialist Climate Change) and LUNZ Hub team member, talks about climate change and peatlands. This is one of the films created on Bolton Fell Moss, considering land use and land use change for net zero, nature and people, and discussing peatland restoration, woodland management and creation, as well as farming and cultural landscapes and systems thinking. This was filmed as part of the Big Dig Day at Bolton Fell Moss and Hethersgill Village Hall in November, 2024. The Resonance project is run by artist researchers Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser, through the PLACE Collective, which is one of the consortium members on the UK-wide LUNZ Hub (Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People). Film created and edited by Matt Sharman of the PLACE Collective, with additional material created by Juliet Klottrup and Reuben Hibbert |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Not known at this stage |
| URL | https://youtu.be/kqk3foYgy_8 |
| Title | Video: Jack Brennand in the Resonance 'Perspectives' series |
| Description | As part of the LUNZ Hub 'Resonance' project, PhD student Jack Brennand gives a presentation, discussing peatland restoration and carbon sequestration in peatlands. This is one of the films created on Bolton Fell Moss, considering land use and land use change for net zero, nature and people, and discussing peatland restoration, woodland management and creation, as well as farming and cultural landscapes and systems thinking. This was filmed as part of the Big Dig Day at Bolton Fell Moss and Hethersgill Village Hall in November, 2024. The Resonance project is run by artist researchers Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser, through the PLACE Collective, which is one of the consortium members on the UK-wide LUNZ Hub (Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People). Film created and edited by Matt Sharman of the PLACE Collective, with additional material created by Juliet Klottrup and Reuben Hibbert |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Not known at this stage |
| URL | https://youtu.be/1dTb_bHZGT4 |
| Title | Video: Land use and net zero: Land manager's perspectives (part 1) |
| Description | What might farmers and other land users and land managers do in the quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase their sequestration of carbon? This is the first of two films created by Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser of the PLACE collective (https://theplacecollective.org/) documenting land managers reactions to this and other questions around the transition to new land uses for nature, people and net zero. Interview by Harriet, filmed and edited by Rob. The films were created to kickstart discussions at the recent LUNZ Hub 'Big Tent' event in Edinburgh, where almost 100 people from practice, research and policy met to discuss the issue. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | The film was shown at the Big Tent stakeholders event in Edinburgh to an audience of circa 100. The films were created to open up dialogue in the room and to help kickstart the breakout sessions that were run across the day. Feedback was universally good. The films were also used at a LUNZ Hub event in Wales in January 2025, once again to give a range of perspectives and to open up dialogue. |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmXIE14hhM4&t=5s |
| Title | Video: Land use and net zero: Land manager's perspectives (part 2) |
| Description | What might farmers and other land users and land managers do in the quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase their sequestration of carbon? This is the second of two films created by Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser of the PLACE collective (https://theplacecollective.org/) documenting land managers reactions to this and other questions around the transition to new land uses for nature, people and net zero. Interview by Harriet, filmed and edited by Rob. The films were created to kickstart discussions at the recent LUNZ Hub 'Big Tent' event in Edinburgh, where almost 100 people from practice, research and policy met to discuss the issue. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | The film was shown at the Big Tent stakeholders event in Edinburgh to an audience of circa 100. The films were created to open up dialogue in the room and to help kickstart the breakout sessions that were run across the day. Feedback was universally good. The films were also used at a LUNZ Hub event in Wales in January 2025, once again to give a range of perspectives and to open up dialogue. |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76bOHvmHKYE&t=253s |
| Title | Video: Martin Phillips in the Resonance 'Presentations' series |
| Description | As part of the LUNZ Hub 'Resonance' project, Professor Martin Phillips, Transdisciplinary Community and Capacity Building co-lead for LUNZ Hub, gives a presentation. This is one of the the 'Village Hall' series, considering land use and land use change for net zero, nature and people, and discussing peatland restoration, woodland management and creation, as well as farming and cultural landscapes. This was filmed as part of the Big Dig Day at Bolton Fell Moss and Hethersgill Village Hall in November, 2024. The Resonance project is run by artist researchers Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser, through the PLACE Collective, which is one of the consortium members on the UK-wide LUNZ Hub (Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People). Film created and edited by Matt Sharman of the PLACE Collective, with additional material created by Juliet Klottrup and Reuben Hibbert |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Stakeholders from beyond the LUNZ Hub gained awareness of the work of the Hub, its aspirations, and the questions raised at a previous event. The impact of sharing the film publicly will become apparent over time. |
| URL | https://youtu.be/80I-ntaf8r0 |
| Title | Video: Richard Leafe in the Resonance 'Perspectives' series |
| Description | As part of the LUNZ Hub 'Resonance' project, Richard Leafe, former CEO Lake District National Park talks about the challenges of meeting net zero targets, and the opportunities for multi disciplinary and cross sectoral collaboration. This is one of the films created on Bolton Fell Moss, considering land use and land use change for net zero, nature and people, and discussing peatland restoration, woodland management and creation, as well as farming and cultural landscapes and systems thinking. This was filmed as part of the Big Dig Day at Bolton Fell Moss and Hethersgill Village Hall in November, 2024. The Resonance project is run by artist researchers Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser, through the PLACE Collective, which is one of the consortium members on the UK-wide LUNZ Hub (Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People). Film created and edited by Matt Sharman of the PLACE Collective, with additional material created by Juliet Klottrup and Reuben Hibbert |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Not known at this stage |
| URL | https://youtu.be/VFkT2dVh1SQ |
| Title | Video: Rob Fraser in the Resonance 'Presentations' series |
| Description | Rob Fraser, co-founder PLACE Collective, gives a presentation on the Resonance project. This is one of the 'Village Hall' series, considering land use and land use change for net zero, nature and people, and discussing peatland restoration, woodland management and creation, as well as farming and cultural landscapes. This was filmed as part of the Big Dig Day at Bolton Fell Moss and Hethersgill Village Hall in November, 2024. The Resonance project is run by artist researchers Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser, through the PLACE Collective, which is one of the consortium members on the UK-wide LUNZ Hub (Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People). Film created and edited by Matt Sharman of the PLACE Collective, with additional material created by Juliet Klottrup and Reuben Hibbert |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | Not known at this stage |
| URL | https://youtu.be/kF6Uo-2sB40 |
| Description | ARIOB sub-group pn High Nature Value farming |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Housing Audit Committee 2024 |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Independent Chair of the Housing Land Audit Committee, guiding the operation of the annual meeting on the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Housing Land Audit Committee. The committee comprises representatives of the planning departments of the two councils, and housing developers and advisors, reviewing the annual Housing Land Audit. This provides information on the supply and availability of land for house building, details of sites available for housebuilding and their current status, and totals of the number of houses built each year and expected future house building for housing market areas, administrative areas, towns and villages. |
| URL | https://engage.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/draft-housing-land-audit-2024 |
| Description | Agile Policy Centre calldown 7: Assessment of the land use implications of innovation in agricultural production |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Behaviour change and land-use discussion with Paul Devine (D. Chief Scientific Officer, NI) |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Description | Calldown Project 2: Report on Productivity Grants. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Description | Climate Change Committee 7th Carbon Budget |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/the-seventh-carbon-budget/ |
| Description | Contribution to an intergovernmental science-policy platform |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.ipbes.net/nexus-assessment |
| Description | DESNZ-Forest Research Soil Carbon Workshop |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Deep dive session with RESAS-Scottish Government on LUNZHUb |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | This work has led to comparative assessments within RESAS about the advantages of the Agile Policy Centre (APC) compared to the services provided by Scotland's Centre of Expertise and the realisation of the broader and up-to-date relevance of the working model of the APC. |
| Description | Defra Agricultural Adaptation Steering Group |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Defra LUF modelling narratives |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Description | EDI workshop 1: Achieving representation in stakeholder engagement |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=og-QFnKRck9vwHOc&v=P5RE4CfUWG8&feature=youtu.be |
| Description | EDI workshop 2: Measuring representation in research stakeholder engagement |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1_q83vgRAE |
| Description | Evaluation of the Responsible Sourcing Scheme for Growing Media |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Description | Evidence to Climate Change, Environment & Infrastructure Committee 21st March 2024 |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://record.senedd.wales/Committee/13727 |
| Description | Evidence to UK Government biomass inquiry |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Input to Academic Advisory Panel currently advising the ARIOB process |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Input to Academic Advisory Panel currently advising the ARIOB process |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Input to Agricultural Reform Implementation Oversight Board [ARIOB] on High Nature Value farming |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Input to Agricultural Reform Implementation Oversight Board [ARIOB] on High Nature Value farming |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Input to Glen Prosen Science Steering Group |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Input to consultation on SG Agriculture Bill |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Leading monthly liaison between the Agile Policy Centre and the Scottish Governement |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | This work has led to formalising a specific group within RESAS, focused on the interlinkages between land use, net-zero targets, nature restoration, and societal needs for a just transition-aligning with the key topics of LUNZHub. The impact includes enhancing the understanding of the Agile Policy Centre's role as a science-policy platform and supporting the formulation of policy questions through an interdisciplinary perspective. |
| Description | Meeting with Defra on the forthcoming Land Use Framework for England Consultation |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://deframedia.blog.gov.uk/2025/02/06/coverage-of-land-use-framework-consultation/ |
| Description | Meeting with SEPA to appraise work on biochar and rock dust in Scotland |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Member of Borderlands Natural Capital Programme Board |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | National Parks Stakeholder Advisory Group |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Participation in the advisory group contributed to stakeholder feedback on topics which were subsequently subjected to public consultations (e.g. criteria for selecting a new National Park; calls for proposals for a new National Park; opinions on a proposed Galloway National Park). Benefits are understood to be recommendations for contents in proposals and consultations, feedback on prospective changes in the governance of Parks, and taking forward approaches to the use of data in their assessments, including the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) (documented in Confirmed Notes of Advisory Group (https://www.nature.scot/doc/national-park-stakeholder-advisory-group-papers-and-confirmed-notes#:~:text=We%20have%20established%20a%20National,Meeting%20Two%20%2D%2017%20August%202022). |
| URL | https://www.nature.scot/doc/national-park-stakeholder-advisory-group-papers-and-confirmed-notes#:~:t... |
| Description | Participation in Four Nations Policy Liaison Group of Land Use Net Zero Hub |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Peer review of three reports providing evidence needs of sustainability criteria for sourcing of biomass feedstocks (Calldown 12) |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Description | Presentation to the liaison team (Defra, DESNZ and DAs) |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Resolving the Energy-Food-Nature Trilemma in Land Use: The Role of Digitalisation and EU Policies |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Response to The Welsh Government's preferred policy on carbon capture, utilisation and storage |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Response to consultation on a proposed National Park in south-west Scotland |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/national-des... |
| Description | Review of Monitoring and Evaluation Strategies to Develop an Adaptive Approach to Land Use Change: Call down 5 |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | The report shed light on the barriers to adaptive management of land use and which key aspects of adaptive management could be targeted to encourage more adaptive approaches. Nine recommendations were made to Defra on how to improve monitoring and evaluation of programmes affecting land use going forward. These recommendations covered actions that could be taken in the short, medium and long term. If implemented this would greatly strengthen capacity and uptake for greater adaptive management of land use. |
| Description | Review of spatially targeted policies as evidence base for policy design, Agile Policy Centre. Calldown 3 |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Sustainable Farm Scheme; Carbon Sequestration evidence review panel |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Welsh Government Green Skills - Short Term Review |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Women in Agriculture Theory of Change Peer and Evidence Review |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Work on Agriculture Advisory Group for UK CCC |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Workshop to identify gaps in land use change research for Defra |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Biomass Connect: Biomass Innovation and Information. BEIS Biomass Feedstock Innovation Programme, Phase 2. |
| Amount | £5,955,907 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Government of the UK |
| Department | Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2022 |
| End | 03/2026 |
| Description | UK-SPF Mid Wales Region: Green Digital Transformation |
| Amount | £249,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Government of the UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2024 |
| End | 12/2024 |
| Description | Understanding the need and value of land cover and habitat data |
| Amount | £85,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 774867 |
| Organisation | NatureScot |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2024 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Title | Centralised Evidence |
| Description | This is a compendium of research commissioned by governments to inform the development of policy. As a body of work, it points to a clear recognition of the role that soil carbon and soil health play in national environmental and agricultural strategies. |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This collection of evidence related to Soil Health and Carbon Dynamics clearly demonstrates the importance of soil carbon and soil health in national environmental and agricultural strategies, therefore informing policymakers of the need to consider soil when creating land use policy, and providing the evidence base to support this policymaking process. |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/about-the-hub/our-approach/topic-advisory-groups/soil-health-and-carbon-dynamics... |
| Description | Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) |
| Organisation | Animal and Plant Health Agency |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Requesting aggregated cattle data from APHA for the digital twin development. |
| Collaborator Contribution | n/a |
| Impact | Requested Cattle Tracing System data for England aggregated at County Scale. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Collaboration between LUNZ Hub and LUNZ Footprint |
| Organisation | University of Gloucestershire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are building synergies and momentum with project partner and the various TAGs by integrating them into TAG communities and distribution lists. This includes co-developing workshops, involving them in management meetings, catch-ups, and major events such as Big Tent gatherings, as well as coordinating a shared calendar of events to enhance collaboration and strategic alignment. The LUNZ Hub will work closely with the project partner to disseminate and integrate the research they produce, aligning outputs across projects through collaborative work to strengthen the evidence base for achieving net zero. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Project partner coordinate stakeholder engagement to ensure balanced participation across all areas, preventing oversaturation. |
| Impact | Outputs still being developed. Collaboration is multi-disciplinary covering soil health, agricultural systems, and land use change. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Collaboration between LUNZ Hub and LUNZ Grasslands |
| Organisation | University of the West of England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are building synergies and momentum with project partner and the various TAGs by integrating them into TAG communities and distribution lists. This includes co-developing workshops, involving them in management meetings, catch-ups, and major events such as Big Tent gatherings, as well as coordinating a shared calendar of events to enhance collaboration and strategic alignment. The LUNZ Hub will work closely with the project partner to disseminate and integrate the research they produce, aligning outputs across projects through collaborative work to strengthen the evidence base for achieving net zero. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Project partner coordinate stakeholder engagement to ensure balanced participation across all areas, preventing oversaturation. |
| Impact | Outputs still being developed. Collaboration is multi-disciplinary covering soil health and carbon dynamics; agricultural systems; and land use change. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Collaboration between LUNZ Hub and LUNZ JUSTLANZ |
| Organisation | Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We are building synergies and momentum with project partner and the various TAGs by integrating them into TAG communities and distribution lists. This includes co-developing workshops, involving them in management meetings, catch-ups, and major events such as Big Tent gatherings, as well as coordinating a shared calendar of events to enhance collaboration and strategic alignment. The LUNZ Hub will work closely with the project partner to disseminate and integrate the research they produce, aligning outputs across projects through collaborative work to strengthen the evidence base for achieving net zero. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Project partner coordinate stakeholder engagement to ensure balanced participation across all areas, preventing oversaturation. |
| Impact | Outputs still being developed. Collaboration is multi-disciplinary covering soil health, agricultural systems, and land use change. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Collaboration between LUNZ Hub and LUNZ OpenLAND |
| Organisation | University of East Anglia |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are building synergies and momentum with project partner and the various TAGs by integrating them into TAG communities and distribution lists. This includes co-developing workshops, involving them in management meetings, catch-ups, and major events such as Big Tent gatherings, as well as coordinating a shared calendar of events to enhance collaboration and strategic alignment. The LUNZ Hub will work closely with the project partner to disseminate and integrate the research they produce, aligning outputs across projects through collaborative work to strengthen the evidence base for achieving net zero. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Project partner coordinate stakeholder engagement to ensure balanced participation across all areas, preventing oversaturation. |
| Impact | Outputs still being developed. Collaboration is multi-disciplinary covering soil health, agricultural systems, and land use change. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Collaboration between LUNZ Hub and LUNZ RESPECT |
| Organisation | University of Glasgow |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We are building synergies and momentum with project partner and the various TAGs by integrating them into TAG communities and distribution lists. This includes co-developing workshops, involving them in management meetings, catch-ups, and major events such as Big Tent gatherings, as well as coordinating a shared calendar of events to enhance collaboration and strategic alignment. The LUNZ Hub will work closely with the project partner to disseminate and integrate the research they produce, aligning outputs across projects through collaborative work to strengthen the evidence base for achieving net zero. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Project partner coordinate stakeholder engagement to ensure balanced participation across all areas, preventing oversaturation. |
| Impact | Outputs still being developed. Collaboration is multi-disciplinary covering soil health, agricultural systems, and land use change. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Collaboration between the UKRI LUNZ and MACC Hubs, and SEFARI Gateway, facilitated by NatureScot |
| Organisation | King's College London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Participation in a series of information sharing discussions between the two UKRI funded Hubs and SEFARI Gateway, Scottish networks. Discussion topics have included policy contexts in UK, England and Scotland, specific focus on adaptation strategies, and operational aspects of mechanisms for operating calldown funds in Hubs, and equivalent in SEFARI Gateway. LUNZH shared copy of process for calldown funds with the MACC team. |
| Collaborator Contribution | An invited presentation by project coordinator (Dr Helen Adams) at the Scottish Government science policy conference (23rd September 2024) led to engagement activities facilitated by NatureScot (Dr Clive Mitchell). Subsequent participation in a series of information sharing discussions between these two UKRI funded Hubs. SEFARI Gateway participation through its Director (C. Bestwick), and LUNZH partners (e.g. D Miller, James Hutton Institute). |
| Impact | No shared outputs to date. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Defra E.L.M. Data Science and Modelling - Secondment |
| Organisation | Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Providing advice and modelling expertise and evidence on spatial prioritisation of land use change actions under national land use change schemes. I develop and run national-scale farm models to examine the food and farming implications and opportunities for land use change. This evidence is used to design England's E.L.M. agri-environment schemes. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide data and insights on policy design to incorporate into the modelling strategy, with the partnership tailoring land use modelling capability to emerging evidence needs. |
| Impact | Policy design evidence for Defra on scheme options, and modelling tools and capability. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Defra Land Use Team - Secondment |
| Organisation | Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Providing advice and expertise on integrated assessment modelling of land use change policy, in particular for the development of Defra's Land Use Framework. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide data and insights on policy design to incorporate into modelling strategies and evidence formation, with the partnership tailoring land use evidence to emerging evidence needs. |
| Impact | Evidence and reports on impact of different land use change policies on the location and outcomes of land use benefits. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land-use and Energy (FABLE) consortium |
| Organisation | International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis |
| Country | Austria |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in scenario development to create and parameterise scenario narratives that can be simulated using the FABLE calculator |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise from the FABLE UK team and the FABLE Secretariat in supporting the continued development and improvement of the FABLE calculator |
| Impact | Outputs still being developed. Collaboration is multi-disciplinary covering biodiversity, agriculture, land use, modelling, scenario development, finance |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land-use and Energy (FABLE) consortium |
| Organisation | Sustainable Development Solutions Network |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in scenario development to create and parameterise scenario narratives that can be simulated using the FABLE calculator |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise from the FABLE UK team and the FABLE Secretariat in supporting the continued development and improvement of the FABLE calculator |
| Impact | Outputs still being developed. Collaboration is multi-disciplinary covering biodiversity, agriculture, land use, modelling, scenario development, finance |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | National Park Data Discussion Group |
| Organisation | Dumfries and Galloway Council |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The James Hutton Institute has shared insights to the data being collected for characterising the proposed National Park; provided data compiled in the Strategic Research Programme, or links for its access, for use by partners; shared plans for a workshop to inform the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) by the Scottish Government for the designation of a National Park, and subsequent reporting. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners have shared insights to the surveys they were planning and designing, data they planned to collect, and provided data for use in the research and its communication and reporting. They also provided details of contacts to inform invitations to a workshop on social and economic impacts of a designation, held in November 2024, and subsequent analysis of alternative options for a National Park. |
| Impact | A workshop was run on behalf of the Scottish Government to inform the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) for a prospective Galloway National Park (11/11/2025). Weekly calls with the data group has informed the characterising the areas as options for a National Park, topics to raise in the workshop and reporting on social and economic impacts of the proposed designation. In turn this informs dialogue about the functions and development of natural capital (e.g. assessments, skills, economic value) within the area and the complimentary governance regimes between a National Park, Biosphere, Borderlands Innovation Zone and the public, private and third sectors. It contributes to stakeholder engagement in the Strategic Research Programme, Underpinning National Capacity, and the UKRI Land Use Net Zero Programme. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | National Park Data Discussion Group |
| Organisation | NatureScot |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | The James Hutton Institute has shared insights to the data being collected for characterising the proposed National Park; provided data compiled in the Strategic Research Programme, or links for its access, for use by partners; shared plans for a workshop to inform the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) by the Scottish Government for the designation of a National Park, and subsequent reporting. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners have shared insights to the surveys they were planning and designing, data they planned to collect, and provided data for use in the research and its communication and reporting. They also provided details of contacts to inform invitations to a workshop on social and economic impacts of a designation, held in November 2024, and subsequent analysis of alternative options for a National Park. |
| Impact | A workshop was run on behalf of the Scottish Government to inform the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) for a prospective Galloway National Park (11/11/2025). Weekly calls with the data group has informed the characterising the areas as options for a National Park, topics to raise in the workshop and reporting on social and economic impacts of the proposed designation. In turn this informs dialogue about the functions and development of natural capital (e.g. assessments, skills, economic value) within the area and the complimentary governance regimes between a National Park, Biosphere, Borderlands Innovation Zone and the public, private and third sectors. It contributes to stakeholder engagement in the Strategic Research Programme, Underpinning National Capacity, and the UKRI Land Use Net Zero Programme. |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | "Ancient trees, hedgerows, and mycorrhizal fungi in the soil: Insights from the Nature Returns Conference at Kew Gardens" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Agricultural Systems TAG co-lead James Clarke, England National Team co-leads Dr Jack Hannam and Professor Mike Morecroft and LUNZ Hub co-leas Professor Heiko Balzter attended the Nature Returns conference at Kew on behalf of the LUNZ Hub. With Tony Juniper delivering the keynote, the conference brought together policymakers, practitioners and scientists from across the country to hear about the programme's emerging discoveries. Led by Sallie Bailey (Chief Scientist) and Professor Mike Morecroft, presenters included scientists from Natural England and RBG Kew who revealed emerging findings from their carbon, soils and greenhouse gas research on multiple habitats across the country and at RBG Kew at Wakehurst. There were also panel sessions with representatives from the local eNGO/ council partnerships and experts on green finance. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/nature-returns-at-kew/ |
| Description | 1. Presentation to the liaison team (Defra, DESNZ and DAs) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Inform Defra, DESNZ and DA participants about the activities undertaken, and issues to be addressed in future work |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | About the Soil TAG Infographic |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Following an in-person inception meeting at the beginning of 2024 during the Hub launch, combined with proactive engagement with the wider community, 52 people in total have signed up to be part of the Soil Health and Carbon Dynamic TAG. This infographic shows the way in which the TAG group is organised, and its component members, therefore demonstrating the relevance of the TAG to the overall project and informing potential members of how to join. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/about-the-soil-tag/ |
| Description | Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and National Farmer's Union visit to Queen's Univeristy Belfast |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Highlights from the LUNZ NI working group were presented to the delegation from GB across a two day event (10th & 11th Oct). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Agrifood for net zero network (AFN+) expert workshop on 23 January 2025 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | I attended an invitation-only event in London by the Agrifood for net zero network where the AFN+ carbon calculator was presented and feedback was collected. I fed my views into the workshop outcomes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | An invited presentation at the EJP Soil meeting at SLU, Sweden entitled Nordic Perspective on Soil Health |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | I presented an invited talk entitled "Monitoring Soil Health: The Why, the How and the Challenges" at the EJP Soil meeting Nordic Perspective on Soil Health at SLU Uppsala on 4 December 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Approaches to Soil Monitoring across the Four Nations |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The workshop was attended by two groups of stakeholders: policymakers in the soil and land use departments of each of the four devolved administrations (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) who have developed (or are developing) soil monitoring programmes, and the suppliers of these programmes who worked on (or are working on) the technical detail. The data gathered at the workshop has given rise to further work undertaken to help harmonise approaches to soil monitoring. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/approaches-to-nationwide-soil-monitoring-across-the-uk/ |
| Description | Attendance at the COP29 Climate Conference in Baku in November 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | I was a panellist at COP29 in Baku in the session 'Evaluating progress on forest, land use and agriculture emissions - from the Emirates Declaration to accounting for carbon sequestration' chaired by Nick Breeze. It was livestreamed as well. I advised on using digital technologies for making more informed land use decisions in order to accelerate the land use transition towards net zero and nature restoration. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://unfccc.int/cop29 |
| Description | Balancing land use needs in NI |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | • Workshop with JNCC: On 6 November, the national team and JNCC held a bespoke workshop titled "Balancing land use needs in NI" to discuss modeling needs to support DAERA policy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Biomass and Energy Crops VI |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Hosted the Biomass and Energy Crops VI workshop at Aberystwyth University, on both the Penglais and Gogerddan campuses. The workshop brought together the international community including from Europe, North America and Asia with workshop presentations and included site visits to IBERS field plots, phenotyping, seedbank and biorefining facilities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.aab.org.uk/event/biomass-and-energy-crops-vi/ |
| Description | Biweekly liaison group meetings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The hub leadership and representatives of the consortium met twice a month with a liaison group comprising representatives of Defra, DEZNZ, Welsh Government, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Government to provide up-dates on project progress, receive feedback and share information on new policy initiatives or directions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024,2025 |
| Description | Blog |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | increase awareness about obstacles institutional investors face in financing nature projects |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/uk-pension-reform-investing-in-nature-and-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-... |
| Description | Blog discussing interviews and filmmaking with land managers |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The blog on the LUNZ Hub website discussed the process of film-making, to produce two films that shared land managers' views on net zero, and their own and their wider sector's experience of making changes. The post, written by Harriet Fraser, discusses her process of conducting interviews in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales with filmmaker Rob Fraser; it lists the questions asked of all participants, and highlights the key themes that emerged. It also embeds links to the two films that were made by Rob Fraser. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/land-use-and-net-zero-land-managers-perspectives/ |
| Description | Blog for LUNZ Website - Conservation Grazing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Blog from report published by NE on GHG emissions from conservation grazing. Authored by Dean Mason and Claire Horrocks of NE. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-conservation-grazing/ |
| Description | Blog on Nature Returns conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A blog and link to a video from Tony Juniper (NE Chair) on the Nature Returns conference. includes a quote from Mike Morecroft on the Nature Returns Programme. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/nature-returns-at-kew/ |
| Description | Blog post: "Professor Heiko Balzter shares hopes for COP29 and the path toward global climate action" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In advance of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, the 2024 from Monday 11 - Friday 22 November 2024, Professor Heiko Balzter, Director of the Institute for Environmental Futures, shared his thoughts, hopes and expectations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://le.ac.uk/news/2024/november/cop29-heiko |
| Description | Bog post : Resonance Launch Event and Tree Collection |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | This blog appeared on the PLACE Collective website, was written by Harriet Fraser and illustrated with photographs by Rob Fraser. It reports on the day-long event to launch the Resonance Project, bringing LUNZ Hub consortium members and stakeholders from the northwest region together; and shared key points from the conversations and discussions around land use change. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://theplacecollective.org/resonance-big-dig-day/ |
| Description | Briefing to Farm Tenancy Forum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Attended Defra's Farm Tenancy Forum to outline approaches to modelling and mapping land tenure in England and Wales, and discuss issues with data availability and expertise on land tenure issues. We discussed how to fill data gaps, and how land tenure information could be used to help land use stakeholders plan for land use change. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/farm-tenancy-forum-terms-of-reference-from-2024/farm-tena... |
| Description | Centre for Art and Ecology Launch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | 30 postgraduates, artists and art-sceince resarchers launched new centre to foster collaboration between arts and ecology, practice-led research in the expanded field of art and ecology, investigating interdisciplinary modes of engagement with urban ecologies; living systems; rewilding; biomaterials; regenerative food systems; citizen science; climate change resilience; depollution; cultural and scientific meanings of plants, soil, atmospheres, the planetary and the cosmic; interfaces and intra-actions of nature, technology and data. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.gold.ac.uk/research/centres-units/research-centre/centre-for-art-and-ecology/ |
| Description | Chaired a meeting of the Angus Council Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan steering committee |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On 15 January 2025, I chaired a meeting of the Angus Council Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan steering committee |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Climate Adaptation & Agriculture' workshop with the Met Office on 30th January 2025 (at AFBI Hillsborough) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The NI national team hosted a 'Climate Adaptation & Agriculture' workshop with the Met Office on 30th January 2025 (at AFBI Hillsborough). Four representatives from Met Office's Food Security group (based in England) joined ~20 local stakeholders to identify priority areas of collaboration for Northern Ireland, with follow-up activities planned later in the year. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Climate Ready Tayside - several meetings during reporting year |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Climate Ready Tayside is a cross local authority (Angus, Dundee City and Perth & Kinross) climate partnership that seeks to deliver place-based climate adaptation policies. During the reporting year, I have been heavily involved in meetings to form the partnership which was officially launched in February 2025. Adaptation activities include aspects related to agricultural production and protection and maintenance of soils (including their function). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://adaptation.scot/our-work/climate-ready-tayside/ |
| Description | Co-creating Engagement Methods for Establishing Creative Methods Lab |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The activity focused on exploratory discusses on how to support methods leading to establishing a creative methods lab. Plans made to look at using digital technology (AI) to assist in facilitating the process of creativity. Plans for the Digital Opportunities to deliver to training on using GenAI. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Collaboration with AFN Network+ Early Careers Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The LUNZ Early Career Board collaborated with the AFN Network+ ECR board on an in-person Early Career Networking Event: Growing in Agri-Food in Bristol in October 2024. The LUNZ Hub sent 3 individuals to attend and provided a welcoming speech. The aim of the event was to foster long-term networking opportunities for anyone starting out, or transitioning to, a career in agri-food. This one-day workshop is an early career event, aimed at those working across industry, as well as academia. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Collaboration workshop between SNIFFER and the James Hutton Institute, 8th October 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A workshop was organised to identify opportunities for collaboration between SNIFFER and the James Hutton Institute with a focus on climate adaptation. Insights to Scottish Government policies, research and contract research were explored, and relationships with SEFARI Gateway (e.g. contributing to Fellowships). A bid emerged on research for NatureScot, subsequently successful, and engagement with the UKRI Land Use Net Zero Hub and activities. Further engagement is planned, including with the Scottish network and Hub events. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Combating nature loss: Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (podcast) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Fisher, H. & McCracken, D. 2024. Combating nature loss: Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (podcast). Farm Advisory Service, Natural Capital, Series 3, Episode 9, 28th January 2025 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/combating-nature-loss-scottish-biodiversity-strategy/id1622398... |
| Description | Cross Topic Advisory Group Meetings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | Quarterly meetings started in November 2024 where leads of the LUNZ Topic Advisory Groups meet to discuss what activities each are undertaking and to cross-fertilise ideas and plans. Issues discussed include the development of regionally and thematically focused Big Tent events and the LUNZ stakeholder mapping questionnaire. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024,2025 |
| Description | DOE Resilient Bioenergy Crop Production Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Participated as an international expert in the US DOE Resilient Bioenergy Crop Production Online Workshop over 3 days to identify future research challenges, opportunities and priorities. This was followed by giving a presentation at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in January 2025. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.genomicscience.energy.gov/pre-meeting-feedback-resilient-bioenergy-crop-production-works... |
| Description | Developing A Creative Methods Lab |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A presentation was given about the concepts of creativity and creative transdisciplinary methods to stimulate discussions about the formation of a Creative Methods Lab that could act as a vehicle to develop and build capacities in transdisciplinary creative research methods, practices, and modes of knowledge exchange for Net Zero research, policymaking and practice. Over the course of round table discussions, participants explored what creativity means to them, and what the barriers might be to embedding creativity in their work. Initial experiences of using creative methods were gathered,a long with ideas as to where people would like to build capacities in employing new approaches and ways of thinking. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/lunz-hub-consortium-meeting-in-edinburgh/ |
| Description | Dialogue with DAERA (Northern Ireland) on the design of a Northern Ireland Peatland Communications Campaign (Calldown 21) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The project seeks recommendations from a group of experts on the structure, content and delivery methodology of a Northern Ireland Peatland Communications Campaign. We engaged in a dialogue with DAERA to identify what evidence, methods, actions and research skills are required to deliver the Communications Campaign. The output of this engagement was a specification for a calldown project to deliver the required evidence over a period of six months. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Dialogue with DAERA to Convene and Facilitate Northern Ireland Land Use and Land Use Change Working Group (Calldown 11) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Reconciling the finite supply of land with the increasing demands on its use, including agriculture, forestry, peatland restoration, energy, residential development, and infrastructure, is a challenge for many advanced economies and Northern Ireland is no exception. Managing those sometimes conflicting land uses, requires a policy process that enables any given piece of land to deliver effective and, where possible, multiple benefits, including economic development, climate change mitigation, biodiversity value, social and cultural opportunities. Dialogue between a policy teams in the Welsh Government, Defra and the Agile Policy Centre through a series of online calls and exchanges of documents by email through summer 2024 focused on the development of a project which assembles a Land Use Working Group comprised of experts, stakeholders, and representatives of Government Departments. The aim of the Work Group would be to consolidate existing policies, currently widely distributed across a range of Government Strategies and emerging pressures, to agree what outcomes are wanted from land; and to agree a set of principles which can be applied at every level in the land use decision making process. The output of the engagement was a specification for a LUNZH calldown project to be undertaken over a period of 6 months through to March 2025. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with DEFRA and DEFRA's chief scientific advisor and other nations' scientific advisors to formulate the specification for a fellowship that will deliver a fully-referenced evidence statement on organic carbon (OC) storage-or losses-in UK soils, both nationwide and regionally. (Calldown 20) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Understanding the potential for long-term organic carbon (OC) storage and/or losses across the various types of UK soils is essential for shaping effective policies aligned with future carbon budgets. Evaluating the impacts of land-use changes, including shifts in farm or land management practices, on soil OC is also critical for supporting the UK's climate and environmental goals. To support government policy and decision-making, science advisors across the four UK nations need clear insights into existing OC stocks, potential increases in these stocks, and the actions required to drive these increases, as well as the impact of land-use changes on soil carbon storage over time in UK soils. Insights into the uncertainties within the available knowledge are also needed to enhance the scientific advice offered to policymakers. The engagement clarified the approach, which will involve a thorough desk-based literature review, designed for peer-reviewed publication, incorporating emerging data and methodological advances beyond current OC inventories where possible. The evidence gathered will be used to produce a joint statement for the Chief Scientific Advisors (CSAs) and an accompanying commission letter for internal use in government decision-making. The output of the engagement was a specification for a fellowship to deliver the required evidence over a period of six months (by 1st of September 2025) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024,2025 |
| Description | Dialogue with DEFRA on what evidence is required to improve understanding of how on-farm anaerobic digestion (AD) of agricultural waste compares with other waste and manure/slurry management practices in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Calldown 19) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | DEFRA is working to establish a policy pathway for GHG savings from on-farm AD, in line with future carbon budgets. Understanding the net-zero impact of on-farm AD is critical for DEFRA's agriculture and waste management sectors. Clarity is needed on best practices associated with on-farm AD, and its potential benefits, trade-offs and synergies with other environmental policy objectives. Evaluating avoided GHG emissions from food waste diverted to AD facilities instead of landfills is also essential. This project will inform policy steps towards agricultural GHG reductions. The output of the engagement was a specification for a calldown project to deliver the required evidence over a period of 3 months. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024,2025 |
| Description | Dialogue with DESNZ exploring the land use Implications of policies being developed by the new UK Government (2024) (Calldown 13) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The new UK Government provides a new lens on environmental problems. A rapid approach is required to explore the implications of potential new policies in the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector. Potential policies across the broader economy may also increase demands on land, impacting land available for climate mitigation. Dialogue between policy and science teams in DESNZ and the Agile Policy Centre, in the form of several online calls and email exchanges over summer and autumn 2024, considered the potential role of a LUNZH Fellow to work with DESNZ to explore both emerging policies and potential future policies, across the whole economy, to identify those with potential impacts on land use, and to assess those impacts including on the land available for mitigation actions. The output from the engagement was a specification for the calldown for consideration by the science and policy teams alongside the policy positions evolving within government. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with DESNZ to formulate evidence needs of sustainability criteria for sourcing of biomass feedstocks (Calldown 12) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Following the publication of the UK Biomass Strategy, the UK committed to implementing improved sustainability criteria for the sourcing of biomass feedstocks. As part of this process, DESNZ has been exploring policy options in line with commitments made in the Strategy, including commissioning a set of three reports on: 1. Minimising current uncertainties relating to indirect land use change factors; 2. The impact of imported biomass feedstock production on soil carbon stocks; 3. The sustainable use of wastes and residues for bioenergy and biofuels in the UK. Dialogue in the form of several online calls and exchanges of documents in emails between DESNZ policy and science leads and the LUNZH Agile Policy Centre, in the summer and autumn of 2024, focused on developing an approach to peer reviewing these reports and to advise on any issues which may require tackled in advance of their publication. Discussions identified a high level of confidentiality associated with handling the reports and their recommendations which informed the approach taken for the recruitment of reviewers and management of the calldown process. Output from the engagement was a specification of a call for peer reviewers from the LUNZH partners of the three reports commissioned by DESNZ. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with DESNZ to formulate evidence needs on the impacts of global forest degradation (Calldown 14) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | International climate policy places a strong focus on forests as the land use with the highest mitigation potential in the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector. However, estimates of potential CO2 removals from forest ecosystems, and avoided emissions from the halting and prevention of deforestation set out by the IPCC do not fully take into account forest degradation. Furthermore, carbon finance programmes such as REDD+ do not necessarily require countries to report levels of degradation within forests that have continuous tree cover. Dialogue in the form of several online calls and email exchanges between policy and science representatives in DESNZ, and the Agile Policy Centre, considered the potential role of a LUNZH Fellow to work with DESNZ to review and communicate the carbon impacts of forest degradation to better understand how to focus policy interventions. Such work could feed into informing spending review bids to enable action in developing countries. The topic discussed also relates to on-going work on UK Government International Forestry policy. The output from the engagement was a specification for the calldown for consideration by the science and policy teams alongside the policy positions evolving within government. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with Defra on a Fellowship working on Net Zero modelling (Calldown 9) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The Defra Net Zero Strategy Team was seeking support for development of a systems approach to emissions modelling in the agricultural sector. In particular assistance was required in developing a visual communication tool for officials, ministers and other stakeholders illustrating issues around land use and net zero, and in identifying and developing best practice to contribute to wider systems research within Defra. Dialogue between the Net Zero Strategy Team and the Agile Policy Centre, in a series of online calls and exchanges of documents by email through summer 2024, focused on identifying the needs for a the visual communication tool, comprising a package of short infographic updates illustrating land use change in a form that makes for easy updating as and when more evidence becomes available. The output of the engagement was a specification of a calldown for recruiting a LUNZH Fellow or fellowship team to work with the Net Zero Strategy Team on delivery of the materials sought. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with Defra on a rapid literature review of benefits and risks of different spatial targeting and prioritisation approaches (Calldown 3) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Analysis by Defra found that spatial targeting and prioritisation will be required to deliver land-based environmental and climate targets. There is a lack of guidance on how best to implement spatial targeting and prioritisation between outcomes to navigate these issues. There was a need to understand the risks and benefits of existing approaches to inform design principles for future Defra policymaking. Dialogue in the form of several online calls and email exchanges over winter and spring 2024, between policy and science representatives in Defra and the Agile Policy Centre, focused on designing a calldown project to produce a literature review of available scientific and grey literature of the types, benefits and risks of different approaches to spatial targeting and prioritisation of actions for environmental and climate outcomes. The review would include an overview of approaches to spatial targeting and prioritisation that have been employed in the UK and other countries, insights on the potential benefits and risks of each type of approach, and the extent to which it is spatially sensitive, and insights on what conditions may be required for spatial targeting and prioritisation mechanisms to be successful. The output from the engagement was a specification for a calldown project to deliver on the requirements over a three month time period. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with Defra on a synthesis of evidence on spatial planning approaches for infrastructure (Calldown 4) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The UK Government launched a Task Force to develop a spatial planning approach for the development and delivery of policies relating to infrastructure. Recommendations by the Task Force should be informed by the latest insights from scientific and grey literature on what works, where, for whom, in what circumstances, and how. Dialogue with a Defra policy team, in online calls and exchanges of information by email over spring 2024, focused upon designing a project to obtain insights on how existing spatial planning approaches have been set up and how they work, including their effectiveness in delivering infrastructure. Priority interest was in practical observations on spatial planning and recommendations for actionable changes to achieve efficient and timely infrastructure delivery. The conclusion from the engagement was that too much of the scope of the request was outwith the remit of the LUNZH, particularly regarding energy and transport infrastructure, for it to be take forward by means available to the Hub. As such the topic of the calldown proposal was recorded as ineligible for the LUNZH. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with Defra on aligning soil monitoring, methods and metrics across the 4 Nations (Calldown 15) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales there is a unique opportunity to align soil measuring and monitoring programmes before new subsidy regimes are embedded and individual sampling programmes finalised. A lack of consistency in how soils are measured and monitored across the 4 nations is a widely recognised and an entrenched problem that limits the integration of datasets and therefore the ability to identify trends at larger spatial scales and compare results. Dialogue with a Defra policy team, leading on behalf of the relevant 4 nations teams, in online calls and exchanges of information by email over autumn 2024, focused upon the development of an agreed set of metrics and methodologies that are used as a standard across UK administrations. The approach agreed was a combination of reviews of current plans for the measurement and monitoring of soils in the 4 nations of the UK (e.g. developed by the Soils Topic Advisory Group), and a workshop to discuss approaches proposed for the UK. The output from the engagement was a specification for a calldown project to deliver on the requirements over a six month time period to summer 2025. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with Defra on assessing the benefits of productivity grants (Calldown 2) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The Farming Investment Fund (FIF) offers grants focused on supporting farmers and growers to process, diversify and add-value to their products. Dialogue with a Defra policy team, in online calls and exchanges of information by email over winter 2024, focused on producing an assessment of the environmental benefits that can be achieved by the uptake of items of equipment funded under the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) and the Farming Transformation Fund (FTF) grants. The aim was to contribute to the evaluation of the impact and value for money of the scheme. The output of the engagement was a specification for a LUNZH calldown project to be undertaken over a period of 2 months to March 2024, under strict conditions of confidentiality. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with Defra provide insights to land use modelling and analysis for documentation for consulting on a Land Use Framework for England (Calldown 18) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A framework is proposed to support delivery of a shared vision for land use in England, with a consultation and technical annex published in January 2025. A contribution to the technical annex of the consultation documents was sought by the Defra Systems Research Team, requesting an overview of approaches to scenario-based land use change modelling, explaining why scenarios are in land use planning, and a series of short case studies that articulate the key principles, making use of existing published scenarios/framework, to illustrate how the inclusion of different considerations in the construction of land use scenarios impacts the outcomes recommendations. Dialogue with a Defra team, in online calls and development of a brief over a few days in October 2024, co-constructed a brief for targeted requests to be sent to selected LUNZH partners, in turn requiring case study materials the following week to be shared with Defra. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://consult.defra.gov.uk/land-use-framework/land-use-consultation/ |
| Description | Dialogue with Defra regarding designing and running a workshop for non-Government major landowners in England (Calldown 6) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Major non-government land-owners (MLOs) make up approximately 500,000 ha of UK land. This presents a significant opportunity to influence acceleration of the delivery on environmental and climate objectives through land use change on the land of MLOs. Combining the government's existing evidence base with those of non-government MLOs could help to inform strategic decisions on land use change. Dialogue with a Defra policy team, in online calls and exchanges of information by email over spring and summer 2024, focused upon how to approach the preparation and running of a workshop to understand what non-government MLOs are currently doing in terms of land use change activities to deliver environmental and climate outcomes, and enablers and barriers to land use change, what the appetite land use change of this sector of land ownership. The output from the engagement was a specification for the design, delivery and reporting of a workshop with major non-government landowners in England, to be completed in summer 2024. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with Defra to assess the land use implications of agricultural production innovation and change (Calldown 7) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Defra needed an understanding of the food production implications of land use changing to meet environmental policy commitments. They have analysis of the potential effects on agricultural production of land use changes, but need an assessment of how changes in agri-food production systems could potentially moderate (or otherwise) the tensions between land use change and food production objectives. The central research question arising was what are the effects, on land use, of innovation in and changes to agricultural production systems in the medium- to long-term (2035 - 2050)? The focus was to be on what the innovations might mean for future agri-food production, and what that might imply for agricultural land use. Dialogue in the form of several online calls and email exchanges over spring and summer 2024, between policy and science representatives in Defra and the Agile Policy Centre, focused on designing a calldown project aimed at the production end of the agri-food chain, but some assumptions about consumer demand/acceptance will be necessary. It should applications and implications of agricultural innovations at a sectoral level (e.g. dairy, beef, horticulture, wheat), otherwise at least at livestock, crops, etc., sub-divisions. The output of the engagement was a specification for a calldown project to deliver on the requirements over a six month time period to early 2025. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with Defra to design a network of living labs for agroecology and regenerative farming research and development demonstrations (Calldown 1) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Some land use changes depend on farmer knowledge and mode of delivery. Research suggests farmers lack access to trusted sources of independent and robust advice and information on beneficial agricultural practices. Given farmer preferences for peer-to-peer learning as the most reliable route for knowledge sharing, some have established demonstration farms (or living labs) to test and showcase alternative practices. Dialogue between a Defra policy team and the Agile Policy Centre through a series of online calls and exchanges of documents by email through 2024 focused on preparing a LUNZH Fellowship to aid in designing a network of living labs for agroecology and regenerative farming research and development demonstrations. The network is expected to enable user-centred applied research and farmer-led knowledge exchange; lead to strategically coordinated funding, trials, and test technologies and practices on real farms; fill evidence gaps around practices, including impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, soil health, productivity, economics, social indicators, and farmer confidence; and the development of standards for data collection, sharing and framework for monitoring and evaluation. The output from the engagement was a specification of a calldown for recruiting a LUNZH Fellow or fellowship team to take up the activities sought. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with Defra to formulate evidence needs on delivery and trade-offs of the Farming and Countryside Programme (Calldown 8) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Defra identified a need to assess the delivery and trade-offs of Farming and Countryside Programme (FCP) environmental objectives under different spatial targeting scenarios. The aims were to: i) identify what can be delivered towards action-based objectives under different budgets, levels of spatial targeting and regulation; ii) whether the intended outcome-based objectives can be delivered under under these scenarios. Dialogue with the policy team, in online calls and exchanges of information by email over spring 2024, focused upon development and use of the RSPB mini-LUSP (Land Use Scenario Project) model which was built for a Defra funded project (ECM_58632), which runs a high number of scenarios within a short-timeframe by taking spatially explicit inputs and provide spatially agnostic outputs. The conclusion from the engagement was that the specific requirements of development from an existing modelling system would be incompatible with the eligibility of organisations to undertake calldown projects within the LUNZ Hub. After discussion, the prospective calldown proposal was withdrawn. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with Defra to formulate the approach to a review on existing research and findings on measures used in countries outside England, towards achieving net zero consistent greenhouse gas emissions across sectors of agriculture, land use (including peat), waste, wastewater and fluorinated gases (Calldown 16) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Defra identified a need to assess evidence through a comparative analysis on the adoption and effectiveness of international net zero measures and policies in sectors where conditions are similar to those in England: agriculture, land-use (including peat and forestry), waste, wastewater and fluorinated gas. The aims were: (I) an overview of what comparative analysis has been undertaken on the adoption, deployment and effectiveness of net zero measures and policies in these sectors, and in particular, it is interested in an analysis of international policies which have been successful in delivering decarbonisation and the removal of emissions in these sectors and an explanation for why and how these are effective, and the level of confidence in the evidence provided; and (ii) an evidence synthesis on decarbonisation and emission removal policies from comparable countries, in Defra sectors. The output from the engagement was a specification for a calldown project to deliver on the requirements over a four month time period to March 2025. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with Defra to undertake a literature review of monitoring and evaluation strategies to develop an adaptive approach to land use change (Calldown 5) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Achieving statutory environmental and climate objectives through land use change poses a major delivery challenge, due to tensions across objectives and high uncertainty about the effectiveness of delivery mechanisms. Interest has been expressed by all UK nations on tracking the extent to which land use change contributes to outcomes and how; to quickly identify failures, learn from them, and shift to a better approach. Dialogue in the form of several online calls and email exchanges over summer 2024, between policy and science representatives in Defra and the Agile Policy Centre, focused on designing a calldown project to undertake a review of available scientific and grey literature of existing monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities across the land use space, using the Defra draft Theory of Change and Question Tree, to identify which questions are already being answered by existing M&E and which need bespoke monitoring to be put in place. The review was to: i) identify key success factors for an adaptive approach to land use change, prioritising empirical evidence; ii) provide recommendations on how to establish an adaptive approach to delivery through land use change, i.e. recommendations on a land use monitoring and evaluation framework based on (i) and existing M&E activities. The output of the engagement was a specification for a calldown project to deliver on the requirements over a three month time period. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with Welsh Government and Defra to support a project on legacy Phosphorus stored in agricultural soils in the River Wye valley (Calldown 10) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The River Wye, on the border between Wales and England, is a failing Special Area of Conservation (SAC) river, in some parts of which the levels of phosphorus exceed maximum levels set by the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales. Advice is being sought on alternative crops, possibly deep-rooted, that could be used in arable and livestock systems that would lead to the depletion of excessive stores of Phosphorus that they have been identified in soils. Levels of soil Phosphorus above the level of crop requirement is lost to water causing water quality issues in the river catchment which could include nitrate leaching and sediment. Dialogue between a policy teams in the Welsh Government, Defra and the Agile Policy Centre through a series of online calls and exchanges of documents by email through summer and autumn 2024 focused on the development of a project to provide evidence on the most effective farmer actions for depleting soil P, addressing research questions of: i) how can excessive levels of soil phosphorus in agricultural soils be depleted? ii) what arable cropping, forage crops and livestock systems could farmers adopt to deplete excess soil phosphorus to reduce the loss of phosphorus from land to water courses? The output from the engagement was a specification for a LUNZH calldown project to be undertaken over a period of 18 months through to December 2025. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Dialogue with the Welsh Government Department for Climate Change and Rural Affairs on an intership to facilitate identification of opportunities for the LUNZ Hub programme to contribute to the policy needs of the Welsh Government and help in drafting potential calldown activities (Calldown 17) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The Welsh Government sought an internship to help provide the Welsh Government LUNZ Hub team with additional capacity to track activities in the LUNZ Hub, across the three Work Packages, and for formulating potential calldown projects. The dialogue helped to identify the key tasks to be undertaken by the intern and identified the key skills required and support by LUNZ Hub, such as mentoring by a professional in the Agile Policy Centre who holds the same role and access to training and networking through The LUNZ Hub Early Career Board (ECB), with the aim of providing guidance and professional development support. The output from the engagement was a specification for a calldown project to deliver on the requirements and specifications over a period of 21 months (i.e., the estimated end of operational phase of LUNZ Hub project in Q1 2027). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024,2025 |
| Description | Discussion meetings of Land Use Change Topic Advisory Group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | Discussion meetings of the project participants with others from partner organisations, and including Government departments/agencies, to review reports and papers about land use change |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | EDI and Social Justice: Part I |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Update to the devolved governments, Defra and Desnz about LUNZ Hub activity across EDI and Social justice. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | EDI and Social Justice: Part II |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Update to the devolved governments, Defra and Desnz about LUNZ Hub activity across EDI and Social justice. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | EFG Board Meeting - Fordingbridge - AC - 10.10.2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Environmental Farmers Group network event |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | EFG Farm Cluster group - evening meeting - 23.09.24 - AC |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Environmental Farmers Group network event |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | EFG Farmers Meeting -Berwick St John - 20.12.2024 AC |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Environmental Farmers Group network event |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | EFG Farmers Meeting -Warminster - 03.10.2024 AC |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Environmental Farmers Group network event |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | EU DG Agri Technical Workshop on Solidarity and Rural Communities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Invited participation in an expert panel of an EU DG Agri Joint Meeting with the Members of The Civil Dialogue Group on Cap Strategic Plans and Horizontal Matters and the Members of the Expert Group on the Implementation of the CAP Strategic Plans Regulation, 16th and 17th May 2024, Brussels, Belgium. The aims of the workshop were to collect evidence, views and experience in relation to challenges, needs, opportunities and issues that diverse rural communities and territories in the EU are facing, and possibilities for addressing them. The forum comprised a representative from each EU Member State, and invited stakeholder groups. Materials presented originated from the EU GRANULAR, UNISECO, SHERPA and SIMRA projects, and Strategic Research Programme work on assessing the environmental, social and economic characteristics of rural areas, land use and change, natural capital, historic and projected changes in demographic profiles. Requests followed for further information on specific points presented (e.g. new data on shrinking areas, not now reported for the UK by the EU Joint Research Centre), and invitations to participate in subsequent conversations, including to a future activity in the European Rural Parliament. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/document/download/c68a400b-8d9a-464a-a4d0-ced880535690_en?filename=... |
| Description | Early Careers Meeting and Greet - LUNZ Consortium Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The LUNZ Early Careers Board held an Early Careers Meet & Greet on the morning of the consortium meeting in Edinburgh in September 2024. Coffee and pastries were provided and early career individuals were able to network and share learning from their various vantage points in the LUNZ Hub. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Early Careers Session at LUNZ Hub Consortium Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | During the 2024 Consortium Meeting in Edinburgh, the Early Careers Board and EDI hosted a session with all consortium members. The Early Career Board shared their activities to date gathered feedback on the most useful and relevant ways the LUNZ Hub can support the development of early career researchers and practitioners in the LUNZ Hub & Research projects. The session resulted in many ideas for how to further engage other consortium members with early career activities and pursue additional activities within the board. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Eight Facts about Biochar with Professor Colin Snape and Dr Tom Bott |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The fifth edition in LUNZ Soil Health and Carbon Dynamics Topic Advisory Group Talking Heads interviews, in which key themes related to the TAG are discussed with topic experts and then translated for the general public. This interview and accompanying blog is designed to be understood by a lay audience, thus resulting in a better understanding of important research pertaining to soil across the LUNZ Hub community and amongst external stakeholders. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/eight-facts-about-biochar-with-professor-colin-snape-and-dr-tom-bott/ |
| Description | Eleven Facts about Soil Carbon with Professor Pete Smith |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The first edition in LUNZ Soil Health and Carbon Dynamics Topic Advisory Group Talking Heads interviews, in which key themes related to the TAG are discussed with topic experts and then translated for the general public. This interview and accompanying blog is designed to be understood by a lay audience, thus resulting in a better understanding of important research pertaining to soil across the LUNZ Hub community and amongst external stakeholders. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/ten-questions-on-soil-carbon-with-professor-pete-smith/ |
| Description | Energy Transition Study Visitor from Australia |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A study visit was hosted on the topic of the Energy Transition, by Nils Hay, CEO of the Mid West Development Commission, Western Australia (https://www.mwdc.wa.gov.au/about-us/our-staff/nils-hay), on 24th April 2024. Topics included narratives of the development of renewable energy in Scotland, with examples including social innovations of wind and solar energy, and larger scale offshore wind energy (Aberdeen windfarm) and associated community benefit funds. Discussion considered the comparisons in types of initiatives (e.g. community renewable energy; hydrogen economy for farming, at Glensaugh), trajectories and triggers of change (e.g. gaps in policy and markets), between north-east Scotland and Western Australia, and Australia more generally. Tools for use with stakeholder and public audiences included virtual reality (e.g. Virtual Landscape Theatre) and recent funding secured through the North-East Just Transition Fund. Further exchanges included information and findings from research and initiatives of public and private sectors, including background to the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) and its part in the economic transitions from fossil fuel to renewable energy in Aberdeen and area. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Expert Panel at Transition and Transformation: Changing Approaches to Regional Innovation and Collaboration, organised by Scottish Enterprise and Scotland Europa, Aberdeen, 25th September 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Elected representatives, and participants from public authorities, business and research organisations contributed to two events run by Scotland Europa and Scottish Enterprise in Aberdeen, September 2024, on Approaches to Regional Innovation (25th September) and Collaboration, and the Aberdeen Innovation Ecosystem (26th September). Invited participation was made to an expert panel on a Mission-driven innovation and ecosystems approach, identifying opportunities and gaps in engagement in the EU research and innovation programmes, and prospects for securing funding from the upcoming FP10. Questions included about areas to which north-east Scotland, and Scotland as a whole, can create significant impacts (e.g. as a regional innovation valley) noted the need to understand regional strengths and ecosystem, including how to leverage investment in the Strategic Research Programme, and wider portfolio. Conclusions noted that 'Team Scotland' should be focused on throughout its approach to EU engagement, aligning resources and sharing the burden of who can bring Scotland's credibility to conversations at strategic and project levels. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Exploratory workshop: Enabling transitions to net zero in land use - what works? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An online exploratory workshop was held with 27 participants from teh LUNZ Hub and associated stakeholders. These represented: forestry, environment, livestock, arable, financial economics, climate science, farmland nature, farm advice, rural business consultant, farmers/owner, paludiculture management, economics, behavioural science, knowledge exchange. Overall aim: to establish how the research community can support transitions to net zero in land use. The objectives: • To agree a framework of key enabling conditions • To harvest success stories and identify common factors/levers/principles • To identify gaps in the evidence and priorities for research After a presentation of the current understanding of enabling transitions, responses to the two online questions participants were asked when they registered were presented. Following this, four break-out groups shared and discussed successful and non-successful on the ground interventions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/LUNZ_Hub_enablingonthegroundtransition_TAG_Explora... |
| Description | Exploratory workshop: Enabling transitions to net zero in land use in Scotland- what works? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An online exploratory workshop was held with stakeholders in Scotland representing forestry, peat restoration, crofting and environment, livestock, arable, financial economics, climate science, farmland nature, farm advice, rural business consultant, farmers/owner, paludiculture management, economics, behavioural science, knowledge exchange. Workshop aims and objectives Overall aim: to establish how the research community can support transitions to net zero in land use in Scotland. The objectives: • To agree a framework of key enabling conditions • To harvest success stories and identify common factors/levers/principles • To identify gaps in the evidence and priorities for research |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | FABLE (Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land-use and Energy) Workshop, Royal Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Workshop hosted by the Royal Society to introduce the FABLE initiative and model, the results of previous work and its role in the Land Use for Net Zero Hub in simulating the co-created pathways for transforming land use for net zero, nature and people. A panel was held on current policy ambitions related to land use and related evidence needs with insights from DEFRA, DESNZ, DAERA, Welsh Government and Scottish Government followed by structured table discussions on (i) what capability and outputs of the FABLE model are useful for UK government policy processes? (ii) What is missing and important to prioritise for future developments of the model? (iii) What is important to prioritise for the development of pathways? (iv) How can we raise awareness of FABLE capabilities in policy processes? (v) What research is required to help a) support land use related policy development and b) further build and refine the FABLE model? |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.ceh.ac.uk/es/node/29250 |
| Description | Farming Connect event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Workshop with Farming Connect at Aberystwyth University including representatives from the farming community on the linking R&D through to agricultural practice. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Farming at a crossroads: how farmers are navigating the agricultural transition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A short blog entry promoting the Green Alliance 'Farming at a crossroads: how farmers are navigating the agricultural transition' report. This blog informs the LUNZ Hub community of a new publication which is relevant to the Hub and its work, therefore helping the Hub community to stay up-to-date with new developments in research and practice. Similarly, promoting other organisations' materials which are relevant to the Hub through the Hub website helps to build stronger links between the Hub community and external organisations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/farming-at-a-crossroads-how-farmers-are-navigating-the-agricultural-tr... |
| Description | Fenland Soil Conference 2025 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At the Fenland Soil Conference 2025 in Ely, the University of Leicester ran a workshop for about 40 minutes on Digital technologies for sustainable land use, focusing on the estimation of carbon dioxide emissions from agriculture on drained peatland. The audience were mostly farmers, with some policy makers and other companies present. We demonstrated a machine learning model to estimate field-scale net ecosystem exchange from Earth observation and flux tower data. There was high interest in this technology. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.fenlandsoil.org/conference-2025/ |
| Description | First LUNZ Big Tent Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The First Big Tent Event was a day designed to foster creative discussions and learnings about individual and organisational views concerning the value, prospects and challenges of changing land use to achieve Net Zero and meet the needs of people and nature. The event was opened by Professor Mathew Williams, Chief Scientific Adviser for Scottish Government, who gave an introductory speech focussing on the land use challenges in Scotland, and how science can support policymaking. Stimulated by two films created by Place Collective, the rest of the day was organised around a series of breakout discussions and activities . These were structured into two themes: listening to people's views on land use and Net Zero and implementing change and were followed by a knowledge exchange panel session with policymakers. The panel discussion chaired by Professor David Miller from the LUNZ Hub, and involving Clive Mitchell (Nature Scotland), John Kerr (Scottish Government) and Nada Saidi (Defra). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/first-lunz-hub-big-tent-event-key-themes/ |
| Description | Follow up discussion with ScotGov agricultural teams |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Follow up to further discuss, develop and propose agriculture-related calldown ideas through Agile Policy Centre. 3 ideas drafted to be shared with ScotGov lead for approval and sharing with WP1 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Food and Land Use Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Workshop of the Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land Use and Energy consortium on modelling pathways to sustainable land and food systems. Included a panel and debate with policymakers in Mexico on sustainable land use and food system policy and how modelling and scientific evidence can support policy |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Formal Working Group: Insights on Land Use Governance from across 5 Nations |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A Roundtable event bringing together participants from across the four jurisdictions of the UK plus the Republic of Ireland, to discuss approaches to land use policies and governance. The participants shared their local level approaches to land use issues, within the context of different policies across the countries. This facilitated discussion around effective approaches to solving land use concerns, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of land use policy development across the different countries. Each country group also highlighted key policies that support equitable land use transitions in each country, and looked at future policy development. The event facilitated cross-jurisdiction information sharing and highlighting opportunities to learn from each other. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | GGR Demonstrator Site Visit - 19.11.2024 - AC/RD |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Greenhouse Gas Recovery Network research site visit to North Wyke campus and research farm |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Groundswell Regenerative Agriculture Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Cranfield University stand engaging with farmers and representatives from agricultural organisations and business on research related to regenerative agriculture with a view to improving soil health |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://groundswellag.com/ |
| Description | Growing Opportunities for Welsh Farmers in the Biomass Industry |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Hosted a workshop "Growing Opportunities for Welsh Farmers in the Biomass Industry" which brought together researchers, extension workers, farmers, industry, policymakers, and green finance on overcoming barriers for the sector. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.biomassconnect.org/news/growing-opportunities-for-welsh-farmers-in-the-biomass-industry/ |
| Description | Harnessing Innovation, the future of biomass |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The Harnessing Innovation, the future of biomass event, hosted by Biomass Connect, showcased the latest innovations in biomass production and processing emerging from the Biomass Feedstocks Innovation Programme and included presentations and practical workshop sessions from a wide range of speakers from all areas of the biomass industry. The event included an exhibition of planting machinery, aeroponics, decision support tools, breeding advances and other innovations from across the biomass supply chain. The event aimed to showcase progress and explore the process of continuing funding for the innovations supported under the Biomass Feedstocks Innovation Programme. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.biomassconnect.org/showcase-event/# |
| Description | Hosted visit Environment Agency Chair and team |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presented work to EA Chair, Chief Scientist and Chief Scientist team discussions on soils and Agricultural Land Classification in the context of multi functional land use decisions including outcomes for net zero people and nature |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | How the Four Nations Monitor their Soils - an Overview From the Soil TAG |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In February 2024 the LUNZ Hub Soil TAG held a collaborative workshop to identify, map and evaluate readiness of soil-assessment-focussed research for policy delivery taking place across the UK. As part of the workshop, representatives from each nation submitted details of their national monitoring schemes, which the Soil TAG summarised into a visual resource which can be used by members of the Hub to stay up-to-date with what each of the four nations are currently doing, highlighting discrepancies, similarities, and areas for harmonisation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Overview-of-National-Soil-Monitoring-Schemes-Visua... |
| Description | In-kind Partners' Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The primary focus of the in-kind partners' workshop, held on the 20th of May, was to provide an introductory overview of the LUNZ Hub, including its objectives, methodologies, and opportunities for engagement. The presentation was delivered by Lee-Ann Sutherland and Heiko Balzter, who served as the chairs and presented the slide deck summary. A significant highlight of the workshop was the networking event. Multiple breakout sessions were organised to facilitate interactions among attendees, allowing them to share their insights regarding their involvement with the LUNZ Hub. Subsequently, the lead and co-lead of the various Topic Advisory Groups (TAGs) delivered presentations detailing each topic and outlining their respective goals within the LUNZ Hub, providing a deeper understanding of the programme. Attendees were then grouped into breakout rooms according to their TAG affiliations, where they had the opportunity to engage in collaborative discussions with TAG experts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Intro to Scenario work of WP3 for policy makers |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | At the launch event of the consortium at Cranfield, the WP3 team provided a short c- devleopment workshop session for policymakers to explain the scenario futures work of WP3 of the LUNZ hub, and give them an opportunity to input ideas and raise issues with the planned process. This was a hybrid session conducted in person and also online to enable wider participation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Introduction to Stakeholder mapping exercise |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Introducing stakeholder mapping exercise to the Hub members and invite attendees in round table discussions to provide a list of stakeholders related toTAGs remit Outcome: Plan for stakeholder mapping agreed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Introduction to the LUNZ Hub: Priorities and Objectives |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | Webinar with Lee-Ann Sutherland and Heiko Balzter, co-leads of the LUNZ hub, about LUNZ hub priorities, objectives and activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/introduction-to-the-lunz-hub-priorities-and-objective/ |
| Description | Introduction to the Soils TAG at JNCC |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentations to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, informing members of the Soil TAG's plans and how they intersect with and inform policymaking. The result of this presentation was more familiarity for policymakers of the LUNZ Hub structure, and developing a working relationship which will go on to produce further collaboration between the two parties. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Introduction to the Soils TAG at Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentations to the Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services, informing members of the Soil TAG's plans and how they intersect with and inform policymaking. The result of this presentation was more familiarity for policymakers of the LUNZ Hub structure, and developing a working relationship which will go on to produce further collaboration between the two parties. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Introductory webinar to LUNZ and the Agile Policy Centre |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A webinar for Defra and DESNZ introducing the LUNZ Hub and focusing on the Agile Policy Centre. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Invited chair of a roundtable session on Soil Biodiversity at the Brownfield Land Scotland 2025 conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I was invited by the conference organisers to chair a roundtable discussion on soil biodiversity in the context of Brownfield sites at the 2025 Brownfield Land Scotland conference held in Glasgow on 4 February 2025 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.brownfieldscotland.com/ |
| Description | Invited presentation to colleagues at SLU Skara and Uppsala |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | I presented a talk entitled "Monitoring Soil Health: Soil Biology" to colleagues at SLU Skara and Uppsala on 25 February 2025 highlighting the importance of the inclusion of soil biodiversity in soil health monitoring which underpinned subsequent discussion on how to link precision agriculture activities to soil health monitoring |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Joint Leadership Team Meeting - LUNZ Research Projects |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The representatives of the 5 Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People Programme research projects provided overviews of their planned activities to the Land Use for Net Zero Hub leadership team. This activity sparked discussion of potential connections between the projects and identified a number of areas where multiple projects were working on similar issues. As a result, the projects have held further meetings to ensure that there is no duplication, and to work together toward joint aims. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | LUNZ Early Career Board Monthly Meetings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Every month the ~24 members of the EC board are invited to a meeting where they do an icebreaker activity before having a discussion about planning for various Early Career Board activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024,2025 |
| Description | LUNZ Early Career Strategy Session |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | In 2024, the LUNZ Early Careers Board held an online strategy session to take stock of progress to date and generate plans for next steps. The result was a series of priority activities to pursue for the coming year and designated individuals to take these ideas forward. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | LUNZ Hub Advisory Board meeting (On-line) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | An initial meeting of the LUNZ Hub advisory board was held to familiarise board members with the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | LUNZ Hub Quarterly Newsletter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The LUNZ Hub Quarterly Newsletter is disseminated to over 400 readers, updating both members of the Hub community and external stakeholders of progress within the Hub. Through this engagement, readers are given insight into the Hub's planned activities, which likely results in higher engagement with those activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://us18.campaign-archive.com/?u=f455464359ff0830e5b264b11&id=8864af14c8 |
| Description | LUNZ Mentorship Program - Round 1 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The purpose of the Mentorship Program is to facilitate opportunities for early career researchers and professionals working on the LUNZ Hub or Research projects to be mentored by senior members of the LUNZ Hub. The program is run in cycles of 6 month, which includes a call for interested mentors to submit their mentor profiles and mentees to submit their interest to participate. The LUNZ EC board matches mentors and mentees and hosts a mentorship launch event. The pairs are provided with guiding expectations and impact capture forms. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | LUNZ Mentorship Program - Round 2 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The purpose of the Mentorship Program is to facilitate opportunities for early career researchers and professionals working on the LUNZ Hub or Research projects to be mentored by senior members of the LUNZ Hub. The program is run in cycles of 6 month, which includes a call for interested mentors to submit their mentor profiles and mentees to submit their interest to participate. The LUNZ EC board matches mentors and mentees and hosts a mentorship launch event. The pairs are provided with guiding expectations and impact capture forms. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | LUNZ WP2 cross-TAG meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The leads for the Topic Advisory Groups discussed the various activities each were undertaking, and where each TAG could support or share information. The Digital Opportunities TAG had a key follow-up with other TAGs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | LUNZ WP3 Co-development workshop 1 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | On 9-10 April 2024, 40 stakeholders from the land use sector gathered in Manchester for the workshop on UK Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People, organised by the Land Use for Net Zero (LUNZ) Hub. The main aims of the workshop were to: • Introduce the LUNZ Hub Net Zero Futures Platform and its proposed work plan. • Gain consensus on the scope and the main components and principles of a common scenario framework that is flexible enough for unique pathway development in each of the four nations but allows for comparability and synthesis. • Gain consensus on the desired environmental, societal and economic outcomes of the pathways. The two-day workshop included sessions on defining land use targets for net zero, nature and people in 2050 (Session 2), identifying actions to achieve these targets (Session 3), identifying important drivers of land use change (Session 6), and prioritising drivers and actions of land use change (Session 7). There were also interactive sessions on building pathways (Session 4), discussions on potential common frameworks for country pathways (Session 8) and modelling of country pathways (Session 5), and activities with the LUNZ Hub Art Collective (see Art Collective). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | LUNZ consortium workshop on priorities for climate nature and society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | An interactive session was conducted with the attendees at the Edinburgh annual LUNZ consortium meeting. A set of exercises were used to get participants to consider their own values in relation to the goals of pathways for nature, climate and society, followed by activities to explore the trade offs that may occur in relation to these. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | LUNZ hub blog post: Systems Thinking in Net Zero: The dangers of focusing, by Professor Ian Bateman |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Blog post assessing how focus on single issues is problematic for addressing net zero and other challenges. The post provides identifies the challenges and unexpected consequences of focusing too narrowly, proposing a systems approach instead. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/the-dangers-of-focussing/ |
| Description | LUNZHub Big Tent Event: Panel and Plenary Discussion - Comparing Policy and Stakeholder Priorities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A plenary discussion was held at the LUNZ Hub Big Tent Event, 19th September 2025, with a panel comprising policy leads from NatureScot (Clive Mitchell), Defra (Nada Saidi) and Scottish Government (John Kerr). Opening statements were followed by question and answers on themes of: i) how policy can support development of sustainable and resilient land use strategies; ii) influences of supply chain profitability on land use decisions and farmer livelihoods; iii) potential for a nature-positive economy that reflects true value of environmental assets; iv) integration of democracy in environmental decision-making and the levels of authority involved; v) tensions between acting promptly versus considering risks and safeguards, and vi) enhancing resilience and risk management against climate change and global events. Examples of improvements needed in the evidence base included enhancing understanding of land use dynamics, better understanding of natural capital and its implications on decision-making, understanding social behaviour and structural changes in markets. The session set the scene for follow-up activities which included NatureScot chairing joint meetings of the UKRI funded hubs LUNZ and MACC, commencing in October 2025. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/events/lunz-hub-big-tent-event/ |
| Description | Land Managers are Not Resistant to Change! |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Blog post as part of a series of 'myth-busting' blogs by LUNZ consortium members, outlining one thing they wish everyone knew about land use transition for net zero. The LUNZ hub blog is available to the public and linked to the newletter which reaches over 100 interested parties across science, policy and industry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/farmers-are-not-resistant-to-change/ |
| Description | Land Use Net Zero and Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change Hubs - Scottish network, chaired by NatureScot |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Representatives from NatureScot terrestrial science team, who also chair the SEFARI Gateway Advisory Board, convened a series of information sharing calls and workshops with the UKRI funded Land Use Net Zero (LUNZ) and Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) Hubs. The aim was to share evidence that can inform policies on climate change, particularly adaptation, and insights to how the policy engagement processes work in each Hub, and their relationship with other science policy pathways (e.g. Underpinning National Capacity, Strategic Research Programme). Knowledge of evidence gaps will inform discussion of topics NatureScot propose for inclusion in the next Strategic Research Programme (2027-32). The engagement activities are scheduled for six week intervals, and linked to an on-site workshop and tour of Glensaugh Farm, 2nd October 2024. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Land Use for Net Zero Nature and People (LUNZ) Hub LinkedIn account |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The LUNZ Hub LinkedIn account is an external-facing social media channel onto which all of the information and activities of the Hub is uploaded and is used alongside the LUNZ Hub website to inform Hub stakeholders of updates and activities across the Hub. Engagement with this social media channel has helped both internal and external stakeholders find out about why land use is important and how it is governed, as well as accessing the Hub's library of published research on the topics the LUNZ Hub will be covering. This in turn leads to further engagement with the Hub activities, and a better understanding of land use for net zero. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024,2025 |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/company/land-use-for-net-zero-hub/ |
| Description | Land Use for Net Zero Nature and People (LUNZ) Hub X account |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The LUNZ Hub X account is an external-facing social media channel onto which all of the information and activities of the Hub is uploaded and is used alongside the LUNZ Hub website to inform Hub stakeholders of updates and activities across the Hub. Engagement with this social media channel has helped both internal and external stakeholders find out about why land use is important and how it is governed, as well as accessing the Hub's library of published research on the topics the LUNZ Hub will be covering. This in turn leads to further engagement with the Hub activities, and a better understanding of land use for net zero. The LUNZ Hub X account is no longer actively posting, but remains a platform on which all events and resources previously posted can be accessed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024,2025 |
| URL | https://x.com/LUNZHub |
| Description | Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and Biodiversity Consortium meeting Edinburgh 17 to 19 September 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The LUNZ hub consortium meetings brought together the whole consortium to discuss progress to date and to detail future plans. Representatives of Defra, DESNZ and the devolved administrations (co-funders of the project with UKRI) attended to provide input to discussions of forthcoming policies and priorities for hub activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/lunz-hub-consortium-meeting-in-edinburgh/ |
| Description | Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People (LUNZ) Hub kick-off meeting in Leicester 16-18 January 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Over 70 attendees came together in Leicester for the launch of the Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People (LUNZ) Hub. The event was attended by several government ministries including Defra and Desnz, local environmental community groups, practitioners and academics. This was a chance for all the co-investigators, Topic Advisory group members, and support staff to meet one another and co-create objectives for each of the Hub's workstreams. The event was launched by University of Leicester Vice-Chancellor Professor Nishan Canagarajah, and we were joined by funders and policy partners, who gave valuable insight into the policy priorities and areas of work sought from the Hub. Led by the Hub's principal investigators, Professors Lee-Ann Sutherland and Heiko Balzter, the event was formulated around a series of interactive workshops and team-building exercises that helped build a common understanding of vision and objectives of the Hub. Presentations were given by each of the Hub's Work Package, National and Topic advisory Group leads, with feedback sessions that gave partners a chance to review and agree plans for the 40 months. The Place Collective also led a session on transdisciplinary collaboration, that gave the consortium a shared understanding of how we will work together across sectors and disciplines in the Hub. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/inaugural-lunz-hub-full-consortium-meeting-in-leicester/ |
| Description | Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People (LUNZ) Hub launch meeting in Cranfield 16 November 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | To coincide with the official launch (start of the grant) of the Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People (LUNZ) Hub, members of the Management team met with policymakers, funders and other stakeholders at Cranfield University to co-develop Hub strategy and discuss working methods over the initiative's 40-month lifespan. The interactive workshop helped establish how Defra, DESNZ, DAERA, and the Scottish and Welsh Governments will collaborate with the Hub, and enabled participants to share understanding about the UKRI's overall Transforming Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People Programme. Particular focus was on building understanding of the Agile Policy Centre - the 'rapid response' process that will enable policy-makers to Hub access expertise on land use, agricultural systems, soil health and carbon dynamics. Researchers meanwhile gained a better understanding of the policy priorities of the four UK nations, and highlighted what kind of opportunities would be available for work with scientists, industry stakeholders and other policymakers to assess the evidence on urgent and upcoming policy issues. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/hub-launches-with-policy-maker-workshop/ |
| Description | Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People Hub Bluesky account |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The LUNZ Hub Bluesky account is an external-facing social media channel onto which all of the information and activities of the Hub is uploaded and is used alongside the LUNZ Hub website to inform Hub stakeholders of updates and activities across the Hub. Engagement with this social media channel has helped both internal and external stakeholders find out about why land use is important and how it is governed, as well as accessing the Hub's library of published research on the topics the LUNZ Hub will be covering. This in turn leads to further engagement with the Hub activities, and a better understanding of land use for net zero. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024,2025 |
| URL | https://bsky.app/profile/lunz-hub.bsky.social |
| Description | Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People Hub Website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The LUNZ Hub website is an external-facing resource onto which all of the information and activities of the Hub is uploaded. Engagement with the website has helped both internal and external stakeholders find out about why land use is important and how it is governed, as well as accessing the Hub's library of published research on the topics the LUNZ Hub will be covering. This in turn leads to further engagement with the Hub activities, and a better understanding of land use for net zero. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024,2025 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/ |
| Description | Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People Management Team Meeting in Belfast, 14 to 16 November 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The LUNZ hub met to detail work plans and establish collaborative teams. Some regional policy makers were invited to discuss priorities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Lessons from the LUNZ First Big Tent event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A short lightening talk was presented at the Big Dig Day launch of the PLACE Collective's Resonance Project. The talk outlined some of the initial findings of the LUNZ Big Tent Event undertaken in Edinburgh in September 2024. The talk was designed to present some initial points for discussion at the Big Dig Day, which people could draw on in their discussions with each other during an afternoon session. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/resonance-the-big-dig-day-take-outs/ |
| Description | Liaison Group Meeting - England Team Presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | England Team presentation to the Liaison Group on the recently launched Land Use Framework Consultation |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Liaison Group Meeting - Wales Team Presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Wales Team presentation to the Liaison Group about the progress made in Wales against backdrop of SLM aims and SFS development |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Liaison meeting presentation - update on WP3 activities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On the 6th March the co-leads of WP3 presented at the LUNZ hub Liaison meeting to policymakers from the UK government and the devolved administrations. An update on work to date in delivering a set of 4 co-development workshops to co-create pathways to net zero, nature and people was shared, and an overview of the analysis planned was also presented. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Major English Landowners & Net Zero: Challenges, Opportunities & Government Support Workshop Report |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The workshop was attended by representatives of some of the principal categories of landowners (utilities companies, legacy landowners, third sector, institutions- see Annex 1), as well as participants from DEFRA and the LUNZ Hub. Following the workshop, a summary report was written summary organised according to eight categories of potential government and other stakeholder intervention that were raised during the workshop. Publishing this workshop summary has driven engagement with the workshop topic amongst the Hub community, helping to disseminate the key interventions discussed by workshop participants amongst the rest of the community and thus increasing the reach of the workshop. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LUNZ-MLO-Workshop-Summary-FINAL.pdf |
| Description | Make your Mark, contributing to an evolving artwork centred on soil and pathways to net zero |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At a workshop, participants have been invited to arrive with a teaspoon of soil. They then make a mark with their soil on a small card, and add Three Words in response to the question: 'Thinking about pathways that will enable transitions in land use, for net zero, nature and people, what three words come to mind?' In this exercise, participants begin to talk about where their soil came from, properties of soil, relevant research and experience, and opportunities and challenges in mapping pathways for change. More than 150 soil cards were collected in 2024. The cards have displayed at events on A1 boards, and in 2026 the complete collection will be exhibited as a large artwork. The words written on the cards have been recorded and Harriet Fraser is creating poetry in response to them. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Media Briefing Panel - England Land Use Framework |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Member of press briefing panel for Defra's Land Use Framework, providing expertise and commentary on science aspects of need for Land Use Framework, including the competing needs of different land uses, and the scientific basis of climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity provision, energy, water, and other land uses in England. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Meeting between LUNZ Research Projects and LUNZ Hub |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Land Use For Net Zero Hub and five scientific research projects were funded under the UKRI@s Transforming Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People Programme. The principal investigators of the five research projects were invited to present to the leadership team of the Land Use for Net Zero Hub at the leadership team meeting in September 2024. The presentations sparked discussion of the potential for collaboration on related topics, and led to further meetings to discuss regional focus, alignment on scenarios and engagement with stakeholders. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Meeting with Andrew Niven, representing forestry stakeholders in Scotland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Meeting with Andrew Niven, initiated by him on hearing about LUNZ, to discuss representation of forestry and related issues and stakeholders within LUNZ activities. Various points were followed up within the consortium, and suggestions for relevant stakeholders added to distribution & invitation lists. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | National teams: updates and reflections on what has worked |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Working with the Nations Teams and across the LUNZ hub to identify what activities have been happening, what the barriers to understanding have been and where there have been successes and why. Learning from each other about what has been useful, and where the gaps are in knowledge from a national policy perspective. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Natural England presentations |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentations to the non-departmental public body Natural England, informing members of the Soil TAG's plans and how they intersect with and inform policymaking. The result of this presentation was more familiarity for policymakers of the LUNZ Hub structure, and developing a working relationship which will go on to produce further collaboration between the two parties. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Net zero land use lego game at CxC Climate Horizon 2040 conference, Edinburgh |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Around 80 joined a workshop proposed for the CxC event, using a simplified version of WP3's lego game to facilitiate discussions around scenarios or net zero land use in Scotland. The workshop had significant interest and engagement, and a blog post was produced for both CxC and LUNZ channels communicating outcomes for research, policy and practice audiences. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/lego-land-use-at-the-climatexchange-climate-horizon-2040-conference/ |
| Description | Net zero pathways meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of the LUNZ Hub viability indicator to professional practitioners working on pathways to net zero |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Nine Facts about Enhanced Rock Weathering with Professor David Beerling |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The fourth edition in LUNZ Soil Health and Carbon Dynamics Topic Advisory Group Talking Heads interviews, in which key themes related to the TAG are discussed with topic experts and then translated for the general public. This interview and accompanying blog is designed to be understood by a lay audience, thus resulting in a better understanding of important research pertaining to soil across the LUNZ Hub community and amongst external stakeholders. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/nine-facts-about-enhanced-rock-weathering-with-professor-david-beerlin... |
| Description | Northern Ireland Pathway Workshop from the LUNZ Hub Net Zero Futures Platform |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | • WP3 NI workshop to develop and agree on locally acceptable NZ pathways was held on 14-15 January2025 (online) and attended by ~30 stakeholders. The attendants were engaging and the initial feedback was positive. In advance of the workshop, the national team worked closely with WP3 team to develop a local version of FABLE model to suit local agricultural constraints as well as locally relevant and acceptable transformation options. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | OECD workshop on comparative agroecology - invited attendee |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | Invited workshop funded by OECD - The workshop will take advantage of the knowledge and research of both social scientists and natural scientists working at the intersection of agroecology, water management, and food production. Although the importance of society-environment interconnectedness is well recognised within the concept of 'socio-ecological systems', this concept lacks specific grounding and tools to enable a truly comparative approach. Hence defining and enabling a 'comparative agroecology' approach, through incorporation of a social science lens, will allow the participants to explore more deeply how diverse governance systems, policies, population demographics, etc interact with biotic and abiotic components across agroecological systems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Observations from the farming front line. What can LUNZ learn from the Oxford Real Farming Conference? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Following our attendance at the Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC), the LUNZ Hub communications team wrote a blog about the key takeaways from the conference. The aim of this blog was to inform the Hub of what it can learn from the ORFC, including on how to use the takeaways to better engage with on-farm stakeholders. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/observations-from-the-oxford-real-farming-conference-2025/ |
| Description | PREMIERE webinar: Understanding the requirements for multi-actor call for proposals in Horizon Europe, 11th December 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An invited contribution was made to the EU Horizon Europe PREMIERE project on the topic of the Multi Actor Approach (MAA). The aim was to inform the preparation of project proposals using the MAA through training and knowledge transfer. The forum was the first of a series of webinars run by the PREMIERE project in which the presentation ('Preparing multi-actor projects in a co-creative way') provided evidence of how the perspectives and needs of stakeholders, landowners, managers and citizens are considered in an inclusive way. This drew upon experiences from the Strategic Research Programme, and EU projects SIMRA, SHERPA, UNISECO, RURACTIVE and the Agroecology Partnership. Up to 90 attendees joined the webinar call (11th December 2024.), from across Europe. Online chat during the webinar and feedback post-event indicated considerable interest in learning further from the experiences gained and presented. A follow-up call was held with the project hosts on what contributions can be made to developing a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on the topic of the multi-actor approach. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/iamz-ciheam_horizoneurope-premiere-webinar-activity-72704535730359910... |
| Description | Panel Discussion: AgriFood4NetZero Big Tent Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Panel discussion on "Can UK land solve net zero, self-sufficiency and public health?". Specific topic: how to incentivise change in farming practices and the role of agricultural knowledge and innovation systems to achieve change. 80 participants. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/save-the-date-webinar-farm-planning-horizons-and-the-transition-to-net-zero... |
| Description | Partcipation and co-organisation of a workshop on Regenerative Agriculture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The closed workshop held on 23 Nov 23 was jointly organised by the British Ecological Society (BES) and NatureScot and included invited participants from SG, Resas, The Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB), SRUC, key stakeholders in Scottish Agriculture and farmers. The objective of the workshop was to disseminate the definition of Regenerative Agriculture that will be published in a BES commissioned report to be published in spring 2024. Three breakout sessions were convened of which I chaired one and sought feedback on a series of questions relating to regenerative agriculture that would have potential resonance with the forthcoming SG Agriculture Bill. For example, which regenerative agricultural principles are more relevant to Scotland? Which practices are more important? What are the key differences among the potential adoption of the regenerative agriculture principles and practices in different Scottish areas? In summing up at workshop close, colleagues from NatureScot (Ross Lilley, Clive Mitchell) noted that the workshop had helped shaped their thinking on policy including that on the SG Agriculture Bill and in particular on aspects of a potential Code of Practice on Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Participation in ELPEG meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Participation in the regular Ecosystems and Land Use Policy Engagement Group (ELPEG) meeting, organised by colleagues under Topic Line D4 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Participation in EU Soil Observatory stakeholder forums |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | During 15-17 Nov 23, the EU Soil Observatory ran a series of half-day stakeholder forums on topics including sessions that I particiapted in on soil erosion, soil monitoring and soil biodiversity. The format of the forum took the form of several presentations with stakeholder interaction through q&a and general discussion on points raised. For some reason the url pertaining to the meeting is not being accepted in the box below: https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/euso/third-euso-stakeholders-forum |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Participation in a CxC hosted meeting focussing on Scottish soils |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | CxC hosted a meeting on 13 May with the SG Adaptation Team to discuss areas to move forward with respect to Scotland's soils. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Participation in a Scottish Government Adaptation Plan workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Co-chair with Ian Freeman (SG) of a session on water, soils and peatland |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar - LUNZHub Consortium meeting: Panel and Plenary Discussion - Agile Policy Centre |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A plenary discussion under the Agile Policy Centre was held at the LUNZ Hub Consortium meeting, 18th September 2025. The panel comprised Nada Saidi (Land Use Framework - Analysis & Research, Defra), Matt Orman (Director, The Sustainable Soils Alliance) and Nick Millard (Central Association of Agricultural Valuers Valuation, co-convenor of the Policy Centre). Opening statements were followed by question and answers on themes of: respecting the confidentiality of projects and their content and findings whilst also promoting work of the LUNZH and Policy Centre, approaches to developing new evidence alongside recognising existing knowledge, processes for commissioning calldown projects and tensions between timescales of policy holder and different types of consortium partners. The session set the scene for follow-up activities which engagement with Scottish Government (Kerry Dinsmore) and the relationship between the LUNZH and Scottish Government funded Centres of Expertise (CoEs, e.g. ClimateXChange). Subsequently, conversations have covered approaches and the identification of topics of relevance to policy teams in the Scottish Government, and linking with work in the CoEs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/lunz-hub-consortium-meeting-in-edinburgh/ |
| Description | Participation in first meeting of the JNCC Soil Health Indicator Expert Panel |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Attendance and contribution at the first meeting of the JNCC Soil Health Indicator Expert panel which includes representatives from DEFRA, CEH, AHDB, Natural England, FERA, NIAB and EA. The primary objective of the panel is to provide a range of expert views on selected topics that will inform a model being developed by JNCC to monitor soil health across England and Wales at scale. Each panel meeting focusses on a specific topic within the model being developed and thus actions of each meeting result in decisions being made on components of the model. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Participation in the Angus Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan steering committee |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Neilson chaired the latest Steering Committee meeting (4 September) of the Angus Council Sustainable Energy and Climate Adaptation Action Plan. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Participation in the Angus Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan steering committee |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Appointed chair of the Angus Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan steering committee. The first meeting was held on 1 May at Agrico Ltd (near Forfar). Representatives of SSE presented their work associated with the SeaGreen project and how it impacted on Angus soils and biodiversity. This was followed by a presentation by Agrico on their adoption of sustainable practices including use of renewables. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Planting trees for Resonance sculpture, three locations |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | These planting events run by Harriet Fraser and Rob Fraser, involved planting a small circle of seven birch trees. Each circle is one of seven circles being planted to form the Resonance sculpture. The planting activity was practical and involved creative elements including poetry and a short writing exercise for participants. Events have been run in partnership with Forestry England, National Trust and Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Policy stakeholder Engagement Session - Digital Opportunities TAG |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The activity centered on a workshop to identify the broad digital needs of stakeholders. This was co-located with the LUNZ consortium Meeting in Sept 2024. The outcome from the workshop was a level of direction for the Digital Opportunities TAG to focus upon. However the significance of the outcome was lower than expected due to low attendance numbers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/lunz-hub-consortium-meeting-in-edinburgh/ |
| Description | Presentation and update on Soils TAG to the liaison team |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Regularly updating the LUNZ Hub liaison team of the Soils TAG's progress through presentations and talks. These updates facilitate better oversight over the Soils TAG's work streams for the liaison team, which in turn informs better join up between the different TAGs, Work Packages, and National Teams of the Hub, thus widening and increasing the Hub's impact. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024,2025 |
| Description | Presentation and updates to Defra and devolved administrations on Land Use Change Advisory Group Activities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentation and updates to national government representatives Land Use Change Advisory Group Activities. We use these meetings, which happen around three times a year, to gain input on our planned activities, and to ensure they align with government priorities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024,2025 |
| Description | Presentation of LUNZ Early Career Board to Liaison Group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The Chair of the Early Career Board presented the activities of the board to the Liaison Group of the LUNZ Hub. The resulting discussion offered several points of follow up, including more knowledge sharing and integration between government departments/policy initiatives with the capacity building activities in the Early Career board. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Presentation on LUNZ Stakeholder Mapping to Liaison Group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A presentation was given on the development of stakeholder mapping related to the LUNZ Hub and the future steps being undertaken in relation to this exercise. A copy of the current list of stakeholders was also sent for onward circulation to the liaison group. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Presentation on the role of Art and Artists in transdisciplinary teams focused on land use, land use change, and cross-sectoral community engagement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Two-part online presentation and workshop for members of Cumbria Arts and Culture Network. The workshop focused on discussion about the role of arts and artists in engaging with the wider community connected with land use and land use change, in the context of UK goals for Net Zero and nature recovery; and/or using art to promote debate and convey current research, opportunities and challenges around change. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Presentation to Alistair Dillon, Climate and Environment Unit, House of Commons |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The WP3 co-leads made a presentation to Alistair Dillon, Climate and Environment Unit, House of Commons to introduce the LUNZ WP3 Futures Platform and discuss how this approach may be of benefit to his team in considering futures thinking research that could be useful to politicians in the House of Commons. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Presentation to CAAV Environmen t& Land Use Technical Committee |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation on LUNZ Hub to the Environment and Land Use Committee of the CAAV (Central Association of Agricultural Valuers ) Technical Meeting 10th September 2024. Presentation to update committee members on Hub activities. Attendees mainly professional consultants with client base of c 10,000 land managers and committee report available to c 3,000 members. Presentation prompted some discussion particularly about knowledge dissemination and technical/capacity challenges in the renewables sector. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Presentation to LUNZ Stakeholder Liaison Group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Provided a presentation on the current activities for the Digital Opportunities TAG and future plans. Recurring meeting every 6-months now planned. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Presentation to RIDE Forum: "Transforming Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The Research and Innovation for our Dynamic Environment (RIDE) Forum evolved from the Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) partnership in 2016. The forum is made up of 23 public sector member organisations who hold a stake in environmental change research, innovation, training and capabilities, whether that be as funders, providers or users. The presentation addressed the genesis of UKRI's Transforming Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People Programme, and the Land Use for Net Zero Hub. It led to follow up from NatureScot for additional information, and regular meetings with the Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC hub) funded by UKRI. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.ukri.org/what-we-do/supporting-collaboration/partnerships-nerc/ride-forum/ |
| Description | Presentation to ScotGov technical teams about LUNZ support options & WP1 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to technical teams about the components of the hub, opportunities for support and engagement, the calldown mechanism. Response was positive with most feeling they better understood the purpose of the hub as a result. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Presentation to Scotia Agricultural Club Edinburgh |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to the Scotia Agricultural Club about the LUNZ hub and the James Hutton Institute's International Land Use Study Centre. Participants also played the LUNZ 'lego game' and discussed priorities for land use change to achieve net zero. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://scotiagriclub.org/ |
| Description | Presentation to WWT Steart Research Day 22nd August 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Presentation on the LUNZ Hub to conference organised by WWT on the Steart Project including a range of third sector organisations, government agencies, professional consultancies and academics involved in the land management and nature conservation sectors. Presentation intended to introduce the LUNZ hub to a professional audience who, whilst working in the land management sector, may not have been aware of the hub. Presentation prompted a number of questions from interested organisations and identified a number of synergies with local projects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Presentation to members of Utah State University |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | I presented a talk on the importance of soil biology in the context of soil health to members of Utah State University |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Press release "Major research investment into national land use transformation" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Press release published on the University of Leicester web site to announce the Land Use for Net Zero, nature and people Hub (LUNZ Hub). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://le.ac.uk/news/2024/january/land-use-net-zero |
| Description | Public screening of Six Inches of Soil and Q&A panel membership |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A public screening of the film, Six Inches of Soil, was held on 5 Sept 2024 in Montrose as part of the Taste of Angus Festival. The film focusses on the pressures associated with modern food production in the UK including land use pressure, soil health, soil carbon and future proofing agricultural systems. After the screening, a Q&A panel session was held responding to questions on soil from the general public. The panel comprised Scottish Land & Estates, SAC consulting, two local farmers, Angus Climate Hub and Hutton (Neilson). In total, there were 74 tickets requested for the event, with 67 members of the audience present on the night. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.appetiteforangus.com/taste-of-angus-festival/ |
| Description | Quote in the Guardian article about global peatlands |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I was quoted in a Guardian article about the need for protecting global peatlands. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/13/worlds-largely-unprotected-peatlands-are-ticking... |
| Description | Regular Working Group for the England Team |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Regular working group of policy contacts of the England Team. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Research seminar to SRUC research teams about opportunities for support to LUNZ |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Sharing of the agricultural viability index and other components and opportunities within the LUNZ hub, for SRUC involvement in targeted research topics, specialist policy calldown, and wider networks for skills and capacity building within the Hub. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Resonance 'Big Dig Day' Event summary (blog) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | This blog shared the main takeouts from a day-long event that brought multiple stakeholders together, to visit a restored peat bog, and to discuss land use change, with a focus on peatlands and tree cover. The analysis of conversations, contributions during breakout sessions, and post-event feedback revealed themes that stakeholders wish to consider in future research and events. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/resonance-the-big-dig-day-take-outs/ |
| Description | Resonance: Artwork launch and transdisciplinary discussion forum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | 56 people attended a day-long event which involved a visit to a lowland raised mire undergoing restoration, guided by a peatland specialist from NatureScot. Here participants worked in teams to collect young birch trees for the first stages of co-creating a living sculpture. The group then shared lunch in the local village hall, before an afternoon of presentations and small group discussions focusing on peatland restoration, trees and forestry, land management, farming in protected landscapes, and research and practice in the context of land use for net zero, nature and people. Participants submitted written contributions during discussions, which were collected and analysed as part of the event report. Participants expressed appreciation of the diversity of specialisms represented in the group, an acquisition of new knowledge regarding peat, trees and carbon sequestration potential in various habitats. Some participants exchanged contact details to follow up in new research and/or practice collaborations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://theplacecollective.org/resonance-big-dig-day/ |
| Description | Royal Society Innovating Agriculture event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Participated and chaired an expert panel on ": How can innovations in food and agriculture be deployed at scale?" at the Royal Society Innovating agriculture event. This was part of the conference series "Transforming our future" and explored the science and innovation aiming to transform the future of food and farming. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://royalsociety.org/-/media/about-us/industry/tof-conference-reports/transforming-our-future-in... |
| Description | Rural Research with Living Labs and Multi-Actor Platforms, workshop with NatureScot, 2nd October 2024, Glensaugh |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Five representatives from NatureScot visited Glensaugh Farm for a workshop with Institute teams working on climate adaptation, biodiversity and natural capital, and CREW. Discussion identified research and evidence gaps and requirements for NatureScot from the Strategic Research Programme 2027-32, and other pathways to access scientific evidence. Follow-up actions included scheduling further bilateral meetings including links to the UKRI Programme Hubs (LUNZ and MACC). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Scotland National Team presentation to Liaison group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentation summarising Scotland team's activities and plans going forward, stakeholder engagement and thematic outcomes. Further follow up from ScotGov teams as a result of greater clarity of the scope of LUNZ within Scotland, and links to the rest of the UK. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Seminar on soil health |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Leading a seminar for farmers/agri business with insights directly from farmers and organisations on transitioning from conventional to regenerative agriculture, farmer-led data collection, soil health assessment and creating communities to regenerate land and the finances of farm businesses. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.croptecshow.com/croptec-seminars/soil-health-h70j |
| Description | Six Facts about UK Soil Policy with Ellen Fay |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The second edition in LUNZ Soil Health and Carbon Dynamics Topic Advisory Group Talking Heads interviews, in which key themes related to the TAG are discussed with topic experts and then translated for the general public. This interview and accompanying blog is designed to be understood by a lay audience, thus resulting in a better understanding of soil policy and important research pertaining to soil across the LUNZ Hub community and amongst external stakeholders. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/6-facts-about-uk-soil-policy-with-ellen-fay/ |
| Description | Soil terminology glossary |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A glossary explaining common soil terminology (academic, policy, and general) to a lay audience. This glossary is used to explain and unpack soil jargon and terminology which may otherwise be inaccessible to a lay audience, therefore increasing knowledge and understanding of soil research and policy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024,2025 |
| Description | Space tech drives innovation in the food chain |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Thought leadership interview |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://citizen.le.ac.uk/blog/space-tech-food-chain/ |
| Description | Stakeholder meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The Stakeholder meeting held on 12 March 2024 at the Royal Society of Edinburgh brought together Healthy Soil team members, policymakers, government agencies and other SRP funded projects that work on soils to disseminate and share key information from Year 2 SRP activities. The meeting facilitated workshops on forest soils, biochar and ecosystem services. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Sustainable Grass & Muck event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Hosted the Sustainable Grass & Muck event at the Aberystwyth University Trawsgoed Farm. The event was part of Ceredigion's year as the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society's featured county. With 150 acres put aside for demonstration machinery, the event gave many thousands of grassland farmers the chance to see the latest grassland machinery in action. This including the making of silage and the efficient and effective spreading of slurry and farmyard manure. The event supports farmers in their production and harvesting of sustainable, high quality and home-grown forage. IBERS was involved in the organising committee run by the Ceredigion group, assisting with the hosting of the event on the University farm and ran multiple exhibits of forage and bioenergy grass science and supporting agri-tech infrastructure. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/news/archive/2024/03/title-269483-en.html |
| Description | TAG Poster Pitch to LUNZ Hub and external attendees - Digital Opportunities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | At the LUNZ Consortium Meeting, the Digital Opportunities TAG TAG pitched a poster presentation on the TAG activities and plans. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/lunz-hub-consortium-meeting-in-edinburgh/ |
| Description | Ten Facts about Soil Biodiversity with Professor Richard Bardgett |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The third edition in LUNZ Soil Health and Carbon Dynamics Topic Advisory Group Talking Heads interviews, in which key themes related to the TAG are discussed with topic experts and then translated for the general public. This interview and accompanying blog is designed to be understood by a lay audience, thus resulting in a better understanding of important research pertaining to soil across the LUNZ Hub community and amongst external stakeholders. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/ten-facts-about-soil-biodiversity-with-professor-richard-bardgett/ |
| Description | The Green Finance Knowledge Gap |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | There were three main objectives: (i) to establish how the research community can support private investment in high-integrity UK nature projects (and meet the Government target of £1bn pa by 2030), (ii) to understand whether, how and where research gaps (environmental/ social/ economic) prevent the expansion of high-integrity, fair Green Finance in UK farming and land use, and (iii) to understand the research that stakeholders are generating themselves that should be communicated to policy-makers and other stakeholders via the LUNZ Hub. The event was intended for leading (non-commercial) green finance stakeholders who may benefit from the activities of the LUNZ Hub, and LUNZ Consortium members. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | The Land Use Framework for England - How can it deliver for soils? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | This blog entry aimed to shed light on the numerous ways that the Land Use Framework for England (LUF) can deliver for soils and in turn, soils can deliver for the LUF. This blog was published in advance of the LUF consultation period, and was designed to inform policymakers of the need to feature soils as a central component of the LUF. This blog has informed the Soil TAG's plans for the LUF response, and has outlined the importance of soil's role in land use. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/the-land-use-framework-for-england-how-can-it-deliver-for-soils/ |
| Description | The art of working together: workshop on transdisciplinary working |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation and workshop discussions of the meaning and value of transdisciplinary ways of working with LUNZ Hub consortium members. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/inaugural-lunz-hub-full-consortium-meeting-in-leicester/ |
| Description | The role of biomass in low carbon agriculture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | IBERS and Biomass Connect attended the low carbon agriculture event at Stoneleigh. This included engagement on biomass R&D and on green skills training through the IBERS Distance Learning team. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.biomassconnect.org/news/the-role-of-biomass-in-low-carbon-agriculture/ |
| Description | UN FAO/IAEA workshop on integrated nuclear approaches to understanding the nexus between water and nutrient use efficiency, nutritional security and food safety in a changing climate |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This meeting is part of a series of three consultancy meetings under the PUI project "Ensuring Food Security and Safety by Future-Proofing Crops under Climate Change". The series aims to deepen the understanding of the nexus between water and nutrient use efficiency, food security and food safety for crops in a changing climate. Each meeting focuses on one key field and will conclude with a joint session focusing on integrated approaches. The meeting focusing on food safety aspects aims to: • Highlight the R&D initiatives undertaken by FSCL through the PUI project. • Explore challenges in understanding and addressing the impact of climate change on food safety. • Identify key climate change-related hazards in crops and food products to be monitored and controlled, along with relevant research needs, priorities, and gaps. • Advise how recent advancements in R&D, based on nuclear and complementary techniques, can contribute to improved analytical laboratory capabilities, effective surveillance programmes and early warning alerts through monitoring of key contaminants and residues in the Member States, to allow for informed risk assessment and risk management decisions. • Produce recommendations and good practices regarding countries' preparedness and response, to better understand and address the impact of climate change on food safety in strong collaboration with all relevant actors in the food chain. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | UNCCD COP16 Riyadh |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Participation as speaker in two official side events; securing the future for people and planet: managing soils for a resilient sustainable future and financing soil health and land restoration. These events highlighted mechanisms for improving soil health from practice to policy, including examples from the UK. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.unccd.int/cop16/programme |
| Description | UNFCCC COP29 Baku |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Hosted official side event on 'Invest in Soil Health - fostering the future of climate change mitigation and adaptation'. Included speakers from Africa, South America, India and Europe in a diverse panel discussion around soil health, regenerative and innovative approaches, and how to leverage finance to achieve a just transition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://soils.org.uk/blog/bsss-hosts-cop29-side-event-on-soil-health/ |
| Description | Unlocking the Power of Soil: 10 Recurring Policy Recommendations for How Healthy Soils Can Drive the Net Zero Transition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This blog summarises the centralised evidence review, a compendium of research articles which demonstrates how soil carbon sequestration and soil health have emerged as critical factors in environmental and agricultural strategies. This blog pulls together some of the key finding themes, discrepancies, and similarities amongst the research compiled in the centralised review, therefore providing a concise overview of trends in soil and net zero research. This allows for an overview over complex scientific research in a quick and understandable way, providing value for both researchers and policymakers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/unlocking-the-power-of-soil-how-healthy-soils-can-drive-the-net-zero-t... |
| Description | WP3 Co-development workshop England |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This is the second workshop in a series bringing together policy makers, practitioners and researchers from across the four nations of the UK to co-develop a set of pathways for transforming land use, using scenario analysis and systems thinking exercises. This workshop included stakeholders from England only. The session was conducted online across 2 days, with 6 hours workshop time on each day. Mural was used to guide participants through a series of exercises that built on each other to develop a pathway for emissions reduction and sequestration. The outputs of this workshop will form the national pathways which will be modelled for impact. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | WP3 Co-development workshop Northern Ireland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This is the second workshop in a series bringing together policy makers, practitioners and researchers from across the four nations of the UK to co-develop a set of pathways for transforming land use, using scenario analysis and systems thinking exercises. This workshop included stakeholders from northern Ireland only. The session was conducted online across 2 days, with 6 hours workshop time on each day. Mural was used to guide participants through a series of exercises that built on each other to develop a pathway for emissions reduction and sequestration. The outputs of this workshop will form the national pathways which will be modelled for impact. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | WP3 Co-development workshop Scotland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This is the second workshop in a series bringing together policy makers, practitioners and researchers from across the four nations of the UK to co-develop a set of pathways for transforming land use, using scenario analysis and systems thinking exercises. This workshop included stakeholders from Scotland only. The session was conducted online across 2 days, with 6 hours workshop time on each day. Mural was used to guide participants through a series of exercises that built on each other to develop a pathway for emissions reduction and sequestration. The outputs of this workshop will form the national pathways which will be modelled for impact. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | WP3 Co-development workshop Wales |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This is the second workshop in a series bringing together policy makers, practitioners and researchers from across the four nations of the UK to co-develop a set of pathways for transforming land use, using scenario analysis and systems thinking exercises. This workshop included stakeholders from Wales only. The session was conducted online across 2 days, with 6 hours workshop time on each day. Mural was used to guide participants through a series of exercises that built on each other to develop a pathway for emissions reduction and sequestration. The outputs of this workshop will form the national pathways which will be modelled for impact. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | WP3 Interactive scenario building exercise using Lego |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | The aim of this session was to use a simulation game to explore options and preferences around pathway creation to help inform the design of national workshops taking place in the new year for WP3, and to teach others how the game works to use in their own LUNZ workshops. Using lego blocks to represent actions that could deliver significant emissions reduction or increased sequestration across the agriculture and land use sectors, participants were tasked with building a stack of 26 blocks, sufficient to deliver net zero across the sector. This prompted discussions around tradeoffs required, and by comparing the work of different groups participants were able to see the range of different ways to develop a route to change. The activity has since been taken up by other groups within the LUNZ consortium and used more widely. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | WP3 Liaison meeting presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | On the 6th November the co-leads of WP3 presented at the LUNZ hub Liaison meeting. An update on work to date within wP3 was shared, and an overview of the next round of planned co-development workshops was also presented. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | WP3 Workshop with Defra Jan 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The WP3 team led a 2 hour workshop with Defra policy makers to introduce in greater depth the work flow for WP3 the Futures Platform. Interactive sessions were conducted on 1: Setting the system boundaries and 2: Defining policy levers and pathway types. In addition, Defra presented to the WP3 team on current modelling and systems work within Defra to ensure greater alignment. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | WP3 Workshop with Defra July 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A second workshop with Defra, to update on WP3 process and work to date. An interactive session invited discussion around the pathway narratives to be used in the future co-development workshops with each of the four nations. The session also provided the opportunity to explain differences and similarities with the work of the Land Climate Programme (Defra/DESNZ). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Wales stakeholder workshop 1 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The stakeholder workshop consisted of two main sections: the morning focussed on evidence for net zero pathways and the afternoon feasibility for net zero pathways in Wales. There were 43 people in attendance, representing 32 different organisations (see Appendix 1). The morning session divided people into five pre-determined break-out groups made up of different organisations and industries with a facilitator / notetaker to help collate the discussion. Each group were asked to discuss the evidence for a list of net zero actions based on the LULUCF and Agricultural GHG inventories (see Appendix 2), to come to an agreement if they think there is sufficient evidence for the impact of such a measure, if the evidence is partial or disputed, or if there is not sufficient evidence at all. They were then asked if this evidence is represented in Wales too and if the wider community (including people like land managers) The afternoon session used the same inventory lists to discuss and highlight agreeable 'lowhanging fruit', plausible but more challenging options and then future options that show good promise for Wales to take forward with a framework for a bottom-up approach to net zero. This discussion was framed with a presentation of responses from 15 stakeholders to a preworkshop survey of perceptions of net zero options for Wales. The day closed with feedback provided via Slido, and thanks were given for attending. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/interactive-stakeholder-meeting-held-by-lunz-wales-national-team-in-partner... |
| Description | Wales stakeholder workshop 2 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Following on from the first collaborative workshop held in June 2024, this second LUNZ Hub Wales National Team and the AICCF workshop in January 2025 followed on from the key messages of the first workshop, being how do we overcome key barriers to achieving positive progress towards net zero, nature and people. The aim of this second workshop was to provide a space for stakeholders to share what their vision for the future farming system in Wales could look like and then to discuss these opportunities and related barriers in an open cross industry approach. There were 37 people present, representing 26 organisations. Unfortunately, these numbers were lower than expected with a lot of illness and last-minute cancellations reducing numbers from the 55 registrations from 38 organisations. Despite these changes the day was an excellent example of people and organisations from across the farming, supply chain, land use, science and policy areas coming together to share perspectives, listen and discuss an effective way forward for all in Wales. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/resources/shaping-the-future-of-sustainable-farming-in-wales/ |
| Description | Webinar - Digital Technologies in Land-Use Net Zero |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The Digital Opportunities Topic Advisory Group (TAG) hosted a webinar "Case Studies of Digital Technologies in Land-Use Net Zero" on Friday 7th March. The Webinar had 61 attendees (86 registered). The Webinar focused on bringing together policymakers and key stakeholders to learn about examples of digital solutions for sustainable land-use transitions. Key outcome was to demonstrate the benefit of digital technologies and how they can inform land-use decisions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/save-the-date-webinar-digital-technologies-in-land-use-net-zero/ |
| Description | Webinar presentation: How to work with triggers and family cycles for transformative change |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The webinar is for all land use stakeholders interested in the topic of enabling transition to net zero. This presentation focuses on how to work with trigger events and family cycles to enable land managers to make transformational changes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://lunzhub.com/news/save-the-date-webinar-farm-planning-horizons-and-the-transition-to-net-zero... |
| Description | Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Sustainability Research Café on "Why we should avoid looking for "faster horses" this time round": How marginal gains and local search strategies can make us miss us the biggest economic opportunities of the climate transition" with Harald Stieber from the European Parliament |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Workshop (hybrid) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a workshop on "Risks and opportunities of growing green". with speakers: Dr Harald Stieber from the European Parliament, Mrs Lina Konstantinopoulou from ICAEW, and Daniela Silcock from the Pension Policy Institute. The event was attended by academics and postgraduate students |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Workshop at Royal Highland Show - stakeholder engagement on values & priorities for net zero land use |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to introduce the LUNZ hub to new members, short workshop run to understand values and priorities from stakeholder groups represented in the room around net zero land use, and scoring of top three and least relevant intervention option as identified in Manchester WP3 workshop. This then incorporated into a briefing paper and circulated. Follow up survey sent to a wider range of stakeholders to capture views not in attendance at the event, and views incorporated into the data and the report. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Workshop on the potential form and design of a national network of living labs for sustainable farming - Agile Policy Centre calldown 1. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 20 people attended a workshop where their views and perspectives regarding on-farm applied research and demonstration (we are calling these Living Labs) where gathered to answer the question: "What could a network of Living Labs look like and how should it function?" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Workshop with policy teams - introducing LUNZ & drafting calldown topics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Introduce the LUNZ Hub and opportunities, understand policy team groupings and expertise, priority areas and interests, understand opportunity areas for calldown proposals |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Workshop with the Saudi National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification, online, 22nd April 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A workshop was held with representatives of the Saudi National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC), online, on 22nd April 2024. This followed-up an in person workshop with visitors from the NCVC and British Embassy in Riyadh, at James Hutton Institute Aberdeen (5th July 2023). Discussion included the types of research undertaken at the Institute, the structure of the Strategic Research Programme and Portfolio, and models of Centres of Expertise (e.g. SEFARI Gateway) and UKRI Land Use Net Zero Hub as science policy interfaces. Specific interest was evident in tools that are transferrable (e.g. models of climate projections and impacts on agriculture at user defined resolutions; analysis of land use change using remote sensing; community engagement using storymaps and quantitative storytelling, and virtual reality tools). Subsequently, an invitation was offered and taken up to participate in the meeting of COP16 Desertification, in Riyadh (December 2024), on the UK Government stand, reported in a separate entry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |