Developing a framework and tools to help natural resource management groups reduce their risk and vulnerability to, and prepare for, climate change
Lead Research Organisation:
University of East Anglia
Department Name: Environmental Sciences
Abstract
Climate change is an existing and growing risk to many human and natural systems. Knowledge of the potential changes and subsequent vulnerability is vital in order to reduce and prepare for these risks, to become 'ClimateSmart'. Many natural resource management groups understand that there are potential risks to their reserves and operations, but how best to deal with the amount of data and uncertainties are so great that they have been unable to directly incorporate it into their management and conservation plans. The purpose of this internship is to work with one of these groups, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, to develop a framework, and set of tools, to allow it, and similar groups, to become 'ClimateSmart' and prepared for a climate changed future.
Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) is the oldest of the 47 Wildlife Trusts in the U.K., celebrating the 90th anniversary of its founding in 2016. NWT is responsible for more than 50 nature reserves and other protected sites, managing ~4500 ha of habitat in Norfolk. Of these 31 sites, 26 are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, 9 are National Nature Reserves, 11 are RAMSAR wetlands of international importance, 12 are Special Protection Areas (SPA) and 16 are Special Areas of Conservation (the latter two classifications part of the EU Natura 2000 network).
Effective conservation must be more than individual sites, especially under a changing climate. Thus, NWT helped develop the Living Landscapes concept - "...a relatively new way of thinking about how we manage our land. Acknowledged by Government and delivered by Wildlife Trusts across the UK, the approach seeks to connect habitats, not just nature reserves, making a more robust and expanded scale landscape for species and people." (NWT). The Living Landscapes aim to connect the 31 reserves, more than 1300 County Wildlife Sites, and surrounding areas to help maintain links between sites within a landscape. A functional Living Landscape conservation plan requires not only NWT but also partners including environmental civil society, Governments, industry and private landowners.
This internship allows the expertise of the University of East Anglia to assist the NWT to identify where the organization, its operations, and reserves are most vulnerable to climate change. The goal is develop a framework, tools and training materials, based on this work, which can then be used by other groups in the U.K. and elsewhere. Having identified the risks from climate variability and change to NWT, the intern will assist them in identifying ways to reduce this risk from climate variability and change, preparing for and becoming more 'Climate Smart' in their nature reserve operations. This information will be developed in a way that benefits other groups with their own management activities. This partnership is seen as a way of developing methods to help natural resource groups protect their existing assets and future developments in an uncertain future. It also will look at potential future research needs that could be addressed through future NERC research including MSc and PhD projects. This would strengthen and improve long-term ties between NWT and the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia. A potential outcome of this research is the identification of the need for new policies at the local, national and E.U. level (e.g., the need for a possible modification of the E.U. habitats directive).
This project will be further supported by a Relationships Manager to ensure that the links with the intern host will be embedded within the University to maximise the potential of continuing interactions. The Research and Enterprise Team will also support the development of further translational funding applications to support the project, accessing impact funding streams from within the Norwich Research Park, as well as national programmes such as Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and other Innovate UK funding streams.
Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) is the oldest of the 47 Wildlife Trusts in the U.K., celebrating the 90th anniversary of its founding in 2016. NWT is responsible for more than 50 nature reserves and other protected sites, managing ~4500 ha of habitat in Norfolk. Of these 31 sites, 26 are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, 9 are National Nature Reserves, 11 are RAMSAR wetlands of international importance, 12 are Special Protection Areas (SPA) and 16 are Special Areas of Conservation (the latter two classifications part of the EU Natura 2000 network).
Effective conservation must be more than individual sites, especially under a changing climate. Thus, NWT helped develop the Living Landscapes concept - "...a relatively new way of thinking about how we manage our land. Acknowledged by Government and delivered by Wildlife Trusts across the UK, the approach seeks to connect habitats, not just nature reserves, making a more robust and expanded scale landscape for species and people." (NWT). The Living Landscapes aim to connect the 31 reserves, more than 1300 County Wildlife Sites, and surrounding areas to help maintain links between sites within a landscape. A functional Living Landscape conservation plan requires not only NWT but also partners including environmental civil society, Governments, industry and private landowners.
This internship allows the expertise of the University of East Anglia to assist the NWT to identify where the organization, its operations, and reserves are most vulnerable to climate change. The goal is develop a framework, tools and training materials, based on this work, which can then be used by other groups in the U.K. and elsewhere. Having identified the risks from climate variability and change to NWT, the intern will assist them in identifying ways to reduce this risk from climate variability and change, preparing for and becoming more 'Climate Smart' in their nature reserve operations. This information will be developed in a way that benefits other groups with their own management activities. This partnership is seen as a way of developing methods to help natural resource groups protect their existing assets and future developments in an uncertain future. It also will look at potential future research needs that could be addressed through future NERC research including MSc and PhD projects. This would strengthen and improve long-term ties between NWT and the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia. A potential outcome of this research is the identification of the need for new policies at the local, national and E.U. level (e.g., the need for a possible modification of the E.U. habitats directive).
This project will be further supported by a Relationships Manager to ensure that the links with the intern host will be embedded within the University to maximise the potential of continuing interactions. The Research and Enterprise Team will also support the development of further translational funding applications to support the project, accessing impact funding streams from within the Norwich Research Park, as well as national programmes such as Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and other Innovate UK funding streams.
Publications
Price J.
(2017)
The potential impacts of climate change on the biodiversity of Norfolk - species
in Trans. Norfolk Norwich Nat. Soc.
Warren R
(2018)
The implications of the United Nations Paris Agreement on climate change for globally significant biodiversity areas
in Climatic Change
Warren R
(2018)
The projected effect on insects, vertebrates, and plants of limiting global warming to 1.5°C rather than 2°C
in Science
Description | This research identified which NWT properties were more/or less at risk from climate change. It informed the organisation as to how to take advantage of climate change and climate change impact data in formulating their management plans. NWT is using the information to inform their Landscape level planning which is being implemented in earnest this year. Thus, the research will play a major role in informing future environmental management actions. The work is now beginning to be embedded within conservation plans and other wildlife trusts, notably Suffolk, are now interested in applying similar research within their own conservation thinking. Selected updated results from the original methodology have been presented to senior managers of all of the wildlife trusts in the East of England and it has been proposed that I present the results to senior managers of all England wildlife trusts in June. I am travelling to India in March to work with the Wildlife Institute of India to embed some of this methodology within their own programs and hopefully to benefit managing their protected area network in a changing climate. As such I am supervising a Newton-Bapha PhD visiting fellow to teach them the techniques. I am now advising The Wildlife Trusts governing body on how to best incorporate biodiversity into their future work, |
Exploitation Route | The work is already informing actions for the organization it was in partnership with. The methodology, and some of the datasets could be used by similar organizations to assist them in informing their own work. This is now happening. |
Sectors | Environment Leisure Activities including Sports Recreation and Tourism |
Description | Work is ongoing but will inform the organisation on how to better prepare for climate change. I am now serving on an advisory committee specific to implementing recommendations into Living Landscape planning for the organisation. I have now been approached by similar organisations (other wildlife trusts) about providing equivalent information to them. I have now also been approached by the Wildlife Institute of India to assist them in performing similar analyses. The Wildlife Trusts (overall body) has now started working with me to advise on how to best insert the knowledge gained in this grant to the network as a whole |
First Year Of Impact | 2018 |
Sector | Environment |
Impact Types | Societal Policy & public services |
Description | Feeding forward information from this project into ongoing NWT work on landscapes, serving on living landscapes advisory committee for future planning |
Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Description | Participation in advising The Wildlife Trusts UK in how to better prepare for climate change (2021) |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Impact | This advisory activity has just started but the aim of the activity is to improve sustainability practices. |
Title | Automated report generation tool |
Description | Computer code has been developed that allows all of the layers (since updated) used in this project to be queried for any natural resource area and a report to be prepared providing information that ultimately can be useful for groups around the world. |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | We have now prepared reports, similar to those prepared for Norfolk Wildlife Trust for most protected areas in Ghana, Uganda, Hungary, Papua, New Guinea, Australia, and Colombia. Reports for the rest of Africa are underway and the rest of the World will follow. This will be approximately 10,000 reports in total that will be made available via the Tyndall Climate Change Centre website as Tyndall Reports. |
Title | Climate and biodiversity data layers |
Description | A series of GIS compliant rasters for climate change and biodiversity impacts were developed for this project. These layers are not being used in other projects and by other researchers. |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | The tools were used in an analysis of climate change impacts on WWF Priority Ecoregions and are being used by a number of graduate students in their research projects. They have been made to researchers outside of the University in a few cases (by request). |
Description | New partnership advising the Wildlife Trusts network on reducing their risk to climate change |
Organisation | The Wildlife Trusts |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Worked with Somerset Wildlife Trust to begin to embed the research knowledge originally developed for Norfolk Wildlife Trust into their organisation. |
Collaborator Contribution | They invited me to present two talks before their members at their Annual General Meeting in 2018. They are in the process of hiring an adaptation specialist and I will work with them to embed this research into their future work. This trust was one of 10 that submitted letters in support of a proposed NERC Knowledge Exchange project (unsuccessful, will resubmit) |
Impact | Discussions have begun with The Wildlife Trusts (the parent organization) on how to best take the knowledge and skills derived in this grant and apply it across the entire Trust network. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Ongoing advice about the potential impacts of climate change on NWT reserves and Living Landscapes |
Organisation | The Wildlife Trusts |
Department | Norfolk Wildlife Trust |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | There is an on-going advisory role between the principal investigator on the partner to assist them in properly using the results from the research. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partners have started incorporating the results from the research into their management plans and have requested that I review the plans to make sure the recommendations are properly implemented. |
Impact | While there have been no outputs there has been advise given on how best to take climate change into account in the Living Landscape plans. Further advise will be provided once they have developed their revised plans to incorporate ecological corridors. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists Society Meeting, Norwich |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk on the potential impacts of climate change on the biodiversity of Norfolk |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists Society Presidential Address |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The work from this award, in part, meant I was selected to be President of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society for 2020. This speech was my Presidential address and covered the importance of citizen science in collecting the data used in projects such as this one. It has led to one request for an additional online discussion. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqfgvW1UwFs |
Description | Presentation on the impacts of climate change on Norfolk's biodiversity at Norwich Science Festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Presentation at Norwich Science Festival on the potential impacts of climate change on Norfolk's biodiversity. Stimulated many questions afterwards. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Two presentations to Somerset Wildlife Trust members at their Annual General Meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Presented two talks to members of the Somerset Wildlife Trust on the potential impacts of climate change globally and within Somerset. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |