TAKING THE BITE OUT OF WETLANDS: MANAGING MOSQUITOES AND THE SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL VALUE OF WETLANDS FOR WELLBEING
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Greenwich
Department Name: History, Politics & Social Sci., FACH
Abstract
Interest in the health and wellbeing impacts of wetlands has increased in the UK, in the context of both short and long term responses to extreme weather events and climate change. This is reflected in the UK Wetland Vision (Hume, 2008) that identifies a need to 'make wetlands more relevant to people's lives by better understanding and harnessing the benefits provided by naturally-functioning rivers and wetlands' (p.7). Expansion of wetlands can bring many benefits but it can also increase potential for mosquito-borne disease. There is a lack of knowledge about the consequences of wetland expansion for disease risk. This knowledge gap opens up space for speculation in the press and media about the perceived problems of 'killer' mosquitoes spreading across England, which can in turn fuel community unease and opposition to wetland creation and expansion. A key concern of the project is, therefore, to develop ecological interventions and guidance for diverse end-users to minimise mosquito-related problems, framed within and facilitated by a broader understanding of wetland value as impacted by mosquitoes. The potential contribution of wetland development to social and economic wellbeing envisaged in the UK Wetland Vision could be severely constrained by a failure to adequately address the risks imposed by mosquitoes and biting insects.
The overall aim of this project will be to show how positive socio-cultural and ecological values of wetlands can be maximised for wellbeing and negative attitudes reduced. Management interventions for use by Public Health England and general guidelines will be developed to limit the damaging effects of mosquito populations and enhance appreciation of the ecological value of mosquitoes in wetland ecosystems. The project will result in an increase in our understanding of wetland environments and demonstrate how ecological interventions embedded in a broader understanding of wetland valuation can deliver wellbeing benefits to a broad range of stakeholders.
There are four main objectives:
1) Development of a new conceptual place-based ecosystem services and wellbeing framework for understanding the impact of interventions and wetland values.
2) Exploration of the value of wetlands and mosquitoes in twelve case study locations.
3) Production of guidelines for valuing wetlands and managing mosquito populations to enhance the value of British wetlands for wellbeing.
4) Production of a place-based narrative on the socio-cultural, economic and ecological value of wetlands in British Society in the early years of the 21st Century.
There are divergent views of wetlands among different stakeholders. This project is therefore designed to provide technical interventions and general guidelines in a range of wetland management contexts to maximise wellbeing benefits. A range of stakeholders are potential beneficiaries of this research including land managers, non-governmental organisations, conservation groups, local residents, visitors and tourists among others. This research will help implementation of the Wetland Vision by understanding the complex ways in which wetlands are valued and produce measures to maximise wellbeing benefits and minimise disvalue. Benefits include: a) production of a range of technical interventions for mosquito control by end users; b) raising the social and cultural value of wetlands to facilitate wetland expansion in response to extreme weather and climate change; c) enhanced opportunities for visitors to wetlands and local residence to experience health and wellbeing benefits; d) increased opportunities for tourism and leisure by reducing anxiety associated with wetlands.
HUME, C. 2008. Wetland Vision Technical Document: overview and reporting of project philosophy and technical approach. The Wetland Vision Partnership.
The overall aim of this project will be to show how positive socio-cultural and ecological values of wetlands can be maximised for wellbeing and negative attitudes reduced. Management interventions for use by Public Health England and general guidelines will be developed to limit the damaging effects of mosquito populations and enhance appreciation of the ecological value of mosquitoes in wetland ecosystems. The project will result in an increase in our understanding of wetland environments and demonstrate how ecological interventions embedded in a broader understanding of wetland valuation can deliver wellbeing benefits to a broad range of stakeholders.
There are four main objectives:
1) Development of a new conceptual place-based ecosystem services and wellbeing framework for understanding the impact of interventions and wetland values.
2) Exploration of the value of wetlands and mosquitoes in twelve case study locations.
3) Production of guidelines for valuing wetlands and managing mosquito populations to enhance the value of British wetlands for wellbeing.
4) Production of a place-based narrative on the socio-cultural, economic and ecological value of wetlands in British Society in the early years of the 21st Century.
There are divergent views of wetlands among different stakeholders. This project is therefore designed to provide technical interventions and general guidelines in a range of wetland management contexts to maximise wellbeing benefits. A range of stakeholders are potential beneficiaries of this research including land managers, non-governmental organisations, conservation groups, local residents, visitors and tourists among others. This research will help implementation of the Wetland Vision by understanding the complex ways in which wetlands are valued and produce measures to maximise wellbeing benefits and minimise disvalue. Benefits include: a) production of a range of technical interventions for mosquito control by end users; b) raising the social and cultural value of wetlands to facilitate wetland expansion in response to extreme weather and climate change; c) enhanced opportunities for visitors to wetlands and local residence to experience health and wellbeing benefits; d) increased opportunities for tourism and leisure by reducing anxiety associated with wetlands.
HUME, C. 2008. Wetland Vision Technical Document: overview and reporting of project philosophy and technical approach. The Wetland Vision Partnership.
Planned Impact
Within the timeframe of the project the main beneficiaries will be the end-users of the wetland sites chosen for our participant case-studies. We already have a strong network of partners and consultants in the project including Public Health England (PHE), Forest Research Institute, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Natural England, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Environment Agency. These project partners will help to ensure the relevance and impact of the project at regional and national level, while additional stakeholders will be recruited during the project to deepen the impact of the work into local communities. Examples include land managers (for instance local RSPB reserves, Wildlife Trusts), representatives of local communities, local business, charities, schools, action groups and others.
The partnership has been selected to include many key internationally recognised researchers in the field of environmental valuation and ecological understanding of mosquitoes across the arts, humanities and science. The project has been structured around development of a conceptual framework (WP1) that embeds valuation for ecosystem services within a novel interdisciplinary approach that prioritises end users and disciplinary collaboration. This could potentially impact a national and international audience interested in ecosystem services and the valuation of nature. In the medium and longer term it is hoped that the key project output "a place based narrative on the socio-cultural, economic and ecological value of wetlands in British Society in the early years of the 21st Century" will contribute to a national debate on the future of wetlands in our society. By raising awareness of the social value of wetlands for framing ecological interventions to maximise wellbeing we are creating the circumstances to facilitate successful wetland expansion and management in response to climate change and extreme weather.
PHE has a wealth of knowledge and experience of measures to control mosquitoes in wetland habitats, and currently works with a broad group of stakeholders largely on a case-by-case basis, 'fire-fighting' preventable mosquito problems. The results of our project will benefit PHE and the groups of stakeholders they work with by disseminating information widely to targeted personnel who will be in a better position to prevent problems before they arise. PHE would also benefit from an established social network through which it could disseminate urgent and longer-term information to appropriate end users, thereby supporting the social mandate of this UK governmental organisation. Wetland managers and environmental and conservation organisations, e.g. RSPB, EA, will benefit economically by implementing more cost-effective measures to maintain mosquito populations at acceptable levels, and they will benefit socially by gaining knowledge about mosquito ecology and the ecosystem benefits a diversity of mosquito species contribute to the food chain. This social value will, in turn, contribute to the capacity of wetland managers to disseminate their knowledge to end users of wetlands, particularly at an educational level. Communities accessing wetlands for recreation, appreciation of nature and sporting activities will benefit from increased health and well-being, and a renewed confidence and pride of place once the anxieties associated with wetlands have been addressed. Communities living in the vicinity of wetlands will benefit from the alleviation of anxiety that changes in the environment could have a negative impact on their health and well-being. In the long-term, this positive impact will add to their sense of security by knowing that the risk of flooding and the spread of mosquito-borne diseases in their communities is lessened by the existence of the wetlands
The partnership has been selected to include many key internationally recognised researchers in the field of environmental valuation and ecological understanding of mosquitoes across the arts, humanities and science. The project has been structured around development of a conceptual framework (WP1) that embeds valuation for ecosystem services within a novel interdisciplinary approach that prioritises end users and disciplinary collaboration. This could potentially impact a national and international audience interested in ecosystem services and the valuation of nature. In the medium and longer term it is hoped that the key project output "a place based narrative on the socio-cultural, economic and ecological value of wetlands in British Society in the early years of the 21st Century" will contribute to a national debate on the future of wetlands in our society. By raising awareness of the social value of wetlands for framing ecological interventions to maximise wellbeing we are creating the circumstances to facilitate successful wetland expansion and management in response to climate change and extreme weather.
PHE has a wealth of knowledge and experience of measures to control mosquitoes in wetland habitats, and currently works with a broad group of stakeholders largely on a case-by-case basis, 'fire-fighting' preventable mosquito problems. The results of our project will benefit PHE and the groups of stakeholders they work with by disseminating information widely to targeted personnel who will be in a better position to prevent problems before they arise. PHE would also benefit from an established social network through which it could disseminate urgent and longer-term information to appropriate end users, thereby supporting the social mandate of this UK governmental organisation. Wetland managers and environmental and conservation organisations, e.g. RSPB, EA, will benefit economically by implementing more cost-effective measures to maintain mosquito populations at acceptable levels, and they will benefit socially by gaining knowledge about mosquito ecology and the ecosystem benefits a diversity of mosquito species contribute to the food chain. This social value will, in turn, contribute to the capacity of wetland managers to disseminate their knowledge to end users of wetlands, particularly at an educational level. Communities accessing wetlands for recreation, appreciation of nature and sporting activities will benefit from increased health and well-being, and a renewed confidence and pride of place once the anxieties associated with wetlands have been addressed. Communities living in the vicinity of wetlands will benefit from the alleviation of anxiety that changes in the environment could have a negative impact on their health and well-being. In the long-term, this positive impact will add to their sense of security by knowing that the risk of flooding and the spread of mosquito-borne diseases in their communities is lessened by the existence of the wetlands
Organisations
- University of Greenwich (Lead Research Organisation)
- Wetlands International (Collaboration)
- The Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society (RCC) (Collaboration)
- University of Sheffield (Project Partner)
- Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (Project Partner)
- Natural England (Project Partner)
- Environment Agency (Project Partner)
- Imperial College London (Project Partner)
- Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (Project Partner)
Publications
Hawkes F
(2021)
Mosquitopia - The Place of Pests in a Healthy World
Hawkes Frances M.
(2020)
Wetland mosquito survey handbook: Assessing suitability of British wetlands for mosquitoes
López-Peña D
(2021)
Mosquito Magnet® traps as a potential means of monitoring blackflies of medical and veterinary importance.
in Medical and veterinary entomology
Morrison K
(2021)
Mosquitopia - The Place of Pests in a Healthy World
Saratsi, E.
(2019)
Valuing Arts and Arts Research
| Title | 'Four Seasons' short stories based on future scenarios |
| Description | A collection of four short stories based on the future scenarios generated from economic research, imagining wetlands in the year 2080. The stories were exhibited at the RGS exhibition, 'Reclaiming Wetland Values: Mud, Marsh and Wonder'. |
| Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Impact | Interdisciplinary exchange with the economics academics regarding narrative uses in economic forecasting. |
| Title | 'Marginal Species' |
| Description | A short story based on the marginal species found on the Somerset Levels, inspired by fieldwork around the Avalon Marshes and the botanical surveys which take place there. The story responds to dominant cultural attitudes about wetlands, considering the portrayal of this environment as a liminal wasteland, the haunt of the marginal and, in various representations, the landscape of hell. Furthermore, 'Marginal Species' examines the association between wetlands and the feminine in myth and folklore, particularly with regard to how Nature-worshipping religions feminised marshlands, as well as thinking about how this landscape is still mythologised by the layers of meaning amassed through cultural outputs. |
| Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Impact | An extract of the story was read as part of our presentation, 'Sense of Place & Wellbeing in Wetlands: Using Film and the Arts to achieve SDG3' at the Ramsar Convention of Wetlands COP13 in Dubai and has also been developed into a youtube clip, both of which have been well-received, initiating further discussion about the importance of the arts and humanities in considering the value of wetlands. |
| Title | Mosquito Jenga |
| Description | Mosquito Jenga is a "science busk" developed by wetlandLIFE in collaboration with the British Ecological Society. The game is modelled on the tumbling tower game Jenga, but is modified so that layers of the tower are coloured to represent different organisms in a food chain. A large proportion of the blocks, coloured green and representing mosquitoes, are placed at the bottom of the tower, with fish that feed on mosquito larvae in smaller proportion on top of this, and a smaller still section placed on top to represent fish-feeding birds, with the final smallest layer on top to represent birds of prey. The game is played in the traditional way, with lower level supporting blocks removed, until the tower collapses. The player who can remove the most green mosquito blocks before the tower collapses wins. During game play, the facilitator explains the concepts of food chains, and how removal of species, such as mosquitoes, from the base levels of the chain can have knock on effects at other levels. Accompanying the game is a poster titled "Do Mosquitoes Really Suck?", which features unusual facts about mosquitoes. The game is intended to demonstrate physically a food chain in a fun way, provoke discussion about the place of "nuisance" species in the ecosystem, and to help contextualise the relationship between living organisms. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Impact | Mosquito Jenga has been used at eight national events by the wetlandLIFE project and British Ecological Society. It is estimated that over 1,000 people have engaged with the artefact and poster. Conversations during and after game play have indicated changed perceptions of "nuisance" species like mosquitoes following awareness that they are part of an ecosystem and contribute to the existence of other organisms within them, and even empathy for blood-feeding insects, upon explaining that female mosquitoes only blood feed to provide nutrients to develop their eggs. |
| Title | Photo Essay: Wetlands, Wonder and Place |
| Description | A subjective insight into the fantastically diverse and vibrant worlds of wetlands in lowland England. It is a personal encounter as I explore these wet landscapes and think about their sense of place and how different landscape elements come together and have meaning for me. The following are a series of 32 photographs, selected from over 2000, taken over three years across numerous wetlands in England. Ranging across the North Kent Marshes in the South East, to Alkborough Flats on the Humber and the Avalon Marshes in the South West. The photographs and associated text captures my experience of wetlands and something of the inspiring, haunting and reflective qualities I encountered. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Impact | Exhibition at the Royal Geographic Society titled Marsh, Mud and Wonder. |
| URL | https://valuing-nature.net/wetlandvalues |
| Title | Reclaiming Wetland Values: Marsh, Mud and Wonder |
| Description | An exhibition at the Royal Geographic Society London from 27th Jan to 2nd Feb (World Wetlands Day). This was a collaborative exhibition with another Valuing Nature funded project called CoastWEB. The purpose of the exhibition was to create an interdisciplinary exploration of wetland values as revealed through the disciplinary approaches of the two projects. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Impact | Approximately 1000 visitors engaged with the exhibition during the week it ran. The exhibition was also showcased as part of a Stakeholders day (31st Jan) which brought together key stakeholders involved in wetland management and policy development. In addition to the numbers of visitors an exhibition log book was completed and demonstrated the exhibition was very well received with comments including: 'This is wonderful! I love the interdisciplinary emphasis. I'm a straight botanist and this has opened my eyes", and "We came down from Cumbria and this was more interesting and climate change related than the Natural History Museum. Well Done. |
| URL | https://valuing-nature.net/https%3A//valuing-nature.net/wetlandvalues |
| Title | WALKING in WET |
| Description | short film to celebrate world wetland day 2020 two artists walk in alkborough flats |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Impact | available on social media VIMEO and facebook Viewer nubers not known |
| Title | WETLANDS on WHEELS |
| Description | Artists Kerry Morrison and Helmut Lemke discuss Photography, Ducks and their latest project 'Wetlands on Wheels' in this silent movie. filmed in Millenium Park / Bedfordshire |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Impact | the short film is available on social media Vimeo & Facebook Viewer numbers are not known |
| Title | WetlandLIFE Story Dice |
| Description | The WetlandLIFE Story Dice is modelled on popular story dice games, which feature images to generate stories. WetlandLIFE Story Dice are similarly designed to consider narratological structures by including images and words which could function or be interpreted as the essential ingredients for a story: setting, character, complication and resolution. However WetlandLIFE Story Dice are geared towards the specificity of wetland environments, the first die therefore listing six wetland settings, such as 'wet woodland', 'reedbed', whilst the second die contains images of six characters who frequent wetlands, including for instance, a family and a birdwatcher. The third die contains the complication, in the form of wetland nuisances and problems, such as 'biting insects' and 'mismanagement' before the fourth die offers some possible resolutions for potential wetland problems, such as 'interviews with residents' and 'local knowledge' drawing on the research exemplified by WetlandLIFE. Though the dice game contains these foundational ingredients, it is not intended to be prescriptive; the nature of rolling a set of dice mean that in terms of probability there are no 'neat' scenarios, and for that reason, a fifth die includes images of 'random' factors which ensure the organic nature of story construction. Guidelines provided advise either using the four foundational ingredients to construct a story (using any combination of images and words rolled) or by using a sentence prompt, such as 'Reluctantly, they left behind...' before constructing a plot from the dice rolled. The WetlandLIFE Story Dice are designed to generate and initiate discussion about wetlands and to consider the importance of storytelling in creating value for wetland spaces. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Impact | The WetlandLIFE Story Dice were used at the Valuing Nature Conference 2018 and were well-received, generating both stories and discussions. |
| Title | WetlandLIFE Word Hide |
| Description | The WetlandLIFE Word Hide was an interactive space designed to encourage observation, reflection and creativity in thinking about the interconnection of nature and narrative. Inspired by manmade structures in nature, particularly the bird hide, the Word Hide uses text and texture to consider how language and narrative shape. Part bird hide, part writers' shed, it was inspired by the Hide and Seek Project - which reframed traditional bird hides as story repositories - and was filled with creative writing activities to engage visitors during the both the Valuing Nature Annual Conference and RGS 'Reclaiming Wetland Values: Mud, Marsh and Wonder Exhibition'. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Impact | It featured prominently in feedback from RGS exhibition, highlighted in tweets and the visitor book. |
| Title | exploration 1 |
| Description | How to Enjoy Wetlands (not only) on WORLD WETLAND DAY! |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Impact | the short film is available on social media Vimeo & Facebook Viewer numbers are not known. feedback: funny, genius. |
| Title | the REEDING |
| Description | a short film celebrating World wetland Day 2020. two artists write on reeds, and read . |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Impact | available on social media VIMEO and facebook Viewer nubers not known |
| Title | wetland drawings |
| Description | 3 drawings from wetland research were included in Exhibition "The Surplus Value of Sound" Bury Art Museum & Sculoture Centre / Nov 2019 - Feb 2020 |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Impact | bury art gallery and sculpture museum has hugh visitors numbers. visitors loved the exhibition! |
| Description | Key achievements include: 1. The production of a 'Wetland Mosquito Survey handbook'. The book provides an overview of the biology, ecology and behaviour of British mosquitoes in wetlands, provides details of strategies for surveying mosquitoes, as well as species-specific details on the kinds of aquatic habitats that support British mosquitoes. It also includes details of the legal frameworks surrounding pest management as relates to mosquitoes and an assessment of the current risks associated with future mosquito-borne disease in the UK. http://wetlandlife.org/project-outputs 2. The publication of a book titled 'English Wetlands: Spaces of Nature, Culture and Imagination. Written by WetlandLIFE team members Mary Gearey, Andrew Church and Neil Ravenscroft, this book argues that to understand wetlands is to understand human development. Using case studies drawn from three English wetlands, the book moves between empirical research and scholarship to interrogate how these particular ecosystems have played an essential part in the development of our contemporary society; yet inhabit a strange place in our national psyche. http://wetlandlife.org/project-outputs 3. Developing the idea of interdisciplinary working and 'epistemological equality'. These concepts were written up in the output "The Wonder of Wetlands: Interdisciplinary investigations on the multiple values of English wetlands" http://www.wetlandlife.org/project-outputs 4. Promotion of the importance of arts-based research to understand the values and dis-values of wetlands. This body of work emerged during the project and included a Wetlands on Wheels caravan (which also received funding from the Arts Council), a Hide and Seek project which involved repurposing bird hides on the Somerset Levels as creative places to share stories, memories and experiences of wetlands, a photo-essay exploring the diverse contexts of wetlands in England. This ABR strand facilitated an interdisciplinary exhibition called 'Reclaiming wetland values: Marsh, mud and wonder' at the Royal Geographic Society in collaboration with the Valuing Nature project Coastweb https://valuing-nature.net/sites/default/files/documents/PROJECT/ReclaimingWetlandValues-ExhibitionGuide-FINAL-LoRes.pdf. Members of the Wetlandlife team helped to produce the publication 'Valuing arts and research' (https://valuing-nature.net/valuing-arts-and-arts-research) and are involved in new projects including: AALERT 4DM (https://research.reading.ac.uk/aalert/project/) funded by AHRC and the UKRI funded project called "Integrating diverse values into the sustainable management of marine resources in the UK" (NE/V017497/1). This diverse values project is being co-led by Dr Tim Acott and is explicitly building on the interdisciplinary values approaches emerging from WetlandLIFE. 5. The project resulted in important international collaborations including holding a side event at the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands COP13 in Dubai, October 2018 called 'Sense of Place & Wellbeing in Wetlands: Using Film and the Arts to achieve SDG3'. Wetlandlife was also featured on the BBC Southeast Today News: 'Inside/Out', a 20-minute news item with members of the WetlandLIFE team filmed on the North Kent Marshes where historically malaria was rife. Broadcast nationally on 28 October 2019, the programme highlighted the history of mosquitoes in the UK, their disvalues and values. Finally, five members of the WetlandLIFE team (historian, entomologist, social scientist and artists) participated in this Rachel Carson Legacy Symposium organized by the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society in Germany, October 2019. A book in Routledge's Environment and Sustainability series is in preparation for publication in 2021, with contributions from the WetlandLIFE team. |
| Exploitation Route | One key pathway to impact is through the publication in 2020 of our handbook, the "Wetland Mosquito Survey Handbook: Assessing suitability of British wetlands for mosquitoes". This has given those undertaking wetland restoration, conservation and creation projects the information and tools necessary to manage public perceptions around perceived and actual risks from mosquitoes, as well as guidance on ecological assessment of mosquito species that may be on site, important background on risks associated with them, if any, and ways to manage them should the need arise. The production of this guide undertaken alongside Public Health England was a key focus throughout the project. In addition WetlandLIFE placed interdisciplinary working at the centre of its project management. Insights from the project are being taken forward in the AALERT 4DM AHRC funded project and the UKRI funded project "Integrating diverse values into the sustainable management of marine resources in the UK". This UKRI funded project is explicitly concerned with translating the idea of diverse values in transformational change in the marine management sector. The project team feel that there is a lot of interdisciplinary learning that can contribute to academic and non-academic audiences moving forward. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Environment,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| URL | http://wetlandlife.org |
| Description | Summary of impact developing across work packages. Pathways to Impact, Communities: The WetlandLIFE team are developing novel ways to engage communities with the idea of wetlands and mosquitoes. Examples include: Mosquito Jenga (a game designed for any age group to learn about mosquitoes (see section on engagement activities); wetland story cubes (a dice game allowing families to create their own stories about wetlands); Hide and Seek initiative (transforming bird hides into places for sharing wetland stories, agreement with Natural England to run a pilot on the Avalon Marshes); published short story (Marginal Species) (see engagement section); The Community Voice Method provided the opportunity to contribute to the Somerset Wildlife Trust's Humans of the Levels project (see engagement activities) allowing us to reach over 1200 of their followers on facebook; The creation of Wetlands on Wheels performance activity facilitated a new space for creative encounters between the public, stakeholders and the WetlandLIFE team allowing new perceptions, values and knowledge to emerge amongst the diverse stakeholders. An example of International community impact is developed in meetings with Croatian NGO PowerProgressiveArt who were inspired by the WetlandLIFE approach (see engagement activities). We are continuing to reach out to people through our website (http://www.wetlandlife.org/) through blogs, news, photo-essay. Our home page has received 106,276 hits (see engagement activities). It is the culmination of all the activities from different work packages that are developing community impact for the project. Pathways to Impact, Policy Makers: A 2nd key pathway to impact is linking the research to policy makers. This was clearly demonstrated by our involvement in RAMSAR (see engagement activities) and conversations with Defra, WWT and various NGOs and at the local government level. In particular, the partnership with Forest of Marston Vale and working with them to develop their understand of the importance of the arts for their work. The publication in 2020 of our handbook, the "Wetland Mosquito Survey Handbook: Assessing suitability of British wetlands for mosquitoes", has given those undertaking wetland restoration, conservation and creation projects the information and tools necessary to manage public perceptions around perceived and actual risks from mosquitoes, as well as guidance on ecological assessment of mosquito species that may be on site, important background on risks associated with them, if any, and ways to manage them should the need arise. One example of the handbook being taken up in practice is by Natural Resources Wales, who contacted the wetlandLIFE project about how to deal with public concerns about mosquito nuisance and disease that have arisen during the early stages of a large, EU-funded £4 million upland peat bog restoration project called New LIFE For Welsh Raised Bogs (https://naturalresources.wales/about-us/our-projects/nature-projects/new-life-for-welsh-raised-bogs/?lang=en), which is supported by the Welsh Government and Snowdonia National Park Authority. The Natural Resources Wales project team are implementing used the handbook recommendations and tools, and the ecological and socio-cultural findings from WetlandLIFE to engage with the local community who have raised questions about mosquito issues that might arise at the peat bog restoration sites. Additionally, we supported them by providing mosquito traps they could use in implementing a surveillance programme to assess the mosquitoes on site, which can then form the evidence-base for their discussions with the local community, rather than relying on speculation or prevailing (usually negative) narratives on the issues. The handbook is thereby helping to remove obstacles that may inhibit progress in implementing projects such as these, and allow the full array of socio-cultural, ecological and economic benefits of wetland restoration to be realised, in a way that meaningfully engages with communities and their concerns. As of March 2022 the Mosquito handbook has been sent to at least 40 wetland managers including reserve wardens at sites run by RSPB, various Wildlife Trusts, Environmental Health, Natural England, Wildfowl and Wetland Trust, Clinton Devon Estates, Natural Resources Wales, Port Health Authorities, local authorities etc. The handbook is available to download free from the project website http://wetlandlife.org/project-outputs. As of March 2023 the legacy of WetlandLIFE continues to be felt in other UKRI projects, notably AALERT 4DM, and Diverse Marine Values (SMMR funded project). Approaches and conversations started in WetlandLIFE about arts-based approaches to values and place, continue to be developed in these other research programmes. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | Assessing British wetlands for mosquitoes & managing public perceptions of disease risk |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | The publication in 2020 of our handbook, the "Wetland Mosquito Survey Handbook: Assessing suitability of British wetlands for mosquitoes", has given those undertaking wetland restoration, conservation and creation projects the information and tools necessary to manage public perceptions around perceived and actual risks from mosquitoes, as well as guidance on ecological assessment of mosquito species that may be on site, important background on risks associated with them, if any, and ways to manage them should the need arise. One example of the handbook being taken up in practice is by Natural Resources Wales, who contacted the wetlandLIFE project about how to deal with public concerns about mosquito nuisance and disease that have arisen during the early stages of a large, EU-funded £4 million upland peat bog restoration project called New LIFE For Welsh Raised Bogs (https://naturalresources.wales/about-us/our-projects/nature-projects/new-life-for-welsh-raised-bogs/?lang=en), which is supported by the Welsh Government and Snowdonia National Park Authority. The Natural Resources Wales project team are implementing the handbook recommendations and tools, and using the ecological and socio-cultural findings from wetlandLIFE to engage with the local community who have raised questions about mosquito issues that might arise at the peat bog restoration sites. Additionally, we are supporting them by providing mosquito traps they can use in implementing a surveillance programme to assess the mosquitoes on site, which can then form the evidence-base for their discussions with the local community, rather than relying on speculation or prevailing (usually negative) narratives on the issues. The handbook is thereby helping to remove obstacles that may inhibit progress in implementing projects such as these, and allow the full array of socio-cultural, ecological and economic benefits of wetland restoration to be realised, in a way that meaningfully engages with communities and their concerns. |
| URL | http://www.wetlandlife.org/project-outputs |
| Description | AALERT 4 DM - Arts and Artists in Landscape and Environment Research Today for Decision Making |
| Amount | £99,968 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/T012471/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2020 |
| End | 01/2022 |
| Description | Arts Council of England funding for developping Wetland on Wheels - Grantium Funding |
| Amount | £11,575 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Arts Council England |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2019 |
| End | 12/2019 |
| Description | Integrating diverse values into the sustainable management of marine resources in the UK |
| Amount | £1,515,721 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NE/V017497/1 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2021 |
| End | 08/2024 |
| Description | Living Coast: Understanding Local Community Perspectives and Values |
| Amount | £70,831 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2018 |
| End | 03/2019 |
| Title | Adult and larvae mosquito counts from 12 UK wetland sites in southern England, collected between March 2017 and October 2018 |
| Description | This dataset contains a mosquito species table with counts for adults and larvae. Samples are from 12 UK wetland sites, sampled between April 2017 and September 2018. A map included in the wetlandmetadata.docx file shows site locations, which include both coastal and inland wetlands, and range from Devon to Kent and from Lincolnshire to Dorset. Samples were collected by staff from University of Greenwich and the UK Health Security Agency: collaborators in a NERC-funded project (NE/NO13379/1), part of the Valuing Nature Programme. We found a total of 19 mosquito species: • 10 Aedes • 3 Anopheles • 3 Culisseta • 2 Culex • 1 Coquillettidia. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/1b5a8827-4329-4c20-85f8-0979998b3c74 |
| Title | Dataset on volunteer responses on the value and benefits associated with voluntary work at wetland sites |
| Description | The dataset records how volunteers working on wetlands view the value of their own time and the reasons why they volunteer. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | None so far |
| Title | Expert responses on drivers and magnitude of future mosquito related nuisance and disease risk associated with mosquitos |
| Description | The database describes what factors mosquito experts think will create change in future mosquito related nuisance and disease risk |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | N/A |
| Title | Survey of mosquito species across coastal, arable and urban environments in England |
| Description | We surveyed mosquito populations across a range of wetland habitats, including urban, agricultural and coastal environments, to assess the range of mosquito species present throughout the year. The data collected is valuable for the purposes of identification of which wetland areas are prone to high populations of mosquito species that are a mild to severe nuisance and species that could pose a threat of transmitting parasites/pathogens to humans and/or domestic animals (especially horses). |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The site managers at each of the 12 study sites worked closely with the project entomologists to ensure they were fully aware of the value of the surveys in relation to the management of wetlands. Each site manager was provided with a summary of our findings with specific reference to their sites and encouraged to use the data to help prevent periods of biting nuisance. |
| Title | WetlandLIFE economic valuation simulator |
| Description | The WetlandLIFE economic valuation simulator calculates the value of wetlands and the impact of mosquitos on the benefits provided by wetlands. |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The model will calculate the value of wetlands and the impacts arising from mosquito impacts |
| Description | Mosquitopia |
| Organisation | The Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society (RCC) |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Presentations, filmed video contribution and discussion at international symposium (https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/4060638/cfp-mosquitopia-place-pests-healthy-world-symposium). Developing ideas on whether mosquitoes could/should be eradicated using a diverse range of disciplinary approaches. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Organising and financing Mosquitopia symposium and subsequent coordination of book preparations for publication. |
| Impact | Blog 1: https://seeingthewoods.org/2019/10/23/mosquitopia-part-1-killing-mosquitoes-the-pros-and-cons/ Blog 2: https://seeingthewoods.org/2019/10/24/mosquitopia-part-2-a-few-reasons-for-saving-mosquitoes/ Blog 3: https://seeingthewoods.org/2019/10/25/mosquitopia-part-3-key-reasons-for-killing-mosquitoes/ Video: https://vimeo.com/376387214 (currently password protected, available on request) Book abstract in development with Routledge Multi-disciplinary collaboration, including natural science (entomology, biology), public health, history, environmental history, art, social science, anthropology, bioethics, ethics and philosophy. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Ramsar Culture Network |
| Organisation | Wetlands International |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Provide updates on wetlands related publications, academic events, conferences, public lectures, workshops and other activities. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provide the University of Brighton with updates on relevant publications, academic events, conferences, public lectures, workshops and other activities. |
| Impact | Outcomes include an awareness of global activities and publications related to wetlands for those who are actively supporting the Ramsar Convention on wetlands. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | 'Just a troublesome nuisance?: The challenge of mosquitoes in the temperate zone - a case study of the British Mosquito Control Institute', Mosquitopia? The Place of Pests in a Healthy World (Landshut, Germany). |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk on project research at 'Mosquitopia? The Place of Pests in a Healthy World', invitational symposium, sponsored by Rachel Carson Center (Munich), and held in Landshut, Germany, 24-27 October 2019. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://seeingthewoods.org/2019/10/23/mosquitopia-part-1-killing-mosquitoes-the-pros-and-cons/ |
| Description | 'The "gravity of the menace" from the temperate to the tropical: The British Mosquito Control Institute and the challenge of the indigenous mosquito' (University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Academic presentation at 3rd World Congress of Environmental History, University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil, 24 July 2019. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | A presentation to the Brighton and Hove branch of the Geographical Association |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Around 50 pupils from sixth form colleges from East and West Sussex and Kent came along to my talk along with their teachers. Also in the audience were other geography teachers and geographers in other professions. I talked widely on the subject of 'Renaturing cities: climate change adaptation to reduce flood risk.' I talked with students and teachers afterwards, inviting them to contact me if they had any specific questions. I have since been invited to write articles for two practitioner, peer-reviewed journals: Geography Teacher and Geography. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.geography.org.uk/write/MediaUploads/Get%20involved/GA_branch_brighton2018.pdf |
| Description | A wild escape in Hong Kong. Blog posting for the School of Environment and Technology website, University of Brighton. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Blog sharing details of a visit to Mai Po wetlands in Hong Kong, December 2019 as part of WetlandLIFE outreach. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/geography/2019/01/04/a-wild-escape-in-hong-kong/ |
| Description | AALERT WetlandLIFE Workshop |
| 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 overall aim of the day was to explore and understand how arts-based approaches can help to inform landscape decisions, identifying barriers / opportunities and reflecting on how successful project outcomes and impacts are recognised. The day drew from the experiences of the UKRI funded interdisciplinary project WetlandLIFE to start a multi-voice conversation amongst a small invited group (20 - 25 participants) of stakeholders, academics (multiple disciplines) and artists. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://research.reading.ac.uk/aalert/wetland-life-workshop/ |
| Description | BBC Southeast Today News, InsideOut 28 Oct, 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A 20 minute story filmed on the Hoo Peninsula, Kent where malaria transmission was rife until the last century when housing was modernised, protecting people from infective mosquito bites. The aim of the programme was to highlight the presence of mosquitoes in the UK, the terrible nuisance they can cause when environmental conditions favour mosquito breeding, e.g., during floods on arable land, coastal sites and even urban areas. Although there are no mosquito-borne diseases currently in the UK, it is vital that we continue monitoring mosquito presence to prevent potential outbreaks. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | China-UK Urban Regeneration and Sustainable Communities Leadership Workshop, Xian, China, 27th to 29th June 2018. Jointly funded by the British Government's Newton Fund and the National Natural Science Federation of China. This workshop brought together 20 Chinese and 20 UK researchers. Presentation title: 'Building inclusive community networks through renaturing cities; the case for developing urban wetlands as an economic, social and environmental resource |
| 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 | China-UK Urban Regeneration and Sustainable Communities Leadership Workshop, Xian, China, 27th to 29th June 2018. Jointly funded by the British Government's Newton Fund and the National Natural Science Federation of China. This workshop brought together 20 Chinese and 20 UK researchers. Presentation title: 'Building inclusive community networks through renaturing cities; the case for developing urban wetlands as an economic, social and environmental resource |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://www.innovationcci.port.ac.uk/2018/07/uk-china-workshop-on-urban-regeneration-in-xian/ |
| Description | Coastal wetlands and photography for valuing nature / Royal Geographic Society / 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A prfesentation given at the Royal Geographic Society annual Conference |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Conference presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Edgelands: wetlands as pluriverse spaces of being-with, being alone & not-being was the title of the talk. Audience engaged with the concept of wetlands as spaces where sense of place and identity making is dynamic and contingent. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Conference presentation at the IAESP Conference Liverpool April 2019: Edgelands: wetlands as liminal spaces of remembrance |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The conference was organised by the International Association for the study of Space, Place and Environment. Around 55 people were in the audience for the presentation. The theme was connected to landscape practices and I have been invited to submit a paper to their journal. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/3277254/15th-annual-conference-international-ass... |
| Description | EMERALD, BLUE, SILVER AND GOLD, PowerProgressiveArt Interdisciplinary Conference, Mljet Croatia, 15th -20th October 'A Room with a View: Observing nature and narrative through the bird hide' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Croatian NGO PowerProgressiveArt's new project EMERALD, BLUE, SILVER AND GOLD, to produce a documentary of the island of Mljet from an interdisciplinary perspective was inspired in part by WetlandLIFE's side event at the Ramsar Convention COP in October 2018, titled, 'Sense of Place & Wellbeing in Wetlands: Using Film and the Arts to achieve SDG3. I was invited to discuss my involvement in WetlandLIFE from an arts and humanities perspective and discussed the storytelling outputs of the Hide & Seek Project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Economic and Futures Mosquito Scenarios Exhibits |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Valuing Nature Programme Coastweb and WetlandLife Exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society, London |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://valuing-nature.net/wetlandvalues |
| Description | Emerald, Blue, Silver and Gold: Croatia's Treasure Island |
| 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 | Blogpost about my reflections of the Emerald, Blue, Silver and Gold Project conference run by Croatian NGO PowerProgressiveArt in Mljet. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://www.wetlandlife.org/latest/59-emerald-blue-silver-and-gold-croatia-s-treasure-island |
| Description | English Wetlands and mosquitoes: economics, values and risks |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Valuing Nature Partnership Annual Conference presentation at the Royal Society in London |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://nbn.org.uk/event/valuing-nature-annual-conference-2019/ |
| Description | English Wetlands and mosquitoes: economics, values and risks |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Valuing Nature Programme Coastweb and WetlandLife Presentation |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://valuing-nature.net/wetlandvalues |
| Description | Festival of Nature 2017 |
| 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 | Project member Dr Frances Hawkes received public engagement training from the British Ecological Society (BES), with whom she went on to develop a "science busk" - a game the public can play that conveys scientific principles or information in a fun way. Dr Hawkes conceived, designed and built "Mosquito Jenga" with support from BES. This game is based on the tumbling blocks game "Jenga" and demonstrates in a dynamic way how mosquitoes support other organisms in the food chain. Mosquitoes are represented by mosquito blocks at the base of the tower and support other organism blocks, represented by fish, garden bird and bird of prey blocks resting on the mosquito blocks - removing the mosquito blocks from the base of the "food chain" causes the tower of other organisms to collapse. The game can be played by any age group. Accompanying the game is a poster with interesting little-known facts about mosquitoes, for example their role in pollination and how male mosquitoes feed on nectar like butterflies. The game is intended to help answer the common question posed by the public to those working on pests such as mosquitoes. "What is the point of a mosquito?" by showing how organisms connect in a food chain, but also providing a departure point for a discussion about mosquito ecology and their role in disease transmission. The busk was taken to Festival of Nature 2017 and was available for visitors to play at the BES stand. The Festival ran from 9-11 June 2017. The 9th June was Schools Day, were hundreds of primary school children played Mosquito Jenga, linking to their National Curriculum topics on food chains. Over the weekend of 10-11th June, the event was open to the public and at least 521 members of the public played Mosquito Jenga and engaged with Dr Hawkes and other BES staff about mosquito ecology and biology in the UK and overseas. Common responses from members of the public included an endearing response to know that mosquitoes only eat blood to help provide nutrition for their developing eggs, and an appreciation that they are an important food source for many other animals, such as frogs, birds and bats. The were interesting discussions with the public about topics such as "Should we eradicate mosquitoes?" and "Why are some people more attractive to mosquitoes than others?". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.bnhc.org.uk/festival-of-nature/ |
| Description | Ford (2018) Bridging the epistemological divide for the management of our seas and coasts, Society and the Sea Conference, 6th-7th September 2018, Greenwich Maritime Centre, London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This paper drew upon our approaches in WetlandLIFE of including arts, humanities and social sciences. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://www.gre.ac.uk/society-and-the-sea |
| Description | Ford (2018), "Using Community Voice Method to understand people-wetland relationships", Valuing Nature conference, National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, UK, 12th to 14th November 2018. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Conference presentation at the annual Valuing Nature Conference titled - Using Community Voice Method to understand people-wetland relationships (Ford 2018) Abstract: Community Voice Method (CVM) is a participatory social sciences method which uses filmed interviews and deliberative workshops to encourage local stakeholders in discourse and problem solving. In WetlandLIFE (a Valuing Nature project) CVM is being used to engage a diverse range of stakeholders that are interested in the management of their local wetlands. We are producing placed-based documentaries for each of our three main study areas in England, featuring members of the local communities including farmers, site managers, volunteers and recreational wetland users. The interviews address topics including sense of place, 3D social wellbeing, ecosystem services, risk perception and landscape changes, to reveal the relationships that people have with their local wetlands and with mosquitoes. As well as understanding the impact of wetlands and nature in people's lives, the approach will also help identify factors for the future management of wetlands in the context of health and wellbeing. Positive response to the approach we have been using and to the film clip shared. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://valuing-nature.net/ValNat18/SessionD4 |
| Description | Gearey, M; Ravenscroft, N; Church, A. (2018). 'WetlandLIFE: Outlining the 'place-based narratives' research.' Valuing Nature conference, National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, UK, 12th to 14th November 2018. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Gearey, M; Ravenscroft, N; Church, A. (2018). 'WetlandLIFE: Outlining the 'place-based narratives' research.' Valuing Nature conference, National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, UK, 12th to 14th November 2018. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://valuing-nature.net/valuing-nature-conferences |
| Description | Gearey, M; Ravenscroft, N; Church, A. (2018).'Community volunteering within urban and rural English wetlands: curating new civic identities, supporting health and wellbeing'. Royal Geographical Society Conference, University of Cardiff, Cardiff, UK, 28th to 31st August 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Gearey, M; Ravenscroft, N; Church, A. (2018).'Community volunteering within urban and rural English wetlands: curating new civic identities, supporting health and wellbeing'. Royal Geographical Society Conference, University of Cardiff, Cardiff, UK, 28th to 31st August 2018 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://news.rgs.org/post/158470923703/rgs-ibg-annual-international-conference-2018 |
| Description | Guided public walks |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Two free guided public walks, exploring mosquito ecology at Millennium Country Park in Bedford (August 2019), with practical activities including pond dipping and adult mosquito sampling. Part of the Wetlands On Wheels activities on site. These walks generated some very interesting conversations about the role of these insects in the food chain, with participants expressing new-found interest in and even appreciation for mosquitoes. There were also lots of questions about some of the common myths surrounding mosquitoes and there was great interest in knowing more about the science that supports of refutes these myths. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.marstonvale.org/Blog/why-mosquitos-arent-all-bad-blog |
| Description | Helping Isaac find his apple: promoting the University of Brighton's involvement in the WetlandLIFE project at the Royal Society, London, October 2019 |
| 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 was posted on the University of Brighton's Centre for Aquatic Environments website. The aim was to share and disseminate outputs from the Brighton team's presentation at the final Valuing Nature conference in London October 2019. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Heritage Open Day - Hidden Nature: "Insects in the Archives" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The University of Greenwich opened it's doors to the public, virtually, for a week-long series of events as part of a Heritage Open Day (https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/about), the largest festival of history and culture in England. Dr Hawkes prepared a video about the history of British mosquito research in the UK, highlighting the archival samples of 100-year-old mosquitoes collected across the UK by the British Mosquito Control Institute, and the personality, John Frederick Marshall, who founded and ran the Institute. This video was shared as part of a live webinar followed by a live Q and A session with members of the public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/ |
| Description | Hide & Seek Project (Avalon Marshes) |
| 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 | After extensive research on the Somerset Levels and having used bird hides for my own creative practice, two birds hides on the Avalon Marshes on the Somerset Levels were turned into story repositories. The Creativity and Memory Hides contained folk stories, book recommendations, poetry and creative writing prompts to kindle engagement with wetland visitors and to promote the interconnection of nature and narrative. Participants were able to contribute to the Hide & Seek storytelling network by sharing their stories, poems, drawings and memories on postcards which were then digitised on the WetlandLIFE website. Encouraging reflection, observation and wellbeing, the hides disseminated over 500 postcards from featured award-winning poets, Suzannah Evans and Hugh Dunkerley and received over 200 visitor postcard contributions from the general public, included one poem we went on to showcase in the hides and website as our 'Featured Writer' poem. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019,2020 |
| URL | http://www.wetlandlife.org/hide-seek |
| Description | Hide & Seek Project online storytelling network |
| 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 Hide & Seek online storytelling network ran concurrently with the Hide & Seek installations on the Avalon Marshes designed to engage wetland visitors in a creative and reflective capacity. It digitised the postcard contributions we received from the general public and included interviews with our three 'Featured Writers', whose poems were showcased in the bird hides (printed on postcards) which visitors could take away with them as a memento of their visit and to encourage a creative exchange, so that they might be tempted to leave a postcard contribution in return. As well as an abundance of creative pieces, we received a lot of contributions recording visitors' memories, their reflections about the landscape and comments about general wellbeing: 'What a beautiful place to come on an overcast August day. Food for the soul.' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019,2020 |
| URL | http://www.wetlandlife.org/hide-seek/visitor-contributions |
| Description | Hide & Seek: A Room with a View |
| 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 | Blogpost about the rationale behind the inception of the Hide & Seek Project, designed to promote the ethos of the project - about the democratisation of storytelling - as well as practical information about location of hides. The blog was shared on Natural England Avalon Marshes website. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://www.wetlandlife.org/hide-seek/news/45-a-room-with-a-view |
| Description | Humans of the Levels (Somerset Wildlife Trust) - contribution of stories |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Through our fieldwork in Somerset (Community Voice Method) we have been able to make several contributions of photos & stories from local people to Somerset Wildlife Trust's Humans of the Levels project, the aim of which is to tell stories about people in the levels and build a positive community with a sense of place. The project has over 1200 followers on Facebook. Comments to our contributions include "beautiful and inspiring", "wow", comments about seriousness of climate change, and requests of the story subject to do talks on wildlife recordings etc. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/humansofthelevels/ |
| Description | Introducing mosquitoes from the temperate world to the tropics (or, from Hampshire to Haiti, and from Portsmouth to Panama) |
| 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 | Reflections for the project website's latest news page on the presentation of historical research at the 3rd World Congress of Environmental History Organizations in Florianópolis, Brazil, a Congress that met every 5 years since 2009. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://www.wetlandlife.org/latest/52-introducing-mosquitoes-from-the-temperate-world-to-the-tropics-... |
| Description | Invited presentation by Mary Gearey to the World Wildlife Fund's Mai Po Nature Reserve staff and visitors from Shenzen, China, Hong Kong December 19th 2018. Entitled: 'Taking the bite out of wetlands: managing mosquitoes and the socio-ecological value of wetlands for wellbeing: WetlandLIFE' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited presentation by Mary Gearey to the World Wildlife Fund's Mai Po Nature Reserve staff and visitors from Shenzen, China, Hong Kong December 19th 2018. Entitled: 'Taking the bite out of wetlands: managing mosquitoes and the socio-ecological value of wetlands for wellbeing: WetlandLIFE' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Mary Gearey visit to meet with Dr Maureen O'Connor, School of English, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland, June 20th-21st 2019 |
| 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 | Blog to promote a networking meeting between myself and Dr Maureen O'Connor from the School of English, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. The visit was in June 2019. Dr O'Connor researches the literary and other cultural influences that bogs and wetlands have upon the Irish psyche. There was much to discuss and share. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Mosquito Jenga |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Mosquito Jenga has been developed by the wetlandLIFE project team and the British Ecological Society (see separate entry under Creative Outputs). As examples, Mosquito Jenga has been used at (but not limited to) the following events: 12th March 2019 - British Science Week, Eureka! national children's museum. 102 interactions on stall. Mosquito Jenga used to communicate food chains to children and parents. 4th February 2019 - University of Birmingham. 70 final year conservation and geography students interacted with Mosquito Jenga. Featured Mosquito Jenga poster in a 2 hour public engagement workshop as an effective communication tool. 19th July 2018 - British Ecological Society, Undergraduate Summer School, Malham Tarn FSC. 50 students, 1st and 2nd year undergraduate students in biological sciences. Used Mosquito Jenga as an example of an effective activity in a public engagement workshop. 23rd - 24th May 2018 - BES/UK Conservation Agencies Symposium: Securing Our Natural Environment for Future Generations. 228 delegates (academics and conservation agency workers), and 37 direct interactions (additional observers uncounted). Used Mosquito Jenga as an example of BES Public Engagement work, encouraging collaborations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| Description | Mosquito jenga engagement activity at annual Valuing Nature Conference |
| 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 | A mosquito Jenga game, developed by WetlandLIFE team member Frances Hawkes, was used as an engagement activity at the annual Valuing Nature conference in 2017. See separate entry for more details about the game. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Mosses and Marshes International Discussion Panel |
| 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 | Six natural resource managers, scientists, academics, and cultural consultants from Australia and the UK came together to discuss an issue at the heart of international arts project, Mosses and Marshes - the future of important wetlands and the place they have in our communities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://ofthemosses.com/international-panel-discussion/ |
| Description | News stories: "What are Wetlands Worth?"; "Caught on Camera - the Wonder of Wetlands"; "Discover a different side to mosquitoes this World Mosquito Day with WetlandLIFE" |
| 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 | Three news articles/press releases on the website of the Natural Resources Institute. Articles disseminated via institute's weekly newsletter, Facebook, Twitter and other social media. These articles reflect a range of the creative approaches taken in the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2019,2020 |
| URL | https://www.nri.org/latest/latest-overview |
| Description | Newton Researcher Links Workshop South Africa - Research capacity for sustainable ecosystem-based management of estuaries and coasts, 19-21 June 2018, Oceanographic Research Institute, Durban, South Africa |
| 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 | Newton Researcher Links Workshop South Africa - Research capacity for sustainable ecosystem-based management of estuaries and coasts, 19-21 June 2018, Oceanographic Research Institute, Durban, South Africa. Dr Adriana Ford was a funded participant and presented a poster for WetlandLIFE titled: "Taking the Bite Out of Wetlands understanding people-wetland relationships from a health and wellbeing perspective in the context of mosquito management." The workshop provided opportunity for sharing research expertise and networking between UK and South African ECRs, along with SA government, academics and NGOs (30 participants + organisers), with a focus on building up links for future collaborations. Made positive connection with Prof Trevor Hill, University of KwaZulu-Natal, working on wetlands in SA, who is interested in possible collaborations using Community Voice Method. Our interdisciplinary approaches and use of social sciences and arts/humanities was of particular interest to research participants. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Once bitten: Environmental values and risks - the case of English wetlands and mosquitoes |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Envecon Conference 2020 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.uknee.org.uk/envecon |
| Description | Performative happening |
| 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 | Research took place at Alkborough flats and 2 Wetland sites in Bedfordshire in 2018. Research was conducted for 6 days at each site, ON SITE RESEARCH was conducted as a performative happening at each site arranged around a bespoke cart, which we trundled into the sites. The cart was the studio, the repository for our equipment and resources, our shelter, our desk, our hub. Our approach was performative and socially engaging: making visible what we do as artists and researchers engaging with wetlands and the people we meet as we go about our work. Through a process of art whereby art is a verb (the doing) we immersed ourselves in the wetland landscapes, raising curiosity through creating a point of focal point of interest to spark conversations about wetland life and valuing nature, inclusive of mosquitos. To expand understanding, and deepen understandings, of wetland life at each site we have: Documented: drawn, written, and photographed; Observed: movements and stillness, non-human and human life, patterns created by nature, patterns that connect us; Imaged: ways of communicating and sharing wetland experiences. Engaged in conversations, on site, with stakeholder and visitors (ES and CES beneficiaries); Recorded: sights, sounds, movements, patterns and conversations had. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation at ASLE - UKI Conference, 'Co-emergence, Co-creation, Co-existence'. University of Plymouth, 4-6 September 2019, 'Thinking Outside the Box: Observing the history and cultural resonances of the bird hide' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I delivered my paper 'Thinking Outside the Box: Observing the history and cultural resonances of the bird hide' and discussed the launch of the Hide & Seek Project on the Avalon Marshes, Somerset. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Presentation at LSTM |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine on interdisciplinary aspects of wetlandLIFE project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Presentation at the 'ordinary and everyday utopias' conference, University of Brighton, UK, July 2019. Paper presented: The nowtopia of the riverbank. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Around 50 people attended this one-day symposium. A book is being developed from the presentations shared during the symposium. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/performanceandcommunity/2019/02/14/extraordinary-everyday-utopias-shapin... |
| Description | Presentation at the National Wetlands Indaba, Port Edward, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, 16th to 19th October 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Dr Mary Gearey, Research Fellow from the School of Environment and Technology, presented University of Brighton research at the South African National Wetlands Indaba, held in the Eastern Cape town of Port Edward during 16th to 19th October 2017. The Indaba is a prestigious event, bringing together academics, environmental activists, NGOs and government officials from South Africa and beyond in a forum for mutual learning and policy development across sectors, with wetlands integrity at the forefront. Showcasing SET's work at the conference, Dr Gearey presented the work that she and her colleagues have and are developing, exploring human wellbeing within a variety of UK wetlands. Particularly focusing upon community engagement to support the long term health of wetlands, Dr Gearey outlined work undertaken within the current WetlandLIFE project (www.wetlandlife.org) running until 2019 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://nwi17.sawetlands.org/ |
| Description | Presentation at the Society for Ethnography and Folklore Conference in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, April 2020: 'when one man casts, another gathers: wetlands as liminal spaces of remembrance'. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Conference presentation entitled: When one man casts, the other gathers: wetlands as liminal spaces of remembrance presented at the Society of ethnography and folklore conference, Santiago, Spain, April 2019. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.siefhome.org/congresses/sief2019/ |
| Description | Presentation at the Valuing Nature conference held at the Royal Society, London, 28th/29th October 2019: 'A Room with a View: Observing nature and narrative through the bird hide' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Delivering the results of the Hide & Seek Project and reflections on being a creative writing practitioner in an interdisciplinary project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Presentation at the Valuing Nature conference held at the Royal Society, London, 28th/29th October 2019: A 'sense of place' and contemporary social representations of English wetlands. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presenting the findings from the University of Brighton's WetlandLIFE fieldwork. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://valuing-nature.net/valuing-nature-conferences |
| Description | Presentation to the Valuing Nature annual conference on Nested Ecosystem Services |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Dr Acott presented the idea of 'Nested Ecosystem Services' at the annual Valuing Nature conference. This is a conceptual framework being developed as part of the WetlandLIFE project to embed ideas of relationality and social wellbeing into ecosystem services. The conference aimed to bring people together from diverse research areas and from business, policy and practice. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: COP13 in Dubai - Side Event: Sense of Place & Wellbeing in Wetlands: Using Film and the Arts to achieve SDG3 (28th October 2018) |
| 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 | Side event at the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands COP13 in Dubai, October 2018. Event title: Sense of Place & Wellbeing in Wetlands: Using Film and the Arts to achieve SDG3'. Participants: Adriana Ford (lead), Kerry Morrison, Victoria Leslie, Chris Fremantle and Dave Pritchard. Our aim was to exemplify and discuss ways that the arts, humanities and social sciences can be used either individually or alongside other disciplines to work towards Sustainable Development Goal 3 - Good Health and Wellbeing - for wetlands, particularly through sharing our experiences from WetlandLIFE. The session was well attended (20+ people), with representation from at least 12 countries in our audience, from the Middle East, Africa, The Americas, Europe and Asia, including two members of the Ramsar Secretariat. Very positive response about our approaches, including from Ramsar secretariat and Defra - follow up email discussion (20 practitioners) included "Notably we were able to attend the inspiring event delivered by Adriana Ford (et al) of Greenwich University on Sense of Place and Wellbeing in Wetlands, Using Film and the Arts to achieve SDG3." (Defra Policy Lead, Dec 2018). Following this event, Defra has indicated desire to include WetlandLIFE outputs in high level ministerial policy briefing. Additionally, a planned follow-up meeting is to be held by Defra where we can further discuss influencing and feeding into the Ramsar Convention. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://www.wetlandlife.org/latest/40-wetlandlife-at-the-ramsar-convention-on-wetlands-cop13-in-dubai |
| Description | Reclaiming Wetland Values: Marsh, Mud and Wonder Stakeholder Day |
| 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 | Attendees explored how the WetlandLIFE and CoastWEB projects used multi- and interdisciplinary contributions from natural and social sciences, economics, the arts (literary, visual and performance) and humanities can help to reveal the values of wetlands to inform management and policy. Stakeholders included Public Health England, RSPB, WWT, among others. A Croatian NGO called power progressive art attended the event after being inspired by the WetlandLIFE project https://powerprogressiveart.wixsite.com/powerprogressiveart/emeraldbluesilver-gold |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://valuing-nature.net/reclaiming-wetland-values-marsh-mud-and-wonder-stakeholder-day |
| Description | The WetlandLIFE project; uncovering a wetlands 'sense of place'. School of Environment and Technology staff seminar January 30th 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A one hour staff seminar, open to all the University, discussing the 'sense of place' fieldwork undertaken by the Brighton team for the WetlandLFE project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | The impact of mosquitoes on the economic value of wetlands under four alternative future scenarios |
| 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 activity was a poster presentation at the Valuing Nature Conference. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | The impact of mosquitos on the economic value of wetlands under four future scenarios |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Cranfield University Student Group Project Presentation at Postgraduate Conference. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | The wetland on Wheels Caravan |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | After an intense period of research into wetlands and Mosquitoes at Alkborough Flats (North Lincolnshire) and the Priory and Millenium Parks (Bedford), we develop the 'WETLANDS on WHEELS' Hub: WoW. The WoW is a vintage Caravan transformed into a space to share the research of the WetlandLife team, and fascination with Wetlands. WoW is at the same time a macro mosquito Laboratorium, a space for wetland conversations, and a gallery of found knowledge from WetlandLife research sites. It is a Venue for: listening to wetland sounds and stories; watching clips; looking at photos, drawings, objet trouve and mosquitos; and reading about wetlands and their inhabitants. Here visitors can experience artistic responses to wetlands and scientific knowledge and contribute their knowledge to the mix. The WOW was on site for an accumulated time of 22 days. It attracted 220 members of the public. On site residences was conducted with the WoW as the hub to engage with visitors. Further to the visitors in the WoW we engaged with another 312 visitors. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Understanding wetlands as curated spaces; emergent findings from the WetlandLIFE project. ISDRS NEWSLETTER, 2018, Issue 4 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The International Society for Sustainable Development Research publishes an online newsletter four times a year with policy briefs, new funded work and publications. It has a global audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://isdrs.org/?wysija-page=1&controller=email&action=view&email_id=32&wysijap=subscriptions |
| Description | Wetland Mosquito Survey Handbook launch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A 1-hour webinar to launch the Wetland Mosquito Survey Handbook, which included a presentation on the entomology research carried out by the project, a talk about the wider public health context and then an introduction to the book. This was followed by a Q and A session with attendees, and resulted in several follow-up email enquiries about the project, its findings and potential areas for collaboration. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://www.wetlandlife.org/latest/61-new-book-on-british-wetland-mosquitoes-discover-more-on-world-m... |
| Description | WetlandLIFE Highlights |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A conference presentation at the annual Valuing Nature conference describing the highlights of the WetlandLIFE project and key findings. Presentation given in session B as part of the 'tour of key outputs and outcomes'. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://valuing-nature.net/valuing-nature-annual-conference-2019-presentations-activities |
| Description | WetlandLIFE Team Creative Writing 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 | Drawing on interdisciplinary discussions and ambitions among team members, the WetlandLIFE Team Creative Writing workshop was a day's workshop, writing and walking through the Avalon Marshes, Somerset, using bird hides as spaces to engage with and reflect on nature. The workshop featured a series of creative writing activities, included poetry and creative non-fiction analysis and composition prompts and the group reported changes in attitudes and wellbeing. The creative outputs produced were included in the Hide & Seek Project's interior installations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | WetlandLIFE stand at 2018 Valuing Nature Conference |
| 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 | As part of the 2018 Valuing Nature Conference WetlandLIFE had a stand demonstrating some of the creative outputs / engagements of the project including mosquito / wetland sound experience, mosquito jenga and the wetland story cubes. The purpose of the stand was to create conversations with conference delegates about ways of valuing and engaging people with wetlands. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | WetlandLIFE, epistemological equality and a disciplinary theatre: the experiences of art approaches for valuing nature / Valuing Nature Annual Conference, 2018, Cardiff. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A presentation on interdisciplinarity and art approaches for valuing nature drawing on the experiences of the wetlandLIFE project. This was given as part of a session at the conference titled 'Valuing the arts in valuing nature. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://valuing-nature.net/ValNat18/SessionC3 |
| Description | WetlandLIFE: Disciplines, epistemology and equality conference presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was a conference presentation at the Annual Conference of the Royal Geographic Society in Sept / Aug 2019. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | When negative narratives dominate: how multiple ways of valuing wetlands and mosquitoes can support decision-making conference presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was a conference presentation at the Multiple Values of Nature conference organised by the British Ecology Society and the Valuing Nature Programme. The presentation sparked discussion about the importance of art and valuing nature. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/events/multiple-values-nature/ |
| Description | Wordwatching activity RGS |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Twenty words associated with wetlands were printed on wooden plaques and placed in the Royal Geographical Society garden as part of the exhibition, 'Reclaiming Wetland Values: Marsh, Mud and Wonder'. Visitors used binoculars to spot them, noting them down in a random order to use as a starting point to begin to construct creative compositions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Workshop to explore role of arts in landscape and environmental research |
| 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 | This was a one day workshop to explore the role of arts and artists in landscape and environmental research today. It was held at National Gallery, 15th Feb 2018. It was an interdisciplinary meeting aiming to foster debate and dialogue about the role of arts and the artist in landscape and environmental research today by cutting across disciplinary perspectives and professional practices. Tim Acott and David Edwards from the WetlandLIFE team were on the organising committee and used their experiences from the WetlandLIFE project to contribute to the workshop development (WetlandLIFE was used as discussion case study). Two artists from the WetlandLIFE team also attended the event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://valuing-nature.net/news/workshop-arts-and-artist-landscape-and-environmental-research-today-a... |
| Description | World Malaria Day 2018 news item |
| 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 | A news item on the website of the Natural Resources Institute to mark World Malaria Day 25th April 2018. The news item documents a wetladLIFE project visit to the North Kent Marshes, and explores the literary context of historic malaria in the UK. The article refers to the writing of Charles Dickens, who drew inspiration from the marshes and set a scene from Great Expectations in a local churchyard, where tombs of children who died from malaria, or ague, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries can still be seen today. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.nri.org/latest/news/2018/world-malaria-day-2018-exploring-historic-malaria-and-wetlands-... |
| Description | wetland workshops |
| 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 | We delivered: 2 sound workshops (Helmut Lemke) 2 Environmental art workshops (Dr. Kerry Morrison) and initiated 3 Workshops 'Mosquitoes (Dr. Francis Hawkes) 2 Workshops "Eco System Services" (one delivered by Prof. Joe Morris. the other by Dr Sharanya Basu Roy |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | wetlandLIFE Twitter |
| 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 | Tweets about project activities, national and international wetland- and mosquito-related content, events and activities. Received good engagement from the practitioners and academia. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017,2018,2019,2020 |
| URL | https://twitter.com/wetlandlife?lang=en |
| Description | wetlandLIFE website |
| 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 | Project website, featuring information about each component of the project, the team, blog posts from the project team, and early iterations of our Photographic Essay on wetlands in England. Our home page has received over 25,500 hits. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018,2019 |
| URL | http://www.wetlandlife.org/ |
| Description | wetlandLIFE website |
| 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 | A project website with eight blog articles in last ResearchFish period |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019,2020 |
| URL | http://www.wetlandlife.org/ |