NERC High level Policy Placement with Welsh Government
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Dundee
Department Name: Water Law
Abstract
The aim of this placement is to support and enhance the processes that ensure that the wide range of science research that is undertaken by and through the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is effectively transferred to Scottish Government (and its partners), and so forms the evidence base for effective development of relevant policies and practice. At the same time, it looks to influence the focus and scope of NERC research to better meet the distinctive needs of Scotland.
The Scottish Government is a major funder of science in the area of rural affairs, food and the environment,. With an investment of over £50 million a year, it supports a broad range of research topics which underpin and inform the development of Scottish policies, ranging from the land use strategy to urban air quality. This impacts on the lives of everyone, with the core focus in this context being the support for research in agriculture, food, environmental change, wildlife, and rural communities.
NERC is the leading funder of independent environmental science in the UK, spending some £330 million per year through universities and Research Centres. It is committed to working in partnership with others to ensure that its focus and priorities for research spending meet the needs of those who are developing and reviewing polices and practices in these areas of science.
The post being established in this project will act as a conduit between these two organisations, working with key persons in each to improve the the links between the science delivered by NERC and the evidence needs of those developing policies in Scottish Government and its partner organisations in the public sector. Key to this will be a number of specific objectives and outputs:
1. Aligning the focus and contents of Scottish Government's and NERC strategies, including their approaches, priorities and opportunities
The initial stage in objective 1 will involve a review of the Scottish Government and their partners current evidence plans against the current NERC science programmes and priorities
2. Support the development of the science evidence base for policy development. As part of these investigations, a review will also be undertaken of what sources RESAS and CAMERAS leads have utilised to create their policy positions - what is the evidence base that most informs the current policy? and from where do policy leads get their knowledge?
3. Broker links with NERC-funded scientists and relevant data and evidence sources to inform Scottish Government engagement with wider evidence programmes. NERC and Scottish Government already have some well-developed areas of joint activity, supporting specific projects and programmes in key areas. Scottish Government also developed innovative ideas to bring academics and policy makers together through their Centres of Science Expertise in such areas as Climate Change and Water. An initial stage of this objective will therefore be to review these existing partnerships in order to capture best practice and identify where any barriers to engagement and uptake of science may be occurring and thus hindering effective knowledge transfer.
4. Act as a strategic link between NERC and Scottish Government to scope and initiate measures to ensure a long-term sustainable strategic framework for how NERC and Scottish Government (and their agencies and Centres of Expertise) can work together. The final objective will bring together the findings of the first three objectives to explore mechanisms for engaging the NERC community with Scottish Government policy evidence needs and vice-versa on a more permanent and sustainable basis, through the development of a joint strategic framework.
Impact:
The immediate beneficiaries of this work will be policy-makers and science thematic leads in both Scottish Government and NERC, leading ultimately to more effective and timely delivery of relevant science to support policy and practice.
The Scottish Government is a major funder of science in the area of rural affairs, food and the environment,. With an investment of over £50 million a year, it supports a broad range of research topics which underpin and inform the development of Scottish policies, ranging from the land use strategy to urban air quality. This impacts on the lives of everyone, with the core focus in this context being the support for research in agriculture, food, environmental change, wildlife, and rural communities.
NERC is the leading funder of independent environmental science in the UK, spending some £330 million per year through universities and Research Centres. It is committed to working in partnership with others to ensure that its focus and priorities for research spending meet the needs of those who are developing and reviewing polices and practices in these areas of science.
The post being established in this project will act as a conduit between these two organisations, working with key persons in each to improve the the links between the science delivered by NERC and the evidence needs of those developing policies in Scottish Government and its partner organisations in the public sector. Key to this will be a number of specific objectives and outputs:
1. Aligning the focus and contents of Scottish Government's and NERC strategies, including their approaches, priorities and opportunities
The initial stage in objective 1 will involve a review of the Scottish Government and their partners current evidence plans against the current NERC science programmes and priorities
2. Support the development of the science evidence base for policy development. As part of these investigations, a review will also be undertaken of what sources RESAS and CAMERAS leads have utilised to create their policy positions - what is the evidence base that most informs the current policy? and from where do policy leads get their knowledge?
3. Broker links with NERC-funded scientists and relevant data and evidence sources to inform Scottish Government engagement with wider evidence programmes. NERC and Scottish Government already have some well-developed areas of joint activity, supporting specific projects and programmes in key areas. Scottish Government also developed innovative ideas to bring academics and policy makers together through their Centres of Science Expertise in such areas as Climate Change and Water. An initial stage of this objective will therefore be to review these existing partnerships in order to capture best practice and identify where any barriers to engagement and uptake of science may be occurring and thus hindering effective knowledge transfer.
4. Act as a strategic link between NERC and Scottish Government to scope and initiate measures to ensure a long-term sustainable strategic framework for how NERC and Scottish Government (and their agencies and Centres of Expertise) can work together. The final objective will bring together the findings of the first three objectives to explore mechanisms for engaging the NERC community with Scottish Government policy evidence needs and vice-versa on a more permanent and sustainable basis, through the development of a joint strategic framework.
Impact:
The immediate beneficiaries of this work will be policy-makers and science thematic leads in both Scottish Government and NERC, leading ultimately to more effective and timely delivery of relevant science to support policy and practice.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Christopher Spray (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
| Description | Input to developing the Welsh Government Natural Resources Policy; and Accessing the Evidence base for Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (SMNR) - Detailed interviews were undertaken 1:1 with a large range of Policy leads across Welsh Government. These revealed what the interviewees saw as the key policy challenges for their respective Policy areas within Welsh Government; what evidence was utilised in its formation and identified if and where any natural science 'evidence' needs were 'missing' and, as such provided a barrier to uptake. Key findings include: a) Generic natural resources evidence needs identified across policies: - How to 'value' the services delivered by the natural environment, including multiple benefits - Better articulation of the strength/uncertainties of cause and effect between 'nature-based solutions' and potential outputs and subsequent outcomes - Improving measures of effectiveness, costs and benefits (not necessarily just economic) - Governance structures that 'reward' a process and culture of decision-making within individual policy areas/departments that recognises that costs may exist in one sector but that the benefits that accrue may be enjoyed in another. In effect the break-down of a silo management philosophy in favour of holistic integration - Working definition of ecosystem resilience that can be utilised in practice b) Specific needs within different Policy areas. The key ones identified included: - Mapping methodologies for different ecosystem services though time and space, including the identification of providers and beneficiaries - Hydrological effectiveness of Natural Flood Management techniques - Impact of effectiveness of teaching and education as a means to promote SMNR - Linkages between resource efficiency and biodiversity c) What evidence is there to support development of Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (SMNR)? Knowledge of evidence was very variable, and knowledge of evidence derived specifically from NERC sources was highly localized within Welsh Government. Key areas of NERC's programme identified as of direct relevance included: - Resilience to Environmental Hazards (especially reducing the costs of flooding; Improving Flood models); - Benefiting from Natural Resources (assessing the value of 'Natural Capital'; Sustainable food production; Renewable energy; Valuing Nature Network, Ecosystem Knowledge Network); and - Managing Environmental Change (earth and weather system modeling and climate change prediction capabilities). One identified need was to build an internal 'case book' of 'killer facts' relating to the links that have been demonstrated between Nature-based-Solutions' and specific policy questions, a proposal that has indeed been developed. d) How to ensure effective engagement to influence the research agenda proposed by NERC /Defra and to improve internal access to information produced by NERC and allied sources: The Welsh Government's Strategic Evidence Group has, since Sept 2015 been central to effective engagement, serving to align internal evidence needs with work and timetable requirements to support the developing National Natural Resources Policy (NNRP) and Environment Bill/Act (State of Natural Resources Report (SoNaRR) and Area Statements). Notably, it also includes active membership by Natural Resources Wales, thus strengthening policy and practice links effectively.The Research needs (SoNaRR, integrated environmental monitoring framework) and Political Landscape (Taking Wales Forward, Brexit) have both changed and continue to change rapidly, but this group represents the key internal research and monitoring hub for policy and practice, a role that needs to be refined, consolidated and expanded. Looking to linkages with NERC, in individual areas these are very strong, but this is somewhat patchy in places. This can be improved through focused meetings in Cardiff with key NERC & WG Policy leads, so NERC can share what their recent and current research projects are in this area and what they are planning (and crucially thinking of planning); so Policy teams can share their immediate evidence needs and policy priorities; and with the aim of co-producing a road map to achieving the desired outcomes (both towards the science policy priorities themselves, and identifying the best routes to continue to influence the science needed to deliver those policy needs) As noted, this needs to build on what has already been achieved, for example in terms of defining policy area evidence needs, when and which research areas are policy priorities - two immediate ones being Water and Flooding; Health and Environment e) At the strategic level, there is clearly a need for new governance and evaluation methodologies that enable and promote cross-sectoral action (not just thinking) that facilitates an integrated approach to resolving environmental issues. Multiple benefits and 'true' holistic ecosystem services valuation, will only be delivered when the governance arrangements facilitate cross-sectoral working and enable the long-term delivery of benefits in one area to be funded by more immediate actions in another. |
| Exploitation Route | Four areas can be seen as potentially useful for others: - the fundamental role of progressive legislation - Well Being of Future Generations Act (2015) and Environment Act (2016) - in setting a clear direction for policy and, though this the strengthening of links between science and evidence-based policy - the importance of the central Evidence Group within Welsh Government. This is an excellent example of best practice, especially as this included key members of Natural Resources Wales as well as a large cross-section of policy areas within Government, and enables the science-policy agenda to be effectively addressed; - the need for ongoing bilateral dialogue between key personnel within Welsh government and NERC at the policy topic areas - especially important in identifying upcoming research and policy needs and for horizon scanning; and - The need for an accessible database of proven methodologies for 'Nature based Solutions' - the emerging EA Inventory of Natural Flood Management is one such nationally. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Environment,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Other |
| Description | The findings have primarily been used within the strategic and policy sections of Welsh government. The nature of this High Level NERC Policy Placement was one of on-site learning and direct contribution to what was and is a very fast moving, innovative and exciting programme of policy development within Welsh Government (and through them to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and others). Key areas included: - support to the development of the emerging content of the Environment (Wales) Bill and then Act (2016), through responding to requests for scientific review and evidence of key elements from Welsh Government staff, and inputting experiences from Scotland and elsewhere to such debates as ecosystem definitions, ecosystem resilience attributes, etc.; - support to the policy process behind the production of the first ever State of the Natural Resources Report (SoNaR), with regular review and critique of emerging processes and content, bringing in an independent perspective from experiences and research elsewhere, such as the Scottish Land Use Strategy, as well as to the Core Evidence Group; - direct assessment and review of all relevant sector/topic policy groups within Welsh Government as regards their engagement with environmental issues and nature based solutions. This fed in to the development of the Government's programme for the sustainable management of natural resources (SMNR) and emerging elements of the National Natural Resources Policy. - the promotion and development of the science evidence base for natural flood risk management - including engagement with Government, NRW, Local Government and Consultants involved in policy and practice. I was able to provide awareness of the existing and emerging research and results from across the UK, and to present these to informal and formal meetings, including many internal and with NRW and externally to all Welsh Local Authorities and to the annual Institute of Welsh Engineers meeting in Cardiff. Since then, I have been able to utilize this learning, and extend the impact into areas of policy elsewhere, both within the UK (keynote presentations at the launch of the EA Evidence base for Working with Natural Processes and Natural Flood Management), Scotland and EU (Policy Working Group for the EU INTERREG North sea Region Building with nature programme). I was also invited to participate in a High Level Expert panel for the Queensland Reconstruction Authority in September 2017 at the International Rivers Conference in Brisbane. looking at the science evidence base behind flood risk management at a catchment scale. In 2019, I was invited back to Wales and, with the Welsh Government and Ecosystem Knowledge Network delivered two workshops on Evaluating Nature-based Solutions to a wide range of statutory and NGO organisations. Since then, I have again been invited back to help with work facilitating and advising on set up of area-based Environmental Catchment Organisations both in Wales (March 2021) and in Ireland/Northern Ireland (2020) |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Education,Environment,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services |