Developing a framework and tools to help natural resource management groups reduce their risk and vulnerability to, and prepare for, climate change

Climate change is an existing and growing risk to many human and natural systems. Knowledge of the potential changes and subsequent vulnerability is vital in order to reduce and prepare for these risks, to become 'ClimateSmart'. Many natural resource management groups understand that there are potential risks to their reserves and operations, but how best to deal with the amount of data and uncertainties are so great that they have been unable to directly incorporate it into their management and conservation plans. The purpose of this internship is to work with one of these groups, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, to develop a framework, and set of tools, to allow it, and similar groups, to become 'ClimateSmart' and prepared for a climate changed future.

Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) is the oldest of the 47 Wildlife Trusts in the U.K., celebrating the 90th anniversary of its founding in 2016. NWT is responsible for more than 50 nature reserves and other protected sites, managing ~4500 ha of habitat in Norfolk. Of these 31 sites, 26 are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, 9 are National Nature Reserves, 11 are RAMSAR wetlands of international importance, 12 are Special Protection Areas (SPA) and 16 are Special Areas of Conservation (the latter two classifications part of the EU Natura 2000 network).

Effective conservation must be more than individual sites, especially under a changing climate. Thus, NWT helped develop the Living Landscapes concept - "...a relatively new way of thinking about how we manage our land. Acknowledged by Government and delivered by Wildlife Trusts across the UK, the approach seeks to connect habitats, not just nature reserves, making a more robust and expanded scale landscape for species and people." (NWT). The Living Landscapes aim to connect the 31 reserves, more than 1300 County Wildlife Sites, and surrounding areas to help maintain links between sites within a landscape. A functional Living Landscape conservation plan requires not only NWT but also partners including environmental civil society, Governments, industry and private landowners.

This internship allows the expertise of the University of East Anglia to assist the NWT to identify where the organization, its operations, and reserves are most vulnerable to climate change. The goal is develop a framework, tools and training materials, based on this work, which can then be used by other groups in the U.K. and elsewhere. Having identified the risks from climate variability and change to NWT, the intern will assist them in identifying ways to reduce this risk from climate variability and change, preparing for and becoming more 'Climate Smart' in their nature reserve operations. This information will be developed in a way that benefits other groups with their own management activities. This partnership is seen as a way of developing methods to help natural resource groups protect their existing assets and future developments in an uncertain future. It also will look at potential future research needs that could be addressed through future NERC research including MSc and PhD projects. This would strengthen and improve long-term ties between NWT and the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia. A potential outcome of this research is the identification of the need for new policies at the local, national and E.U. level (e.g., the need for a possible modification of the E.U. habitats directive).
This project will be further supported by a Relationships Manager to ensure that the links with the intern host will be embedded within the University to maximise the potential of continuing interactions. The Research and Enterprise Team will also support the development of further translational funding applications to support the project, accessing impact funding streams from within the Norwich Research Park, as well as national programmes such as Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and other Innovate UK funding streams.