Catchment Change Network.net

The second policy and practice note in the DTC series provides a brief introduction to the three demonstration test catchments, the pollution problems in each catchment and some of the potential solutions being trialled. You can  download the document   or email  for a hard copy.

The first policy and practice note in the series is also available to download  Note No. 01.

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 A two day conference and seminar to present and discuss the preliminary results from the Defra funded Demonstration Test Catchments research platform

January 21^st and 22^nd 2013

Mary Sumner House, Meeting Rooms

24 Tufton St., London SW1P 3RB

This two day event will offer the opportunity for policy makers, delivery agencies, land and water managers and catchment managers to learn about the catchment scale water quality and land management research currently underway in the Demonstration Test Catchments research platform.

Day one (10-5 pm) –DTC the Last Two Years  – will provide an overview of the catchment scale research and examples of the lessons learned so far, with opportunities for questions, discussion and accessing further details throughout. It will be structured into 4 sections:

• Understanding the problem
• Implementing Measures
• Acceptance and take-up
• Evaluating success

Day two (10- 1 pm) – DTC the Next Two Years – will provide an opportunity for more in-depth discussions led by Defra and the EA between the science research teams and stakeholders concerned with water quality.  The intention is to develop a dialogue and help guide future work in the DTC (and related) research platforms in the context of the existing and emerging policy approaches and delivery challenges in:

• Designing water quality monitoring approaches
• Engaging stakeholders in decision-making at catchment scales
• Understanding diffuse pollution risk: what does DTC research tell us about the spatial and temporal factors at play in the mobilisation, transport and impact of diffuse pollution?
• Planning and implementing diffuse pollution mitigation measures
• Analysis of farm practice data from baseline surveys – what does it tell us about farming/farm advisory services/ the culture of farming and future farm security
• Decision support tools and water quality modelling – future needs.

The workshop is free but numbers are limited so please contact Bob Harris at robert.harris@defra.gsi.gov.uk to register and for further details

The Catchment Change Network (CCN), has worked in partnership with Cumbrian farmers and the Eden Rivers Trust to disseminate top tips about how to reduce water pollution from agriculture through a 2013 calendar.

The calendar was compiled by Lancaster Environment Centre’s Phil Haygarth, Marion Walker, Eleanor Mackay, Will Cleasby and former LEC intern, Anna Sellars. The 12 photos were taken by Lancaster Environment Centre’s Clare Benskin, Keith Beven and Phil Haygarth and are all of local Cumbria scenes. For more details and to download your own copy .

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Planning for floods and droughts in the face of climate change – a continuum approach NERC and Environment Agency Policy Placement Fellowship

Closing date: Tuesday, 13th of November 2012

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) research programmes ‘UK Droughts and Water Scarcity’, ‘Flooding from Intense Rainfall’ and the Environment Agency (EA) welcome applications for a Policy Placement Fellow to undertake work considering integrated approaches to managing floods and droughts in a changing climate. This includes both physical measures to manage extremes as well as human responses to coping during events.

The 18 month part-time placement (60%) will be based at EA. Further details on the secondment opportunity and application process are available at the NERC website

http://www.nerc.ac.uk/site/guides/policymakers/documents/floods-droughts-policy-placement.pdf

The fellowship is awarded under the NERC KE Policy Placement scheme which allows researchers involved in environmental science research to work closely with policy-makers within government and other public and third sector organisations in the UK.  http://www.nerc.ac.uk/site/guides/policymakers/placements.asp

Deadline of application on Tuesday 13 November 2012.

Interviews on week starting 26 November 2012.

Wednesday 27th February 2013

The Birmingham and Midland Institute

The Hydrological Group of the Geological Society is convening a one-day meeting on the subject of Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems.

Groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) face multiple pressures related to public water supply, intensive agricultural land-use and land management practices, and pollution from industrial and household waste. Since the implementation of the Water Framework Directive significant effort has been put into characterising GDEs and assessing the threats to them. However, these threats may change under future environmental change.

This meeting will aim to present current scientific research in addition to addressing issues around characterisation, conceptualisation, monitoring, modelling, and management within the context of environmental change. Abstracts are welcomed for oral presentations or posters, which consider any of these aspects. Abstracts that bridge the hydrogeological and ecological disciplines are particularly encouraged.

Abstracts (<200 words) should be e-mailed to the convenors Chris Jackson (crja@bgs.ac.uk) and James Sorensen (jare1@bgs.ac.uk) by 15th December 2012.

Registration details and the meeting schedule will be posted in due course on the Hydrogeological Group’s pages of the Geological Society web site.