01/30/15 1reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

Sustainable UplandsLearning to manage future change

01/30/15 2reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

01/30/15 2reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

Sustainable Uplands Project

Working with people in uplands to better anticipate, monitor and respond to future change

– Protecting livelihoods and ecosystem services – a framework that considers the full benefits society obtains from nature

– Facilitating knowledge exchange between local stakeholders, policy- makers and social/natural scientists

01/30/15 3reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

• Funding from RELU & ESRC• Additional funding for 16 projects using findings e.g.

Yorkshire Water, Natural England, DEFRA, Premier Waste, United Utilities, Scottish Government, Commission for Rural Communities, Government Office for Science, IUCN

Sustainable Uplands Project• Test sites in Peak District,

Yorkshire Dales and Galloway, but have developed an approach that could be rolled out across the uplands

01/30/15 4reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

The Sustainable Uplands team:University of Leeds:Prof Joe HoldenDr Klaus HubacekDr Nesha Beharry-BorgMs Jan BirchMs Sarah BuckmasterDr Dan ChapmanDr Pippa ChapmanDr Stephen CornellDr Andy DougillDr Evan FraserDr Jenny HodgsonDr Nanlin JinDr Brian IrvineProf Mike KirkbyDr Bill KuninMr Oliver MooreDr Claire QuinnDr Brad ParrishDr Lindsay StringerDr Mette Termansen

University of Durham:Prof Tim BurtDr Fred WorrallDr Rob Dunford

University of Sheffield: Dr Christina Prell

Wirtschafts University, Austria:Dr Sigrid Stagl

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria: Jan Sendzimir

Moors for the Future partnership (Aletta Bonn)The Heather Trust (Simon Thorp)

University of Aberdeen:Dr Mark ReedProf Steve Redpath

University of St Andrews:Dr Ioan FazeyDr Anna Evely

Macaulay Institute:Mark SutterMike Rivington

01/30/15 5reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

Why are uplands so important?

01/30/15 6reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

Current and future pressureCommon Agriculture Policy reformEU Water Framework Directive

Global population growth and food security

Ongoing climate, cultural, social and demographic change

01/30/15 7reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

The uplands of the future

• Most people’s vision for the future is status quo and radical visions may be unpopular

• Who’s vision do we aim for – what is best for most people?

01/30/15 8reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

What has the project involved ?1. Understanding stakeholders priorities &

views on challenges and opportunities . The research was driven by the wider community and not by the scientists

2. Working with people to refine priorities and think about scenarios for the future

01/30/15 9reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

What has the project involved ?3. Collate and collect scientific and social

data (e.g. human behaviour, carbon, water quality , grouse etc)

4. Combine all of the information in models and see what this might mean for the future under different scenarios

5. Work with people to better understand what might happen and how we can adapt to change and carve out a good future for the uplands

01/30/15 10reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

Restored to pristine condition:Complete vegetation, no bare peat, no gullies, only grazedSink = 119 tonnes C/km2/yr

Current condition:Bare soil, grazing, gullies and burningSink = 24.3 tonnes C/km2/yr

Example for carbon in Peak District National Park

01/30/15 11reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

Red grouse count 20040 - 5

6 - 15

16 - 27

28 - 44

45 - 96

Vegetation

heather

bilberry/crowberry

bracken

grasses

sedges

rushes

bare peat

Mean temperature (C)High : 8.987095

Low : 5.979176

GrouseWarmer weather under climate change will reduce grouse populations

01/30/15 12reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

Example hydrology outputs

01/30/15 13reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

Spatial targeting of resources• There are synergies and trade-offs

• Spatial approach helps us work together for the greater good to enable mixed management across the landscape while maximising benefits to society and local communities

• We could more cost-effectively implement management strategies through spatial targeting

• The upland community need to be resourced to manage the landscape for the wider societal benefits

01/30/15 14reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

4ways to cost-effectively protect uplands

01/30/15 15reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

4 ways to cost-effectively protect uplands

01/30/15 16reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

1. Link agricultural payments more effectively to provision of ecosystem services

01/30/15 17reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

2. Remove policy barriers to facilitate peatland restoration via carbon markets

01/30/15 18reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

3. Re-consider a levy on extractive uses of peat

01/30/15 19reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

4. Establish a national partnership of upland researchers, policy makers and practitioners to share knowledge and

develop a shared agenda for future research

01/30/15 20reluRural Economy andLand Use Programme

Contactwww.see.leeds.ac.uk/sustainableuplands

Follow us on:

www.twitter.com/reluuplands

New websiteEmail: sustainableuplands@see.leeds.ac.uk

Call or text on: 0797 428 6778