Developing Demonstration Test Catchments as a platform for transdisciplinary land management research in England and Wales

Mcgonigle, D. F., Burke, S. P., Collins, A. L., Gartner, R., Haft, M. R., Harris, R. C., Haygarth, P. M., Hedges, M. C., Hiscock, K. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4505-1496 and Lovett, A. A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0554-9273 (2014) Developing Demonstration Test Catchments as a platform for transdisciplinary land management research in England and Wales. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 16 (7). pp. 1618-1628. ISSN 2050-7887

Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)

Abstract

Whilst a large body of plot and field-scale research exists on the sources, behaviour and mitigation of diffuse water pollution from agriculture, putting this evidence into a practical, context at large spatial scales to inform policy remains challenging. Understanding the behaviour of pollutants (nutrients, sediment, microbes and pesticides) and the effectiveness of mitigation strategies over whole catchments and long timeframes requires new, interdisciplinary approaches to organise and undertake research. This paper provides an introduction to the demonstration test catchments (DTC) programme, which was established in 2009 to gather empirical evidence on the cost-effectiveness of combinations of diffuse pollution mitigation measures at catchment scales. DTC firstly provides a physical platform of instrumented study catchments in which approaches for the mitigation of diffuse agricultural water pollution can be experimentally tested and iteratively improved. Secondly, it has established national and local knowledge exchange networks between researchers and stakeholders through which research has been co-designed. These have provided a vehicle to disseminate emerging findings to inform policy and land management practice. The role of DTC is that of an outdoor laboratory to develop knowledge and approaches that can be applied in less well studied locations. The research platform approach developed through DTC has brought together disparate research groups from different disciplines and institutions through nationally coordinated activities. It offers a model that can be adopted to organise research on other complex, interdisciplinary problems to inform policy and operational decision-making.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE) Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Geosciences Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Water Security Research Centre Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Environmental Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	25 Jul 2014 14:50
Last Modified:	24 Oct 2022 06:29
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/49015
DOI:	10.1039/c3em00658a

Actions (login required)

View Item