Ecosystems – Joining things up in floodplains

Ecosystems – Joining things up in floodplains • Thanks to: • UK Research Councils, notably ESRC and NERC • RELU Programme Director and Team • Farmers, Defra, Environmental Agency, Local Government, Association of Drainage Authorities, Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) , Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and others • EPSRC Flood Risk Research Management Consortium • Cranfield University: Joe Morris, Tim Hess, Peter Leeds-Harrison, Paul Trawick, Helena Posthumus, Quentin Dawson • Open University: David Gowing, Jim Rouquette, Andy Blowers, Graham Tucker • River Restoration Centre: Jenny Mant

Governance, Scale Objectives:intended outcomes Policy Context • Global drivers - WTO • CAP – food, farmers & environment • Climate Change • Water Framework Directive • Making Space for Water • Catchment Flood Management Plans • Catchment Sensitive Farming • Draft Floods and Water Bill, 2009 Resources & limits 0ptions & choices To ‘integrate management of flooding and coastal erosion to recognise the links and dependences between different policy areas’ (source: Morris et al, 2009, in press )

Integrated Land and Water Management:The Case of Flood Plains • Objectives • Can multiple objectives be achieved in ways which are appealing to major stakeholders? • what data and methods can help support decision making? • How can integration be achieved in practice? • Study methods • 8 agric flood defence schemes • Historical analysis • Policy & stakeholder analysis • Integrated modelling • 2007 flood impact assessment • Scenario analysis • Ecosystems

Stocks, capital, assets Flows, services, benefits and costs Stocks of Natural (Ecosystem) Capital Flows of Ecosystem Services Ecosystem Functions Values and Stakeholders Natural capital and ecosystems

Floodplain ecosystem functions and services: derived by stakeholder assessment • Production • Agricultural production • Bio-energy crops • Coppicing • Reed production • Regulation • Flood water storage • Water quality regulation • Greenhouse gas balance • Atmospheric nitrogen emission • Water balance • Soil condition • Drainage • Habitat • Biodiversity habitat target • Biodiversity species target • Carrier • Transport infrastructure • Settlement • Industry • Information • Public rights of way • Recreation • Cultural heritage • Education / research • Landscape value

Current situation • Maximising farm income • Maximising agricultural production • Enhance biodiversity within agricultural systems • Enhance biodiversity without agricultural systems • Maximise flood storage Floodplain scenarios Seasonal flood regime Production Regulation Carrier Habitat Information Seasonal water table regime Indicator Values

High Low Standards of Agricultural Drainage Hydrological regimes Water table depth below ground level, m MG13: Inundation grassland → inundation pasture habitat Months

Scenarios : trade-off and synergy Beckingham Marshes: Land Use *

Ecosystems, values and stakeholders Morris et al, 2009, Reed et al, 2009

Key results • Defined water regime requirements • Agricultural and ecological benefit assessment • Importance of ‘land drainage’ • Key synergies, conflicts and myths • Ecosystem metrics • Stakeholders and ecosystems • Summer 2007 floods – a test case • Potential rural role for future flood risk management

Joining things up in floodplains • Manage water regimes to deliver outcomes • Link ecosystems with stakeholder benefits • Use multiple science and knowledge to understand trade-offs, synergies and limits • Line up policy themes and funding • Establish diverse collaborations and long term commitment • Review ‘entitlements’ • Research to inform discourse, policy choice and stakeholder ‘buy-in’ • Big, visionary experiments

Ecosystems – Joining things up in floodplains