Ecosystems – Joining things up in floodplains

• 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

• 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

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

To ‘integrate management of flooding and coastal erosion to recognise the links and dependences between different policy areas’

Resources & limits

0ptions & choices

(source: Morris et al, 2009, in press )

Objectives: intended outcomes

Governance,

Scale

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

Natural capital and ecosystems

Stocks, capital, assets

Flows, services,

benefits and costs

Flows of EcosystemServices

Stocks of Natural (Ecosystem)

Capital

EcosystemFunctions

Values and Stakeholders

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

Floodplain scenarios

Seasonal water table regime

Seasonal flood regime

Indicator Values

ProductionRegulationCarrierHabitatInformation

1. Current situation2. Maximising farm income3. Maximising agricultural

production4. Enhance biodiversity

within agricultural systems

5. Enhance biodiversity without agricultural systems

6. Maximise flood storage

Hydrological regimes

Standards of Agricultural Drainage Low High

Wat

er t

able

dep

th b

elo

w

gro

un

d le

vel,

m

MG13: Inundation grassland → inundation pasture habitat

Months

Scenarios : trade-off and synergyBeckingham Marshes: Land Use

*

Scenarios : trade-off and synergy

Beckingham Marshes: Land Use

*

Scenarios : trade-off and synergy

Beckingham Marshes: Land Use

*

Scenarios : trade-off and synergy

Beckingham Marshes: Land Use

*

Scenarios : trade-off and synergy

Beckingham Marshes: Land Use

*

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