1. Loweswater: a case study on the importance of ‘local’ scale for ecosystem management Lisa Norton, Claire Waterton, Judith Tsouvalis, Stephen Maberly, Linda May, Alex Elliott, Nigel Watson, Ken Bell, John Rockliffe, Leslie Webb, and the Loweswater Care Project.

2. RELU aims to help deliver Modern, sustainable and competitive farming Protection of the environment Beneficial social and economic outcomes Interdisciplinary science Stakeholder engagement Knowledge transfer Introduction to the Rural Economy and Land Use programme Co-sponsored by Defra and SEERAD http://www.esrc.ac.uk/relu

3. Loweswater is a small catchment ~ 8km in the Lake District National Park Introduction to study site

4. Understanding and acting within Loweswater – Community catchment management Soil – nutrient cycling, climate regulation, air quality, biodiversity Landscape – cultural, recreation aesthetics, inspirations, heritage etc Fresh water – quality and quantity Food production Loweswater

5. A small dispersed rural community of ~100 residents, predominantly over 50 years old including 8 farmers and a high proportion of ‘incomers’ choosing to live in a beautiful landscape.

6. Loweswater Care Project The Loweswater Care Project (LCP) is a grassroots organisation made up of local residents, businesses, farmers, ecologists, sociologists, agronomists, environmental agencies and other interested parties. We work collectively to identify and address catchment-level problems in an inclusive and open manner. The LCP’s vision is to gain a better understanding of the diverse challenges faced by the Loweswater catchment and together to seek economically, socially and ecologically viable ways forward and put them into practice. An experiment in rural catchment management Mission statement

7. Land management Biodiversity on land Biodiversity in water Nutrients on land Nutrients lost to water Economic viability Community Landscape structure Lake structure Natural England/Defra (CAP) Environment Agency (WFD) Lake District National Park Authority National Trust Ecological research at the catchment scale Farmers

8. Model objectives To understand how what is done in the catchment is related to the algal blooms in the lake What are the building blocks for the Loweswater model?  Land cover information  Land management information and soil P levels for farmed land (local data)  Numbers of people (local data)  Septic tank condition, use and management (local data)  Rainfall (local data)  Lake discharge  Wind speed  Air temperature/humidity  Cloud cover  Lake data for validation Loweswater catchment model

9. Modelling strategy Collect farm data Create farm nutrient budget (PLANET) Calculate farm nutrient excess Collect rainfall & flow data Calibrate rainfall/runoff model (GWLF) Generate daily runoff values Calculate nutrient runoff concentrations (= nutrient excess/flow) Generate daily nutrient inputs to lake (GWLF) Predict lake response (PROTECH) Adjust for soil P deficit Add P losses from septic tank (as point or diffuse) Create farm management scenario data Status quo Scenario testing Local weather Land cover

10. P-loads predicted by the different scenarios ScenarioDescription S1 Current land cover & stocking densities (A = Septic tanks as point sources) S2 All farmland changed to deciduous forest (A = Septic tanks as point sources) S3 All improved grassland changed to natural grassland (A = Septic tanks as point sources) S4 No cattle; double sheep (A = Septic tanks as point sources) S5 Double cattle; half sheep (A = Septic tanks as point sources)

11. Chlorophyll production vs SRP load for the scenarios

12. What the modelling shows Despite simplifications the three models, PLANET (farm), GWLF (hydrological) and PROTECH (algal) were successfully linked to produce a reasonable simulation of the effect of the land on the lake Currently, the lake will need to improve to reach Good Ecological Status for the WFD The models suggests that if the load was halved, the lake could be brought to good ecological status (time……). The model could be used as a tool to inform future land-management decisions. Septic tanks have a relatively small effect on P and phytoplankton today, but- they can be improved without major changes to way of life and would become increasingly important if P-losses from the land were reduced.

13. Data/information that is likely to be important but which we don’t have/ haven’t been able to incorporate  Slurry tank/midden stead condition  Yard water /waste arrangements  Connectivity between waste storage and water bodies (under normal conditions)  Connectivity between waste storage and water bodies (under extreme weather conditions)  Locations of animal feeders in relation to water bodies  Animal access to water bodies in lake feeder streams Data limitations, even at this scale

14. Advantages of working at a local scale with local governance Local engagement with ecological problems Increased potential to understand the causes of those problems and find solutions (NT/farmers) Better understanding and integration between local and national actors, in particular farmers and bodies responsible for environmental quality Better understanding within the community itself (residents/farmers) Local empowerment Improved access to potential funding sources – HLS, LEADER+ Questions Is the political system as we know it, with it’s current processes an structures, ready for more radical approaches to public participation in environmental governance? Are publics ready to participate having got used to the notion that the Government will solve ‘things’ for them?

17. Other aspects of ecosystem management Ecological Most farmers have diversified Agricultural income ranges from 32-58% of farm income, The remaining % is from the Single Payment Scheme or agri-environment schemes. Total farming profit in the year of the survey was on average £7k. High variability between the 8 farmers in the catchment in terms of ; farm size, field size, stocking rate, boundary types and management, income and labour 6 farmers in the catchment are over 50 yrs old, 3 of those have potential inheritors Economic