Land-use, water management andbiodiversity Land-use, water management and biodiversity Dr Ilya Maclean Environment & Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter Land-use, water management andbiodiversity Land-use, water management and biodiversity Dr Ilya Maclean Environment & Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter

Profile of research The spatial ecologist that dabbles in hydrology and the social sciences Impacts of environmental change on biodiversity Solutions-orientated research (work with policy- makers and practitioners) Focus on wetland and coastal systems

The crew Dr Andy Suggitt Dr Jonathan MosedaleAisling Devine Owen Greenwood Lynda Donaldson Amanda Scott Dr Rob Curtis Ross Wheeler

OutlineOutline Five snapshots of what we do Key areas for future collaboration Opportunities for student placements and projects

1. Using remotely-derived data to develop high-res hydrological models

2. Forecasting hydrological conditions under future climate change Current (winter)UKCP (winter)

3. Understanding links between land- use and flood risk

4. Guiding wetland restoration (1)Assess species’ status (2)Understand species habitat requirements (3)Model of management changes habitat (4)Implement targeted management (5)Monitor effects

5. Developing biodiversity indicators of wetland condition UK Wetland Bird Survey Alerts: www/bto/org/webs/alerts

Key areas for future collaboration Managing catchments to deliver multiple benefits How does land-use / management affect biodiversity? How does land-use / management affect e.g. flood risk Can we deliver dual / multiple benefits though better management

Key areas for future collaboration Managing catchments to make them more resilient to climate change Determining likelihood of hydrological extremes using probabilistic weather generators? Offsetting adverse effects through appropriate land-use and management Helping biodiversity / people cope with climate change through better management

Key areas for future collaboration Soft-engineering What scope is there for creating simple run-off attenuation features? Can these features benefit biodiversity? Scope for student projects involving simple measurements.

Opportunities for student placements / projects In Cornwall: c. 200 Ecology / Geography undergradute and 100 MSc students in any given year c. Any given staff member supervises c. 4 undergraduate and c. 3 MSc projects. Undergraduate projects arranged in June and carried-out Jul-Mar. MSc student projects arranged Nov and carried- out Jan-Jul.