Bricks and Water

A new report, Bricks and Water, which iCASP helped to inform, has been published by the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum, an off shoot of Policy Connect.

It sets out an action plan for better management of water to deliver water-efficient homes at volume, that are resilient to flooding and calls for a ‘Bricks and Water’ sustainability code with a change in building regulations to provide a stable long-term planning framework.

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iCASP Confluence 2018

A clutch of project ideas and some very useful feedback have come out of the iCASP Confluence 2018.  About eighty delegates from partner organisations and partner universities attended to catch up on project progress, network and share experiences so far.

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Understanding the methods to Value Ecosystem Services

Photo credit: Jenny Sharman

This workshop, part of the iCASP Confluence 2018, introduced some basic principles and methods for valuing ecosystem services. It used the example of one of the on-going iCASP projects, which focuses on how to estimate the benefits of peatland restoration.

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FAS Workshop

Flood Alleviation Schemes This workshop led by Steve Wragg, Flood Risk Manager at City of York Council, was an opportunity for anyone involved in, or affected by, a flood alleviation scheme in Yorkshire to share ideas, problems and advice. It was also a way to get an overview of what’s going on and where. The … Read more

Soil Health Metric Workshop

 

This workshop was a first step towards considering what a soil health index could and should include. A potential follow-on activity could be compiling an advisory briefing for Defra which is looking for ways to assess soil health. Please get in touch with [email protected] if you would like to be involved.

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New UK Climate Scenarios

Credit: Malcolm Campbell

This workshop provided an open forum for suggestions about how iCASP could continue to support the region to make informed climate adaptation decisions building on the success of the iCASP UKCP18 project which anticipated the release later this year of The UK Climate Projections 2018.

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NFM Knowledge Exchange

This workshop was an opportunity for people from different catchments across Yorkshire to meet and share learning, experience and approaches to dealing with the inevitable challenges that are generated by pioneering natural flood management (NFM) schemes.

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Eyeing up our rivers

Photo courtesy: Sheila Palmer, University of Leeds

The latest iCASP Project, The Derwent Data Finder, will  explore whether a collaborative monitoring system could help the Environment Agency to reduce costs and to gather more information. The Environment Agency currently spends 60 million pounds a year gathering information on the state of the water environment to meet regulatory requirements.

However, many other organisations, including iCASP partners and universities, also collect relevant data which if shared might fill existing knowledge gaps and prevent duplication.

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Spring call for new projects

iCASP is once again inviting expressions of interest for iCASP projects.

If you have an idea please complete the 6 page Expression of Interest (EOI) document that you can download from the link below.

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Managing land more beneficially

Photo Credit: Les Firbank

Leaving the EU gives the UK an opportunity to rethink farm subsidies. The government is currently exploring how to incentivise farmers and land owners to improve water quality, soil health  and flood protection. This is where iCASP can help. The Agri-Land Management for Public Goods Delivery Project is going to review and consolidate the evidence on land management interventions which generate a wide range of public goods.

The Review will focus on a selection of land management activities currently undertaken in the River Ouse drainage basin area of Yorkshire, including those supported through Countryside Stewardship.

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