Prioritising Water Research Questions
Several recent studies have emphasised the need for a more integrated process in which researchers, policy makers and practitioners interact to identify research priorities.
water@leeds recently led such a process with respect to the UK water sector.
The draft paper produced details how questions were developed through inter-disciplinary collaboration using online questionnaires and a one-day stakeholder workshop. The paper details the 94 key questions arising, and provides commentary on their scale and scope.
To find out more, please use the links below:
Paper - recently published in Science of the Total Environment - please cite as Brown et al. (2010) Priority water research questions as determined by UK practitioners and policy-makers. Science of the Total Environment, 409 (2): 256-266
Examples of priority questions determined by workshop delegates:
- How can we work with natural ecosystems such as wetlands, salt marshes, upland forests, and moorland to reduce flood risk?
- How can the full value of water be integrated into stakeholder decisions?
- What is the full ecosystem service value (water supply, water purification, flood storage, fishery supprt, leisure and tourism, etc.) of fresh waters?
- How do we ensure that innovation, particularly related to sustainable solutions, is maximised in the water industry?
- How do we change or align rural land management to reflect long-term water quality, quantity and resource requirements?
- What are the risks to water supply infrastructure under future scenarios of extreme rainfall events?
- How do we improve knowledge transfer from research to stakeholders, with a view to implementation and practical benefits?
