Climate Change Adaptation is one of the key items on the policy agenda in Scotland, and this was the main focus at this year’s ENRA Science, Evidence and Policy conference.
Organised by the Scottish Government’s Rural & Environmental Science and Analytical Services (RESAS) and held at Edinburgh’s Dynamic Earth, the conference brought together researchers and policymakers from across the rural and environment research and policy landscape in Scotland and showcased Scottish Government (RESAS) funded research evidence that is supporting climate change adaptation.
Title Image: Opening keynote by Prof Mathew Williams (Photo by Alöna Roitershtein)
Following the success of the first ENRA Science, Evidence and Policy conference last year, the conference returned this year to provide a forum to discuss key cross cutting strategic issues affecting Scotland’s environment, communities and rural economy. In addition to showcasing excellence in Scottish Government funded research, the event facilitates building networks and collaborations across science and policy - vital for effective and timely action for climate change adaptation.
Insightful keynote speeches from Professor Mathew Williams, Chief Scientific Adviser for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture, and Gita Anand, Deputy Director RESAS, opened the conference. Participants were introduced to a policy perspective, that highlighted the opportunities and challenges of moving adaptation forward whilst ensuring a resilient and just future for our rural communities in Scotland. Professor Mathew Williams reflected on the importance of the conference:
“The value of this conference is enormous. We have brought together Scotland’s relevant science, evidence and policy communities to break down barriers of communication and understanding. Building relationships and sharing knowledge supports our common goal of sustaining and improving our environment, natural resources and agriculture.”
An interesting keynote by Dr Toby Park, Principal Advisor, Head of Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Behavioural Insights Team and Member of First Minister’s Environmental Council followed. His talk provided a research perspective of climate change mitigation and adaptation behaviour change and he used a number of different examples to illustrate the challenges and opportunities in Scotland. Toby really emphasised the need for efficient and effective knowledge and information exchange across our communities.
The next session of the conference, organised and lead by SEFARI Gateway and its director, Dr Charles Bestwick, was dedicated to the impact of SEFARI research. Three case studies showcased examples of successful ENRA science-policy interactions and knowledge exchange from across the Strategic Research Portfolio.
Charles Bestwick heading the Policy-Impact session (Photo by Alöna Roitershtein)
Case Study 1. Mycotoxin risk assessment and mitigation to adapt to a changing climate, was presented by Dr Jacqui McElhiney, Head of the Science Division at Food Standards Scotland and Dr Silvia Gratz, Senior Research Fellow at the Rowett Institute’s Microbiome, Food Innovation and Food Security Theme. The discussion focused on how SEFARI research, which demonstrated mycotoxin occurrence in Scottish cereals and corresponding human exposure, has provided evidence that directly informs the Food Standards Scotland (FSS) risk analysis and is used to protect consumers and support trade. Read more about the research here.
Case Study 2. Incentivising animal health in the Preparing for Sustainable Farming (PSF) initiative, presented by Dr Fiona Eddy, Head of the Disease Prevention branch of Scottish Government’s Animal Health and Welfare Division (AHWD), and Dr Philip Skuce, Principal Scientist at Moredun Research Institute. This case study highlighted how SEFARI research publications, and the team’s availability for detailed discussion and willingness to participate AHWD policy development subgroup, aided the rapid development of a robust set of funded animal health and welfare interventions. More information about the work is available here.
Case Study 3. Calving Intervals – enhanced conditionality for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, presented by John Armour, Head of Livestock Production Policy Branch at the Scottish Government and Professor Steven Thomson, Agricultural Economics and Policy at SRUC. The discussion showcased how ENRA Strategic Research expertise, data and analysis supported the development of future Scottish agricultural policy, underpinning the new calving interval condition. This work also featured in Gateway’s February 2024 The Spark Newsletter.
Gateway was delighted to see the engagement in this session and be given an important platform where SEFARI colleagues could provide evidence on the impact that Scottish Government’s funded research is making for the benefit of our communities and environment. We only wish we’d had time to present more than these three cases, as SEFARI work is widely benefiting society, and more examples can be found in the Case Studies section of the Gateway website.
A panel session, organised by the ClimateXChange, Scotland's Centre of Expertise on climate change, chaired by the centre’s policy director Dr Kate Donovan, then discussed transformative climate adaptation. The panel members included Dr Helen Adams, Senior Lecturer in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation at King’s College London, Zarina Ahmed, PhD researcher at the University of Manchester’s Sustainable Consumption Institute and Professor Suraje Dessai, Chair in Climate Change Adaptation at the Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds. Discussion centred around the need at national, regional and local level to set a new pace for adaptation at scale and consider how new research initiatives like the UKRI Adaptation Hub and associated projects could help governments to scale action. Topics such as land use, biodiversity, just transition were raised to encourage critical discussion between the panellists and the audience.
The afternoon began with two break-out panel sessions, aimed at exploring how Scottish Government’s funded research can help support climate change adaptation and resilience in the Food System and across Land Use.
The ‘Food System’ session explored the pathways to net-zero food systems, that not only contribute to Scotland’s Net Zero and Nature Restoration targets, but also meet our aspirations to become a Good Food Nation. The session was chaired by Philip Duffy, Economic Adviser, RESAS, and provided different perspectives on the current opportunities and challenges to reduce emissions in our food system, the progress, the barriers and the trade-offs. The panel included colleagues from science, policy and wider sector, with Professor Jules Griffin, Director of the Rowett Institute, Dr Alexa Bellows a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh, David Thomson, CEO, Food & Drink Federation Scotland, Professor Kairsty Topp, an agricultural systems modeller at SRUC and Ashley Cooke, Deputy Director of Food and Drink Policy, Scottish Government.
The ‘Land-Use’ session discussion centred around Land Use Modelling. The session was chaired by Kerstin Hinds, Head of the Environmental Analysis Unit, RESAS, and explored the current capacity and limitations of land use modelling in Scotland, and considered how researchers and policy can design ways of working that facilitate the best use of land use research in policymaking. The expert panel included Alison Griffin, the Land Use Transformation Portfolio and Policy Manager within Scottish Government, Professor Paula Harrison, Principal Natural Capital Scientist and Professor of Land and Water Modelling at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), Dr Andrew Moxey, freelance economist and consultant and Dr Rebekah Widdowfield, Vice-Principal (People and Diversity) at St Andrews University.
The next afternoon session, led by Dr Eann Munro, Scottish Government Deputy Chief Scientific Advisor for ENRA, was organised as an interactive round-table discussion. The audience were invited to share their views on key questions and within small groups, before sharing their answers with the wider audience using Slido. This interactive and collaborative session provided an excellent opportunity to hear from a range of stakeholders on the topic of science-policy cooperation and to contribute thoughts and ideas to the next ENRA programme of research, so it continues to address Scotland’s needs.
Dr Eann Munro leading the round-table discussion (Photo by Alöna Roitershtein)
The full conference programme can be downloaded from this link.
In addition to the sessions, another key element of the conference was the display of research posters at the main hall which was organised and sponsored by SEFARI Gateway. The 30 posters were presented by researchers from across SEFARI, Centres of Expertise and Higher Education Institutions. Their research covered a range of important topics within the ENRA portfolio and showcased the immense contribution of Scottish Government (RESAS)-funded research seeking to aid Scotland with climate adaption.
Posters’ exhibition in the main hall (Photo by Alöna Roitershtein)
Throughout the day, the conference attendees were welcomed to study the posters and speak with the presenters about their work. Attendees were then invited to vote for their favourite posters. The conference was concluded by Prof Mathew Williams announcing the well-deserving winners:
Dr Peter Skelsey from The James Hutton Institute, for the poster titled Turning the tide on potato viruses using data science & machine learning.
Dr Madalina Neacsu from The Rowett Institute, UoA, for the poster titled Growing hemp on Scotland: Exploring its impact on soil health.
Dr Matt Elliot from The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, for the poster titled Improving biosecurity resources for professional operators.
And there was special recognition to Dr Amy Cooper from The James Hutton Institute and CREW Centre of Expertise for receiving the Early Career Researcher Prize for the poster titled Navigating Water Scarcity: Impacts, Adaptations, and Future Predictions for Scotland's Land Use and Industries.
Winners of the posters’ prizes receiving the certificates from Prof Mathew Williams (Photo by Alöna Roitershtein)
We are delighted for the winners and all the poster presenters, and thank them for their invaluable contribution providing the vital scientific evidence for policy and practice. You can find most of the other posters, submitted for the event, below:
Ensuring future resilience to pest and disease threats – a multi-disciplinary approach, Luz Maria Lozada, Alison Karley, Carolyn Mitchell, Gaynor Malloch (The James Hutton Institute), Dan Bebber, Sarah Gurr (University of Exeter)
GreenGrass – exploring regenerative agriculture for grazing sheep, Fiona Kenyon, Jade Duncan, Phoebe Beal, Gillian Mitchell, Leigh Andrews, Adam Hayward (Moredun Research Institute)
Navigating Water Scarcity: Impacts, Adaptations, and Future Predictions for Scotland's Land Use and Industries, Amy Cooper, Rebekah Burman, Maureen Whalen, Nikki Dodd and Rachel Helliwell (CREW Centre of Expertise for Waters)
Using vertical farming systems for adapting nutritional content of crops, Annika Bucky, Martina Pičmanová, Victoria Porley, Simon Pont, Alexandra Johnstone, Derek Stewart (The Rowett Institute, The James Hutton Institute, Intelligent Growth Solutions)
Surveillance for Antimicrobial Resistance in Livestock Units and the Surrounding Environment, Arianne Lowe, Lesley Smith, Mike Hutchings, Alexander Corbishley, Glenn Marion, Lucio Marcello (SRUC)
Estimating the nutrient supply from agriculture in Scotland, BJJ McCormick and JI MacDiarmid (The Rowett Institute)
Consumer preferences for single-use disposable and reusable cups: regulation, persuasion and motivations, Bethan Thompson, Faical Akaichi, Luiza Toma (SRUC)
Community action for coastal place-based resilience to water-related challenges, Carly Maynard, Hannah Grist, Kate Lamont (SRUC)
Novel tests to detect coliphages in drinking water, Clara Benavent Celma, Peter Cock, Eulyn Pagaling, Lisa Avery (The James Hutton Institute)
Careers and skills for a future climate, David Boldrin, Alison Karley (The James Hutton Institute), Katrina Cuthbertson, Linda Birrell (Bertha Park High School), Maxine Scott (Skills Development Scotland).
What can help Scotland shift to sustainable diets?, D McBey, G Martínez Sánchez, BJJ McCormick, G Horgan, JI MacDiarmid (The Rowett Institute)
Assessing disease risks in changing environments: Greylag geese as an exemplar study, Eleanor Watson, Scott Hamilton, Karen Keegan, Nuno Silva, Beth Wells, Lee Innes, Dave McBean, Jackie Thompson, Cameron Cunnea, Pedro Rodrigues, Keith Ballingall, Clare Hamilton (The Moredun Research Institute)
An updated landslide susceptibility model for Scotland, Erin Bryce, Daniela Castro-Camilo, Claire Dashwood, Hakan Tanyas, Roxana Ciurean, Alessandro Novellino & Luigi Lombardo (University of Glasgow, British Geological Survey, University of Twente)
Resilience to Fluvial Flooding: Knowns and Unknowns to Recommendations for Management, Ian Pattison, Copper Lewis, Andrew Tabas (Heriot Watt University)
Understanding Potato Cyst Nematode decline rates to preserve Scottish potato-growing land, James Price & John Jones (The James Hutton Institute)
The Development of a Human Behaviour Change Intervention to Increase the Uptake of Body Condition Scoring Cattle by Hand: What are the Barriers and Drivers of Change?, Lesley Jessiman, Kenny Rutherford, Simon Turner (SRUC)
The Agriculture Health Nexus in the context of Climate Change: A rapid evidence review, Naab, F, Pate, L, Vuin, A, Nelson, B, Atterton, J (SRUC) and Swift Koller, T. (World Health Organization).
Legume-based intercropping: A pathway to reduced N2O emissions from agriculture?, Luke Harrold, Kairsty Topp, Christine Watson & Robin Walker (SRUC)
Growing hemp on Scotland: Exploring its impact on soil health, Madalina Neacsu, Nicholas Hayward, Wendy Russell (The Rowett Institute) and Lorna Dawson (The James Hutton Institute).
Can plant – soil interactions be a controller on GHG emissions from soils?, M. E. Giles, S. Caul, D. King, S. Mitchell, A. Sim, R. Neilson, E. Paterson (The James Hutton Institute)
Large-scale and Systems Modelling, Altea Lorenzo-Arribas, Ken Newman, Adam Butler, Martin Knight, Chris Pooley, Stephen Catterall & Glenn Marion (BioSS)
Improving biosecurity resources for professional operators, Matt Elliot (RBGE, Plant Health Centre of Expertise) and Alistair Yeomans (Plant Health Alliance)
Do the Scottish public value NHS outdoor spaces?, Luis Loria-Rebolledo, Dwayne Boyers, Mélanie Antunes, Verity Watson (University of Aberdeen) and Neil Chalmers (Public Health Scotland)
Increasing resilience to One Health pathogens: impact from RESAS datasets, Nicola Holden (SRUC) and Eann Munro (ENRA/Science & Evidence Unit, Scottish Government).
Turning the tide on potato viruses using data mining & machine learning, Peter Skelsey (The James Hutton Institute)
Building Public Health Resilience to Fluvial Flooding in Scotland, Rhian Thomas and Claire Niedzwiedz (University of Glasgow)
Modelling Bluetongue (BTV-3) spread and control for Scotland, Sibylle Mohr, David Ewing, Ian McKendrick, Louise Matthews, Harriet Auty, Giles Innocent, Luiza Toma (University of Glasgow, BioSS, SRUC – EPIC)
Fingerprinting Pasture Phenolics: Aspects of Biodiversity, Animal Health, and Agricultural Practices, Verena Schmidt, Robin Walker, Christine Watson, Pippa Morrison, Caroline Argo, Pat Harris, Wendy Russell, Madalina Neacsu (The Rowett Institute, SRUC, Waltham Petcare Science Institute)
Finally, we would like to thank RESAS for organising this event and to all the contributors, for the insightful discussions and sharing the vital research that puts Scotland on the right, evidence-based, path to climate change adaptation. As Dr Charles Bestwick reflected:
“The ENRA Conference and only in its second year, is already proving to a crucial space in the calendar for bringing strategic research and policy colleagues together to both examine what has been achieved but more so to examine how we can all collectively shape research and knowledge exchange needs”.
We look forward to making use of the knowledge we have gained, and exchanged, with our science and policy colleagues in the current and future Scottish Government’s ENRA strategic research programmes.
SEFARI Gateway Team
Most of the SEFARI Gateway team at the ENRA event (Photo by Joe Churcher)