Welcome to the January 2026 edition of The Spark, your update from SEFARI Gateway (Centre of Expertise for Knowledge Exchange & Innovation) on the latest research developments from the Scottish Government’s Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) strategic research programme. The ENRA Research Portfolio provides evidence for policy and practice across environment, climate change, biodiversity, land use, agriculture, food, and rural community agendas. Scotland is playing a central role in developing environmental solutions to the global climate and nature crises, and the Scottish Government response is based on the strongest possible scientific evidence. The Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture research programme is key to achieving this.
Research into Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for managing low flows is advancing globally, however relatively few case studies in the UK exist. Here, we draw on findings from the Glenlivet Distillery case study; a rare UK example of the use of NbS for managing low flows. Results from this pilot study show that well-placed runoff attenuation features that temporarily hold water can boost baseflow and preserve low flows by enhancing groundwater recharge, whilst also reducing flood peaks. The research underscores that location, scale and hydro-geological context are critical to NbS effectiveness for low-flow enhancement, however, further data is required from wider sites.
Interested in shaping the future of UK forest science?
The Forestry Commission’s Expert Committee on Forest Science is recruiting 2 new members:
🔹 a forestry sector representative
🔹 an early career forest scientist
This is a chance to influence research, policy and practice at a critical time for forestry.
📅 Apply by 30 Jan 2026
Find out more through the link below.
2 x Committee members - Forestry Commission Expert Committee on Forest Science - Forest Research
Jenny is research and communications manager at SEFARI Gateway, the Scottish Government’s Centre of Expertise for Knowledge Exchange and Innovation.
After her undergraduate degree at the University of Oxford she completed postgraduate studies in newspaper journalism at the University of Cardiff and then spent a decade as a newspaper reporter, including five years as The Scotsman’s environment correspondent. Before joining SEFARI Gateway she spent eight years running her own business in the agritourism sector from her small farm in Aberdeenshire.
Accompanying the rise of community landownership in Scotland, there has been an increase in research requests placed on specific communities. Our evidence suggests that such requests are becoming unmanageable, especially when respondents see very little benefit from research engagement. This project, in collaboration with the Community Landownership Academic Network (CLAN), has sought to find ways of aligning the needs of community landowners and researchers alike to develop guidance which can be used by researchers (and those who supervise them), community organisations and other actors to promote and encourage improved ethical research practice.
Main Image: Attendees of a workshop at UHI Perth June 2024, conferring where they are situated along X and Y axis as researchers, community members, funders, or supervisors.
SEFARI blogs are a relaxed and accessible way to share event reports, individual perspectives or your work, whether it’s just beginning, underway, or complete. They help readers outside your immediate field understand why your research matters.
Think of your blog as something a policymaker, colleague, or curious member of the public might read over a coffee. You’ve got about 30 seconds to grab their attention, so make it engaging, clear, and relevant.