Biodiversity Solutions

Biodiversity Solutions - Freshwater

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Explore research activities in the Biodiversity Solutions theme related to freshwater ecosystems. Names shown indicate authors or co-authors involved from the Centre of Conservation and Restoration Science.

Navigate to more Biodiversity Solutions research activities: All | Terrestrial | Marine

Conservation

Conservation refers to the preservation and management of natural habitats and ecosystems, and to the enabling of the survival and evolution of species. More recently, conservation action is also sometimes considered for novel habitats and their inhabitants, such as substrate discarded from mining.

Projects

Conservation of threatened smooth-coated otters in a heavily modified landscape in western India

Publications

A comparison of trends in population size and life history features of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and anadromous and non-anadromous Brown trout (Salmo trutta) in a single catchment over 116 years (2022), Hydrobiologia; (Dodd)

Pond ecology and conservation: research priorities and knowledge gaps (2021), Ecosphere; (Briers)

Allelic losses and gains during translocations of a high conservation value fish, Coregonus lavaretus (2021), Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems; (Dodd)

Local contributions to beta-diversity in urban pond networks: implications for biodiversity conservation and management (2021), Diversity and Distributions; (Briers)

Training future generations to deliver evidence-based conservation and ecosystem management (2021), Ecological Solutions and Evidence; (Dodd)

A test of the cumulative effect of river weirs on downstream migration success, speed and mortality of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolts: An empirical study (2019), Ecology of Freshwater Fish; (Dodd)

Density- and species-dependent errors in single-pass timed electrofishing assessment of riverine salmonids (2018), Ecology of Freshwater Fish; (Dodd)

Restoration/Rehabilitation/Rewilding/Enhancement

Solutions to the biodiversity crisis need to include not only conservation, but also restoration, rehabilitation and/or rewilding of ecosystems, given the magnitude of destruction caused. The term restoration has traditionally been used to describe actions which aimed to return a system to its original state, re-establishing the species that have been lost, and ecosystem functions and services. More recently, it has also been applied to attempts to restore ecosystem functionality and services even when species cannot return (sometimes also called rehabilitation). Rewilding also focuses on key ecological functions but emphasises relinquishment of human control. Ecological enhancement aims to improve the environmental conditions for species, for example, by installing a bird box or a green wall, whilst protecting human health and the environment.

Projects

Easter Beltie Ecological Restoration Monitoring Research

Tarland & Beltie Burn Restoration

Publications

Strategic Design and Delivery of Integrated Catchment Restoration Monitoring: Emerging Lessons from a 12-Year Study in the UK (2022), Water; (Dodd)

Best Practices for Monitoring and Assessing the Ecological Response to River Restoration (2021), Water; (Dodd)

Nature-Based Solutions & Grey-Green Solutions, Ecological Engineering, Circular Economy

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are inspired and supported by nature. They aim to provide a harmonised solution to benefit the environment, society and economy, ensuring resilience to future change. An example is to plant mangrove forests to reduce the impact of storm surges. A grey-green solution to the same issue would be the use of artificial structures and mangroves in concert. Ecological engineering has been defined as the imitation or design of ecosystems for the mutual benefit of humans and nature. Circular economy aims to stop the production of waste by a transition to renewable energy and reusable materials.

Projects

Evaluating the landscape-scale benefits of sustainable urban drainage systems for freshwater biodiversity

Publications

Strategic Design and Delivery of Integrated Catchment Restoration Monitoring: Emerging Lessons from a 12-Year Study in the UK (2022), Water; (Dodd)

Best Practices for Monitoring and Assessing the Ecological Response to River Restoration (2021), Water; (Dodd)

Processing and characterisation of water hyacinth cellulose nanofibres-based aluminium-ion battery separators (2021), ; (Goh)

The geoengineering approach to the study of rivers and reservoirs (2019), Geological Society Special Publications; (Barreto Gonzales)

Behavioural or Policy Change

Solutions to the biodiversity crisis will have to involve individual and collective behaviour change that overcomes psychological, cultural, economic, business, and political barriers. Regenerative tourism for example aims at proactively making an area ecologically better, as opposed to just sustaining it, whilst enriching local communities and offering transformative visitor experience. To help communicate science and achieve behavioural and transformative cultural change, the centre is using methods from the social sciences, psychology and the arts and creative industries.