2011-2015
Europe’s mountains in the context of Cohesion Policy
Europe’s mountains in the context of Cohesion Policy
2015 – 2016
In 2016, the European Parliament considered the role of mountains in the Cohesion Policy of the EU. The main aim of funding under this policy was to reduce the economic, social and territorial disparities that still exist in the EU.
To inform the debate, the European Parliament Think Tank commissioned a review paper; Martin Price was one of the contributors and the final editor.
Cohesion in Mountainous Regions of the EU | Think Tank | European Parliament (europa.eu)
The impact of diversity of ownership on social, economic and environmental outcomes
The impact of diversity of ownership on social, economic and environmental outcomes
2015 – 2016
In collaboration with SRUC, James Hutton Institute, Andy Wightman and Pareto Consulting, this research was commissioned by Scottish Government to investigate the local impacts of differing forms and scales of rural land ownership in Scotland on social, economic and environmental outcomes.
Large sections of Scotland are owned by a small number of private, public, charities and non-governmental organisations. This project considered the implications of large land holdings for the local communities that reside within their boundaries. It focused on size rather than tenure of ownership.
The project aimed to develop evidence on the relationship of different patterns of landholding size to social, economic and environmental outcomes. To do this the research team set out a robust theoretical framework, identified case studies, and then undertook data collection and data analysis. Our principal roles in the project were to interview key landowners, other businesses and community representatives, and to ensure wider community engagement through focus groups.
The Zonation of mountain biosphere reserves
The Zonation of mountain biosphere reserves
2014 – 2015
This project looked at the zonation of 105 biosphere reserves in the mountains of Europe, to evaluate issues that might affect their conservation objectives.
Biosphere reserves (BRs) are designated by UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme. According to the Statutory Framework of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR), they should be “sites of excellence to explore and demonstrate approaches to conservation and sustainable development on a regional scale”.Over half the 631 members of the WNBR are in mountain areas.
Article 5(a) of the Statutory Framework states that the core area(s) of a biosphere reserve (BR) should be “legally constituted and devoted to long-term protection, according to the conservation objectives of the biosphere reserve”; Article 5(b) states that there should be “a buffer zone or zones clearly identified and surrounding or contiguous to the core areas, where only activities compatible with the conservation objectives can take place”. Recent experience, regarding both proposed BRs and periodic reviews of existing BRs, has identified core areas that are not entirely surrounded by buffer zone or transition area, particularly in mountain areas. This led to the question as to the number of BRs in which such a situation can be observed and if it affects the conservation objectives.
In order to make a first step to answering this question, zonation data from 105 BRs in Europe’s mountains were collected and reviewed, using a geographic information system (GIS). This showed that the core areas of just over half these BRs were either not on the edge of the BR or adjacent to a protected area outside the BR. However, various issues were identified for the other BRs. A second step considered 7 of these in more detail.
The study resulted in a report and two spreadsheets with information about individual biosphere reserves. It was undertaken by Katarzyna Wicher from Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland, while on an Erasmus+ Student Placement.
Full citation: Wicher, K. (2015). Ensuring the conservation function of Biosphere Reserves in mountain areas in Europe.
BiodivERsA Stakeholder Engagement Toolkit Case studies
BiodivERsA Stakeholder Engagement Toolkit Case studies
2013 – 2014
Conducted by Dr Ros Bryce, this was a contract with the Joint Nature Conservancy Council (JNCC), with funding from BiodivERsA.
A review of the social, economic and environmental benefits of wild land in Scotland
A review of the social, economic and environmental benefits of wild land in Scotland
2015-2016
A project commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage to review the social, economic and environmental benefits of wild land in Scotland. The project was completed in collaboration with SRUC and the Wild Land Research Institute at the University of Leeds.
The purpose of this study was to determine what economic, environmental and social benefits and constraints are associated with Scotland’s wild land areas. The study comprised three parts:
- A review and update of previous studies of wild land
- Development of an ecosystems-based assessment framework
- Analysis of ten case studies
Staff at CMS collected the case study data, conducting semi-structured interviews with a mixed sample of local stakeholders and administering an online participatory mapping exercise where stakeholders were asked to identify areas important for ecosystem service provision in each case study.
For more information, contact Dr Rosalind Bryce
Mountains for Europe's Future
Mountains for Europe's Future
2015 & 2016
Strategic research agenda: Mountains for Europe’s Future
During 2015 and 2016, a strategic research agenda for Europe’s mountains was developed by a multi-national interdisciplinary team (including Martin Price), coordinated by the Swiss-Austrian Alliance.
Sustainability Seminars (SILK)
Sustainability Seminars (SILK)
2014 – 2017
The Centre for Mountain Studies organised regular seminars within the UHI SILK (Society, Identity, Landscape and Knowledge) research cluster during the academic years between 2014 and 2017
The Seminars were a way to find out more about the research across UHI and the SILK research cluster, as well as guest lectures by those undertaking research of interest to UHI colleagues.
The seminars organised in 2016/17 are listed below.
Friday 30 September 2016, 1200-1300 Professor Anna Lawrence (Inverness College, UHI)
Adapting through practice: Silviculture, innovation and forest governance for the age of extreme uncertainty
Friday 4 November 2016, 1200-1300 Jason Harrison (MSc Student, UHI)
Beyond the Wild Highlands
Friday 25 November 2016, 1200-1300, Dr Andrew Butler (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
Development of landscape identity as an official discourse - case of a forest fire
Friday 9 December 2016, 1200-1300, Dr Jasper Kenter (SAMS)
Shared, plural and cultural values of nature: deliberative valuations as new democratic spaces
Friday 17 February 2017, (1200-1300), Rebecca Smith (Lews Castle College)
Waste and Consumption in Rural Areas, a Q Methodology Study
Friday 3 March 2017, (1300-1400), Professor Pete Higgins (University of Edinburgh)
People, place and planet: how relationships with the landscape matter
Friday 7 April 2017, (1200-1300), Dr Euan Bowditch (Inverness College, UHI)
Walking the land: examining an ecosystem approach for private estates through the lens of woodland expansion
Friday 5 May 2017, (1200-1300), Matt Sillars (Inverness College, UHI)
100 years of Psychology and the ‘Simplistic Pedagogy’: Fixing the Theory-Practice Gap and bringing the Teacher back into Education
Grouse shooting, moorland management and local communities
Grouse shooting, moorland management and local communities
2014-2015
A study of community perceptions and socio-economic impacts of moorland management and grouse shooting in the Monadhliath and Angus Glens.
In collaboration with SRUC, the project used a community questionnaire survey, a survey of estates in the case study areas and semi-structured interviews with community residents, local business owners and other stakeholders.
SRUC UHI Grouse Study 2015 Final Report
Full citation:
McMorran, R., Bryce, R. and Glass, J. (2015). Grouse shooting, moorland management and local communities. Community Perceptions and Socio-Economic Impacts of Moorland Management and Grouse Shooting in the Monadhliath and Angus Glens. Commissioned Report.
For more information, contact Dr Rosalind Bryce
Mapping historic hydropower infrastructure in Scotland
Mapping historic hydropower infrastructure in Scotland
2014
A project to map the presence of historic hydropower infrastructure over a large area of the East coast of Scotland began in August 2014.
A partnership between the renewables industry, four local authorities and academics at the University of the Highland and Islands (UHI) will map the presence of historic small scale hydro infrastructure across four local authority areas; Aberdeenshire, Perth & Kinross, Fife and Angus, which cover an area of approximately 15,000km2.
These areas contain some very significant river systems that were used extensively in the past for power abstraction. Water power was used for textiles, mineral processing and paper making in addition to grain and timber mills. For example, a survey from the 1930's reports 30 sites of historic hydropower infrastructure on the River Leven in Fife over a length of only 26km. A fall of over 90m between source and sea made this an attractive location for textile mill owners in the 19th century. The geography across the East coast of Scotland means that there is a high potential for production. There are reported to be at least 850 historic hydro sites in the council area of Aberdeenshire (over a total land area of 6313km2).
There is considerable momentum around the development of renewable energy technology in Scotland. The Scottish Government has an ambitious target of achieving the equivalent of all Scotland’s electricity consumption from renewables by 2020. Alongside large investments in wind power, small-scale hydro is viewed as a promising source of renewable energy that is currently underutilised. Such schemes offer a means of income diversification for landowners such as farmers in rural Scotland and can contribute to sustainable rural development. Ownership of such schemes is also popular amongst the owners of large estates and communities whom derive a range of economic and social benefits from harvesting local energy. Research shows that there is much potential in Scotland for substantially increasing energy from hydropower.
The aim of the first phase of the project is the identification of infrastructure across the East coast local authority areas of Scotland and will build on work already carried out in Aberdeenshire. Researchers at UHI will collate existing data sets and other information sources that describe the presence of infrastructure and conduct a desk-based mapping study of each area using Google Earth. Data on infrastructure condition, estimated power potential and other factors such as land ownership and environmental status of the surrounding habitat will be collected.
The database produced will then be used in future phases of the project to select sites for development as case studies which will undergo refurbishment. Some of these sites will be used to test new micro hydro technologies. It is expected that geographical modelling work will be conducted on candidate sites to accurately assess their hydropower potential and economic efficiency allowing us to identify optimal locations based on flows throughout the year and assessment of alternative designs and layouts.
For more information about this project, contact: rosalind.bryce.perth@uhi.ac.uk
Project partners: Centre for Mountain Studies, Perth and Kinross Green Technology Business Accelerator, East Coast Renewables, Perth and Kinross Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Fife Council and Angus Council
NGO land ownership in Scotland
NGO land ownership in Scotland
2013
Evidence for Scotland's Land Reform Policy Review
The socioeconomic benefits of the ownership and management of land by environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
In conjunction with providing evidence to the Scottish Government's Land Reform Review Group (LRRG) on the social and economic contributions of NGO landowners, the Centre for Mountain Studies was commissioned by a collective of environmental NGOs to carry out a review in late 2012/2013.
The study was primarily focused on the activities of five large environmental NGOs who own significant areas of land in Scotland:
- John Muir Trust (JMT)
- National Trust for Scotland (NTS)
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
- Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT)
- Woodland Trust Scotland (WTS).
Full citation:
Mc Morran, R., Glass, J, Frankland, D. (2013). Evidence for Scotland’s Land Reform Policy Review (2012-2014) - The socioeconomic benefits of the ownership and management of land by environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Commissioned report prepared by the Centre for Mountain Studies, Perth College UHI
UK National Ecosystem Assessment Follow-on (NEAFO)
UK National Ecosystem Assessment Follow-on (NEAFO)
2012 – 2014
Staff at the Centre for Mountain Studies (Dr Ros Bryce and Dr Jayne Glass) were directly involved in three work packages of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment Follow-on (NEAFO) project.
Work Package 6: Cultural, Shared and Plural Values: This work package recognised how accounting for shared, cultural and plural values of ecosystems can enable robust decisions to be made about the natural environment that better reflect the values of society. Dr Ros Bryce was a member of the research team. Further information: Living With Environmental Change website.
Work Packages 9 and 10: Tools - Applications, Linkages and Benefits (TABLES): Dr Jayne Glass worked with colleagues at Birmingham City University and a range of other organisations on the TABLES project. Led by Professor Alister Scott (School of the Built Environment, Birmingham City University), the work focused specifically on integrating the principles and thinking behind the ecosystem approach and ecosystem services into the development, adaptation and testing of existing tools to improve policy and decision-making processes. The research team includes academics, policy and practice representatives, as well as a number of case study partners.
The results of the study were compiled into a user-friendly website, which uses the 'NEAT Tree' to provide guidance for policy- and decision-makers who wish to incorporate the ecosystem approach into their work.
Full citations:
Scott, A., Carter, C., Hölzinger, O., Everard, M., Rafaelli, D., Hardman, M., Baker, J., Glass, J., Leach, K., Wakeford, R., Reed, M., Grace, M., Sunderland, T., Waters, R., Corstanje, R., Glass, R., Grayson, N., Harris, J., & Taft, A. (2014) UK National Ecosystem Assessment Follow-on. Work Package Report 10: Tools – Applications, Benefits and Linkages for Ecosystem Science (TABLES). UNEP-WCMC, LWEC, UK.
Glass, J. (2014) Delphi Method, Tool review document submitted to the TABLES project.
Glass, J. (2014) Sustainable Estates Workbook, Tool review document submitted to the TABLES project.
Davies, A., Bryce, R., Reed, M., Kenter, J. and Cowap, C. (2014) Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, Tool review document submitted to the TABLES project.
Glass, J., Scott, A., Reed, M. and Curzon, R. (2012). Public engagement tools: a literature review. Document submitted to the TABLES project.
Kenter, J.O., Reed, M. S., Irvine, K.N., O'Brien, E., Brady, E., Bryce, R., Christie, M., Church, A., Cooper, N., Davies, A., Hockley, N., Fazey, I., Jobstvogt, N., Molloy, C., Orchard-Webb, J., Ravenscroft, N., Ryan, M., & Watson, V. (2014) UK National Ecosystem Assessment Follow-on. Work Package Report 6: Shared, Plural and Cultural Values of Ecosystems. UNEP-WCMC, LWEC, UK.
Kenter, J.O., Reed, M.S., Everard, M., Irvine, K.N., O'Brien, E., Molloy, C., Bryce, R., Brady, E., Christie, M., Church, A., Collins, T., Cooper, N., Davies, A., Edwards, D., Evely, A., Fazey, I., Goto, R., Hockley, N., Jobstvogt, N., Orchard-Webb, J., Ravenscroft, N., Ryan, M., Watson, V. (2014). Shared, plural and cultural values: A handbook for decision-makers. UK National Ecosystem Assessment follow-on phase. Cambridge, UNEP-WCMC.
Cairngorms National Park Knowledge Transfer project
Cairngorms National Park Knowledge Transfer project
2012 – 2013
The Centre for Mountain Studies at Perth College UHI and the Cairngorms National Park Authority joined in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership to create a sustainable network for knowledge exchange within the Park. This network will serve anyone interested in issues related to sustainable development in the Cairngorms, will support the Park Authority in preparing their new National Park Plan, and will improve awareness and understanding of the use and value of research in the Park.
The project aimed to identify recent and ongoing research in Cairngorms National Park: who has been doing it; finding out which practitioners, communities, landowners and other stakeholders may be interested in this research or possible future research; and engaging them in a knowledge exchange process to apply research findings in the planning activities of the Park Authority and the day-to-day activities of the stakeholders.
Part of this project was to organise a networking and public engagement event which was held in in November 2010. This brought together over 60 participants from academia, research institutions, students, general public, trusts and NGO’s whose activities are related to the Park.
Project objectives:
- enable knowledge transfer, supporting the CNPA in achieving its strategic priorities
- support the CNPA in its objective of building up awareness and understanding of the Park;
- be of strategic use in preparing the Issues Report, addressing gaps in knowledge and identifying needs for new activities, contributing to the development and implementation of the National Park Plan;
- provide a website to enable knowledge exchange
- organise a networking meeting to link research and practice
Expected results:
- obtain a greater in-depth understanding of knowledge generation within the Park leading to long-term relationships with those generating and communicating scientific knowledge;
- create a network for ongoing knowledge transfer between all stakeholders and maintain it through involvement in using the web-site, and a networking meeting;
- the targeted meeting will facilitate knowledge transfer between scientists and beneficiaries and will help to identify critical research topics;
- the CNPA will receive the required support in identifying and addressing new topics/issues that research has not yet addressed and will receive support in preparing the new National Park Plan;
- the use of scientific knowledge for sustainable development through improved involvement of practitioners and other stakeholders will increase through the use of the website, direct contacts and organisation of future workshops.
Mountain Foods Policy Research – EuroMARC
Mountain Foods Policy Research – EuroMARC
2012
Following on from the 2006-2008 Euro-MARC Mountain Foods project (Mountain agrofood products in Europe, their consumers, retailers and local initiatives), the Centre for Mountain Studies partnered with ISARA Lyon and Euromontana to deliver a second mountain foods study for the European Commission (Institute of Prospective Technological Studies) in 2012. This research involved a review of the labelling of agricultural and food products of mountain farming, including an exploration of the options for regulating the use of the 'mountain product' term.
The final report from this work was completed in November 2012, with the European Commission publishing their own report based on this work (and wider commissioned research) in February 2013. This work represents the culmination of nearly a decade of research on mountain food products in Europe and considerable lobbying effort on the part of Euromontana, the European Association of Mountain Regions.
Since the completion of this study, the European Commission has formally protected the 'mountain product' term through a new Quality Regulation which entered into force on the 3rd of January 2013. These developments are representative of increased recognition of the importance of distinguishing mountain products on the market place to ensure that mountain producers receive adequate compensation for the positive externalities their products and modes of production deliver and recognition of the constraints they face. The newly established quality regulation establishes the conditions for the use of the term 'mountain product' and empowers the Commission to develop related criteria i.e. the extent to which animal feedstuffs can originate from outside of mountain areas.
Mountain Forests in a Changing World
Mountain Forests in a Changing World
2011
Commissioned by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), this report on mountain forests was a contribution to the International Year of Forests
A quarter of the world’s forests are in mountain areas. These forests typically have high biodiversity, and provide many goods and services for people both in the mountains and the lowlands, often far away.
Mountain forests are important as sources of wood, as well as other products such as medical herbs. When managed well, they are also vital for ensuring reliable supplies of high-quality water and for protection against natural hazards such as avalanches, landslides and floods. They are also the setting for tourism and many recreational activities.
As a contribution to the International Year of Forests, 2011, the Centre for Mountain Studies coordinated the production of a report entitled 'Mountain forests in a changing world: Realizing values, addressing challenges'.
The report was commissioned by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The report presents the many values of mountain forests, outlines current challenges for their management, and proposes recommendations for their sustainable management.
Full citation: Price, M., Gratzer, G., Duguma, L.A., Kohler, T., Maselli, D., and Romeo, R. (eds.) (2011). Mountain Forests in a Changing World - Realising Values, addressing
challenges. FAO, Rome.
Rio+20: regional report on sustainable mountain development in the Alps
Rio+20: regional report on sustainable mountain development in the Alps
Rio+20: regional report on sustainable mountain development in the Alps
From Rio 1992 to 2012 and beyond: 20 years of Sustainable Mountain Development
In 2012, the Rio Conference (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development UNCED, Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992) celebrated its 20th anniversary, and with it Agenda 21, which was adopted at the conference. Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 refers to sustainable mountain development.
In order to evaluate the progress that has since been made in the Alps with regard to sustainable mountain development, the Bundesamt für Raumentwicklung in Switzerland commissioned a regional report on the Alps.
Entitled “From Rio 1992 to 2012 and beyond: 20 years of Sustainable Mountain Development - The Alps”, the report addresses:
- general trends in the Alps in the last 20 years
- initiatives that have taken place in the Alps with particular regard to sustainable development
- emerging challenges and opportunities that will play a role in the future.
Full citation: Price, M., Borowski, D., Macleod, C., Debarbieux, B. and Rudaz, G. (2011) “From Rio 1992 to 2012 and beyond: 20 years of Sustainable Mountain
Development: What have we learnt and where should we go? The Alps”. ARE, Bern.