Catchment sustainability

River catchments provide ecosystem services that sustain communities and livelihoods.

Individuals interact with rivers in a variety of ways, for example, the same person can be a water consumer, polluter, and use their local river for recreation. Our researchers seek to understand the complex interactions between natural and social systems in the Wye and Usk catchments.

Linked Projects:

DURESS project

The NERC funded Diversity of Upland Rivers for Ecosystem Service Sustainability project is part of a major Research Council initiative to assess the role of biodiversity in delivering key ecosystem services on which society relies.

MARS

Managing Aquatic ecosystems and water Resources under multiple Stress (MARS).

Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative

CaSTCo is a partnership led by United Utilities between the Rivers Trust, twelve water and sewerage companies as well as academia and environmental charities to revolutionise the way crucial data about England and Wales’ water environment is gathered and shared, in particular on the health of the nation’s rivers.