Research from Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) is shaping water governance policy in the UK.

On September 16th, 2015, researchers from the ESRC shared their project findings at The Royal Society symposium Water governance in the UK and EU: so far, so what & what next? in London, UK.

The project looks at how actors (individual people, government, industry, etc.) perceive ecosystems and governance in areas where flooding has occurred.Findings presented to The Royal Society include insights into how actors involved in water crises think about the ecosystem, its resilience, and how it should be governed. The research found that there were important similarities across cases, despite different flood experiences, for preferred governance approaches. This has important implications for water governance and policy planning at a broad level.

This research project was undertaken as part of the ‘Climate Adaptation and Water Governance’ (CADWAGO) consortium, which aims to inform and improve Europe’s water governance systems through case-based research. Dr. Tim Heinmiller, Interim Director of the ESRC, emphasized the importance of this type of research: “The CADWAGO project is emblematic of the high-quality, policy-relevant research undertaken in the ESRC, and is a significant achievement for the researchers, the ESRC, and for Brock University.”

The CADWAGO consortium includes researchers from Europe, Australia, the United States and Canada. The Canadian research team includes Drs. Ryan Plummer (research project leader), Julia Baird, Diane Dupont, Steven Renzetti, and Angela Dzyundzyak from the ESRC, and Dr. Ryan Bullock from the University of Winnipeg.

The one-day symposium, where the research was featured via video (available from the ESRC’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/b1sAABjt8PI) in collaboration with colleagues at the University of the Sunshine Coast, aimed to create an agenda for transforming UK water governance in the context of climate change.

The Royal Society of London, founded in 1660, is the UK’s national academy of science and a Fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists. It has been a highly influential Fellowship since its inception, publishing key advancements in science and supporting eminent researchers. Past and current Fellows of the Royal Society include Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, and Stephen Hawking.

For more information about The Royal Society symposium or about the CADWAGO consortium, please visit www.cadwago.net.

For more information about the research findings, please visit our YouTube channel or contact Dr. Julia Baird.