River catchments are under multiple pressures from human use. In the future, increasing demands and the effects of climate change will further impact on the ability of catchment systems to provide food, water and energy security, and other services such as biodiversity and livelihoods of local people. There is a need to quantify and optimise multiple benefits from catchments.

However, there are uncertainties surrounding ecosystem service modelling, climate change and stakeholder opinion which is a further challenge for catchment management. The aim of this project is to explore possible trade-offs and synergies between catchment uses and find ways to optimise landscape scale ecosystem service provision in Scottish catchments.

The project will devise a strategy to promote collaboration as opposed to conflict in managing ecosystem services in catchments. It further aims to develop a socio-ecological framework for decision making to optimise landscape-scale ecosystem services delivery in catchments under environmental uncertainty and change.

Where?

Across Scotland

People

Kathleen Stosch (University of Stirling)

Nils Bunnefeld (University of Stirling)

Richard Quilliam (University of Stirling)

David Oliver (University of Stirling)