Sustainable Uplands: Transforming knowledge for Upland Change
Status: Ongoing
Type of Project: Research Report
Principal Investigator: Dr Mark Reed, University of Aberdeen (Email)
Objectives
The British countryside is changing rapidly as a result of human activity, climate change and other pressures. Upland areas are particularly sensitive to these changes. If we are to adapt successfully to manage future challenges, we need to be able to understand what is currently happening and what our options for shaping the future might look like. This requires drawing on a variety of knowledge sources, including that of academic researchers and the expertise of land managers and others linked to the countryside. New knowledge will sometimes be needed in the face of change, but we must also find better ways to build on the extensive knowledge already available.
This project aims to improve our understanding of how knowledge generated through research can be most effectively transferred into useful policy and practice. It will investigate how researchers can ensure they ask the right questions, relevant to rural society, and how we can ensure that the findings are made useful to the widest range of potential users.
The project will also initiate a new upland research policy and practice network that can develop a shared agenda for future partnership work.