We welcome collaboration to extend the existing research and monitoring input in the Dyfi Catchment area. Please get in touch if you would like to work with us on this multi-disciplinary research initiative.
Forest Research
The creation of the Dyfi Research Platform givesour scientists a valuable opportunity to consolidate scientific understanding and develop new knowledge in a well-characterised wooded catchment in Wales.
Through its Aberystwyth Unit, led by Tom Jenkins,, we look forward to working with scientists from other research providers and the university sector in collaborative and, increasingly, multi-disciplinary projects of direct relevance to policy makers, planners and land managers.
The Dyfi Platform supports a variety of current research programmes, including work on:
Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences (IGES), Aberystwyth University
Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences (IGES) has a long history of research in the Dyfi catchment (funded by the Welsh Government, CCW, Environment Agency Wales, Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), local authorities and industry).
This continues under existing NERC-funded research programmes (led by Professor Mark Macklin and Dr Paul Brewer) investigating tidally-influenced rivers and developing a virtual observatory as part of NERC’s Environmental Virtual Observatory research programme.
Professor Chris Thomas (IBERS) and Professor Macklin are currently leading NERC-funded research integrating ecology and hydrology in Africa, a model they intend to apply to the Dyfi area, along with further initiatives using Earth Observation technology provided by Professor Richard Lucas.
Natural ResourcesWales
Woodlands managed byNatural Resources Wales on behalf of the Welsh Government represent an important component of the project area, extending to 6000 ha out of a total area of 24000 ha in the Dyfi catchment.
Through participation in the Dyfi research platform, Natural Resources Wales will work towards evaluating the long-term influences of woodlands in the landscape and how forest operations and changing management practices affect a range of social, environmental and economic outcomes. The findings will be applicable across Wales in public and privately owned woodlands.
Much of the forest planning and subsequent operations carried out by Natural Resources Wales are the result of forest managers building on accurate and applied research. Integration with research in the Dyfi will help Forestry Commission Wales, and the wider forestry sector, to make operational choices that consider natural resources in a manner that delivers maximum benefits to people without compromising future choices and natural systems within and beyond the forest boundary.
Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University
Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) has a strong interest in the Dyfi area.
Recent research by Dr Mike Christie has demonstrated the economic and social values of ecosystem services delivered by habitats protected by the UK Biodiversity Action Plans and Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The Dyfi catchment provides a unique opportunity to extend this work by exploring:
- How the mosaic of habitats within the Dyfi catchment combines to contribute to the delivery of important services; and
- How policy might be applied at a landscape scale to maximise ecosystem service delivery and benefits.
