The LTLS project aims to be relevant to the interests and needs of potential users. Stakeholders were consulted and provided support at the proposal stage. With the scientific research in the project at its half-way stage, we began to consult more deeply with stakeholders in order to maximise the practical usefulness of the findings and outputs. The first step was a meeting at UKCEH Lancaster in April 2014.
Stakeholders attending the meeting were:
Jenny Banks - Yorkshire Water
Peter Coleman - Defra
Nicola Dunn - National Farmers Union
Ruth Hall - Natural England
Tristan Ibrahim - Scottish Government
Helen Jones - Newcastle University
Anne Liddon - Environment Agency
Linda Pope - Forest Research
Elena Vanguelova
Scenario analysis
Presentations, discussions, and exchanges of information during the meeting provide the basis for LTLS delivery of user-relevant outputs during 2015. We plan to achieve this principally through scenario analyses, in collaboration with stakeholders. Focusing on the presentation about scenario analysis, the meeting spent two hours discussing how to define and implement scenarios for LTLS modelling. This included the consideration of environmental drivers, possible future economic circumstances, and timescales. Notes were taken and will be used by the LTLS team over the next 9 months to devise a strategy for the forecasting activities to be carried out in 2015. To start with, we will draft some storylines based on the United Kingdom National Ecosystem Assessment framework (focussing initially on ‘Go with the Flow’).
Displaying results
The modelling work in LTLS will produce large amounts of output, simulating the behaviours of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus on land and in water, over long periods of time, and over the whole of the UK. We are developing methodologies to present the results, and a potentially-useful interactive tool was presented and discussed at the meeting. Work on this will continue in parallel with the scenario analysis planning.