Professional summary

Research Interests

Paula Harrison specialises in working across sectors and disciplines to integrate different types of knowledge using both modelling and participatory approaches to find innovative solutions for operationalising the ecosystem service concept and adapting to climate change.  Her major research interests include:

  • Operationalising the ecosystem service concept with a variety of policy and practice stakeholders.
  • Exploring how biodiversity underpins ecosystem service provision at different spatial scales.
  • Different techniques for mapping and modelling natural capital and ecosystem services.
  • Development and application of mathematical models for investigating climate change impacts and adaptation options for agriculture, biodiversity and ecosystem services.
  • Integration of biophysical and socio-economic concepts, frameworks and models for finding innovative solutions for adapting to climate change across socio-ecological systems.
  • Development of integrated assessment techniques which take account of interactions and feedbacks between different sectors such as biodiversity, agriculture, forestry, water, coasts and urban under multiple climate and socio-economic drivers.
  • Participatory scenario development and its integration with stakeholder-led climate change vulnerability and adaptation assessment.
  • Improved quantification of impacts, risks and uncertainties associated with high-end climate change scenarios along with consideration of synergies between adaptation and mitigation.

 

Brief CV

Prof. Paula Harrison is a Co-director of the Centre of Excellence in Environmental Data Science, a joint venture between UKCEH and Lancaster University. In this role she facilitates cross-disciplinary research addressing global environmental challenges through methodological advances in data science. She is also a Co-I on the EPSRC-funded project on Data Science for the Natural Environment, leading the land use management challenge theme (http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/data-science-of-the-natural-environment/).

Prior to joining UKCEH, she worked as a Senior Research Fellow at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, UK for 24 years, as a visiting scientist at the International Global Change Institute, University of Waikato, New Zealand and for the Atmospheric Impacts Research Group at the University of Birmingham, UK. She coordinates the EU-funded IMPRESSIONS project (www.impressions-project.eu) which is investigating the consequences of high-end climate change and how such knowledge can be embedded within effective and integrated adaptation and mitigation decision-making processes.  Previously. she was a WP leader for the EU-funded OpenNESS project (www.openness-project.eu) focusing on methods for assessing the biophysical control of ecosystem services, Coordinator of the EU-funded projects CLIMSAVE (Climate change integrated assessment methodology for cross-sectoral adaptation and vulnerability in Europe) and RUBICODE (Rationalising biodiversity conservation in dynamic ecosystems), and Deputy Coordinator of the EU-funded project BESAFE (Biodiversity and ecosystem services: Arguments for our future environment).

She was a Coordinating Lead Author for the IPBES regional assessment of Europe and central Asia leading on Integrated and Cross-Scale Analysis of the Interrelationships between Nature and Society. She also led the review of climate change impacts research on ecosystem services in the Europe chapter of the IPCC 5th Assessment Report, and was a Coordinating Lead Author for the UK National Ecosystem Assessment Follow-on Project, assessing the robustness of response options for ecosystem services.

Qualifications

  • DPhil, 1999. University of Oxford.  Thesis on modelling climate change impacts on agriculture in Europe.
  • MSc, 1990. Operational Research, University of Lancaster.
  • BSc (Jt. Hons) II.i, 1989. Statistics and Geography, University of Salford

Panels, committees and memberships

  • Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP)
  • A Community on Ecosystem Services (ACES)
  • International Association of Landscape Ecology (IALE)

 

Publications

  1. Harrison PA, Dunford RW, Holman IP, Rounsevell MDA (2016). Climate change impact modelling needs to include cross-sectoral interactions. Nature Climate Change. DOI: 10.1038/NCLIMATE3039.
  2. Li S, Gilbert L, Harrison PA, Rounsevell MDA (2016).  Modelling the seasonality of Lyme disease risk and the potential impacts of a warming climate within the heterogeneous landscapes of Scotland. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 13(116), doi: 10.1098/rsif.2016.0140.
  3. García-Llorente M, Iniesta-Arandia I, Willaarts B, Harrison PA, Berry P, del Mar Bayo M, Castro A, Montes C, Martín-López B (2015). Biophysical and sociocultural factors underlying spatial trade-offs of ecosystem services in semiarid watersheds. Ecology and Society, 20(3): 39. http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-07785-200339.
  4. Brown I, Berry P, Everard M, Firbank L, Harrison PA, Lundy L, Quine C, Rowan J, Wade R (2015). Identifying robust response options to manage environmental change using an Ecosystem Approach: A stress-testing case study for the UK. Environmental Science and Policy, 52: 74-88.
  5. Harrison PA, Holman IP, Berry PM (2015). Assessing cross-sectoral climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation: An Introduction to the CLIMSAVE project.  Climatic Change, 128: 153-167, DOI 10.1007/s10584-015-1324-3.
  6. Harrison PA, Dunford R, Savin C-M, Rounsevell MDA, Holman IP, Kebede AS, Stuch B (2015). Cross-sectoral impacts of climate change and socio-economic change for multiple European land- and water-based sectors. Climatic Change, 128: 279-292, DOI 10.1007/s10584-014-1239-4.
  7. Holman IP, Harrison PA, Metzger M (2015). Cross-sectoral impacts of climate and socio-economic change in Scotland - implications for adaptation policy. Regional Environmental Change, DOI 10.1007/s10113-014-0679-8.
  8. Dunford R, Harrison PA, Jäger J, Rounsevell MDA, Tinch R (2015). Exploring climate change vulnerability across sectors and scenarios using indicators of impacts and coping capacity. Climatic Change, 128: 339-354, DOI: 10.1007/s10584-014-1162-8.
  9. Dunford R, Smith A, Harrison PA, Hangau D (2015). Ecosystem service provision in a changing Europe: adapting to the impacts of combined climate and socio-economic change. Landscape Ecology, 30: 443-461, DOI 10.1007/s10980-014-0148-2.
  10. Saarikoski H, Jax K, Harrison PA, Primmer E, Mononen L, Vihervaara P, Barton D, Furman E (2015). Exploring operational ecosystem service definitions: the case of boreal forests. Ecosystem Services, 14: 144-157, doi:10.1016/j.ecoser.2015.03.006.
  11. Jäger, J, Rounsevell MDA, Harrison PA, Dunford R, Fuchs D, Omann I, Pataki G (2015). Assessing policy robustness of climate change adaptation measures across sectors and scenarios. Climatic Change, 128: 395-407, DOI 10.1007/s10584-014-1240-y.
  12. Kebede AS, Dunford R, Audsley E, Harrison PA, Holman IP, Mokrech M, Nicholls RJ, Rickebusch S, Rounsevell MDA, Sabaté S, Sallaba F, Sanchez A, Savin C-M, Trnka M, Wimmer F (2015). The sensitivity of cross-sectoral impacts to climate and socio-economic drivers for key European sectors. Climatic Change, 128: 261-277, DOI 10.1007/s10584-014-1313-y.
  13. Tinch R, (2015). Applying a capitals framework to measuring coping and adaptive capacity in integrated assessment models. Climatic Change, 128: 323-337, DOI 10.1007/s10584-014-1299-5.
  14. Dubrovsky M, Trnka M, Holman IP, Svobodova E, Harrison PA (2015). Reduced-form ensemble of climate change scenarios for Europe and related impacts on selected indicators. Climatic Change, 128: 169-186, DOI 10.1007/s10584-014-1297-7.
  15. Wimmer F, Audsley E, Savin C-M, Malsy M, Dunford R, Harrison PA, Schaldach R, Flörke M (2015). Modelling the effects of cross-sectoral water allocation schemes in Europe. Climatic Change, 128: 229-244, DOI 10.1007/s10584-014-1161-9.
  16. Skourtos M, Tourkolias Ch, Damigos D, Kontogianni A, Harrison PA, Berry PM (2015). Incorporating cross-sectoral effects into analysis of the cost-effectiveness of climate change adaptation measures. Climatic Change, 128: 307-321, DOI 10.1007/s10584-014-1168-2.
  17. Harrison PA, Berry PM, Simpson G, Haslett JR, Blicharska M, Bucur M, Dunford R, Egoh B, Garcia-Llorente M, Geamănă N, Geertsema W, Lommelen E, Meiresonne L, Turkelboom F (2014). Linkages between biodiversity attributes and ecosystem services: A systematic review. Ecosystem Services, 9: 191-203, DOI 10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.05.006i.
  18. Dunford R, Harrison PA, Rounsevell, MDA (2014). Exploring scenario and model uncertainty in cross-sectoral integrated assessment approaches to climate change impacts.Climatic Change, DOI 10.1007/s10584-014-1211-3.
  19. Harrison PA, Holman IP, Cojocaru G, Kok K, Kontogianni A, Metzger M, Gramberger (2013). Combining qualitative and quantitative understanding for exploring cross-sectoral climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability in Europe. Regional Environmental Change. 13: 761-780.
  20. Harrison PA (2010). Ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation: an introduction to the RUBICODE project. Biodiversity and Conservation, 19: 2767–2772.
  21. Harrison PA, Vandewalle M, Sykes MT, Berry PM, Bugter R, de Bello F, Feld CK, Grandin U, Harrington R, Haslett JR, Jongman RHG, Luck GW, da Silva PM, Moora M, Settele J, Sousa JP, Zobel M (2010). Identifying and prioritising services in European terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Biodiversity and Conservation, 19: 2791-2821.
  22. Anton C, Young J, Harrison PA, Musche M, Feld CK, Harrington R, Haslett JR, Pataki G, Rounsevell MDA, Sousa JP, Sykes MT, Vandewalle M, Watt A, Settele J (2010). Future research for incorporating the ecosystem service approach into biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity and Conservation, 19: 2979-2994.
  23. Rounsevell MDA, Dawson TP, Harrison PA (2010). A conceptual framework to assess the effects of environmental change on ecosystem services. Biodiversity and Conservation, 19: 2823-2842.
  24. Skourtos M, Kontogianni A, Harrison, PA (2010). Reviewing the dynamics of economic values and preferences for ecosystem goods and services. Biodiversity and Conservation, 2855-2872.
  25. Vandewalle M, de Bello F, Berg MP, Bolger T, Dolédec S, Dubs F, Feld CK, Harrington R, Harrison PA, Lavorel S, Martins da Silva P, Moretti M, Niemelä J, Santos P, Sattler T, Sousa JP, Sykes MT, Vanbergen AJ, Woodcock BA (2010). Functional traits as indicators of biodiversity response to land use changes across ecosystems and organisms. Biodiversity and Conservation, 19: 2921-2947.
  26. de Bello F, Lavorel S, Díaz S, Harrington R, Cornelissen JHC, Bardgett RD, Berg MP, Cipriotti P, Feld CK, Hering D, Martins da Silva P, Potts SG, Sandin L, Sousa JP, Storkey J, Wardle DA, Harrison PA (2010). Towards an assessment of multiple ecosystem processes and services via functional traits. Biodiversity and Conservation, 19: 2873-2893.
  27. Harrington R, Anton C, Dawson TP, de Bello, F, Feld CK, Haslett JR, Kluvankova-Oravska T, Kontogianni A, Lavorel S, Luck GW, Rounsevell MDA, Samways MJ, Settele J, Skourtos M, Spangenberg JH, Vandewalle M, Zobel M, Harrison PA (2010). Ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation: concepts and a glossary. Biodiversity and Conservation: 2773-2790.
  28. Luck GW, Harrington R, Harrison PA, Kremen C, Berry PM, Bugter R, Dawson TP, de Bello F, Diaz S, Feld CK, Haslett JR, Hering D, Kontogianni A, Lavorel S, Rounsevell M, Samways MJ, Sandin L, Settele J, Sykes MT, Van de Hove S, Vandewalle M, Zobel M (2009).Quantifying the contribution of organisms to the provision of ecosystem services.  Bioscience, 59(3): 223-235.
  29. Feld CK, Martins da Silva P, Sousa JP, de Bello F, Bugter R, Grandin U, Hering D, Lavorel S, Mountford O, Pardo I, Pärtel M, Römbke J, Sandin L, Jones KB, Harrison PA (2009). Indicators of biodiversity and ecosystem services: a synthesis across ecosystems and spatial scales. Oikos, 118: 1862-1871.

Publications