The learner feedback on this course in December 2024 was 95% positive.
Location:
Cost:
Students from £199
Professionals from £249
Date:
The course on 4 and 5 December 2024 SOLD OUT!
The next course will run in Autumn 2025.
Please express your interest here, so we can fix more course dates in 2025!
Short course description:
Aquatic ecosystems are increasingly recognised as legitimate water users as they provide essential ecosystem services and support our quality of life. But how much water do they need?
Through a mix of presentations and practical exercises, this one-day course will equip you with knowledge, tools and experience to assess the water requirements of freshwater ecosystems and understand the implications for water resources and flood management.
This course does not cover water quality.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, you will understand the principles and methods to determine the water requirements of freshwater ecosystems, including rivers and wetlands.
Course objectives:
- Understand the concept of environmental water needs
- Learn the principles of methods to determine environmental water needs
- Investigate examples of environmental water determination
- Undertake practical exercises using simple tools
- Recognise challenges of implementing environmental water allocations
Target audience:
- MSc, PhD,
- water companies,
- early career researchers/ academics
- Water Management practitioners, policymakers and
- Water regulators
- Environmental consultants
- River trusts, wildlife conservation organisations
- Water utilities
Level:
Beginner – intermediate level
Prior knowledge of basic principles of hydrology and a general understanding of freshwater ecosystems are an advantage, but not essential.
Places:
20 maximum
Software and hardware requirements:
We will use MS Teams for the online course.
Having a webcam is desirable (but not essential).
If you plan to participate from an open-plan office or noisy environment, please wear headphones with a built-in microphone.
We will use open-access software for some of the exercises.
Accommodation:
For in-person courses, the cost of accommodation is not included in the price.
Accommodation guides can be found in our FAQs.
Course leader:
Prof. Mike Acreman UKCEH Fellow
Mike has 35 years of experience in eco-hydrology and led CEH's Natural Capital science area until 2017. He led the science that established the environmental flow requirements for UK rivers and has written many books and journal papers on the subject. He has taught courses on environmental flows and wetland hydrology for University College London, World Bank and European Commission. He has been a scientific advisor on environmental flows in China and Tanzania. He was a member of the Ramsar Convention on Wetland’s science advisory panel for 20 years.
Co-trainer:
Dr. Cedric Laize Hydro-ecological modeller, UKCEH
Cedric’s research interests include environmental flows, physical habitat, eco-hydrology and hydro-climatology.
Previous course participants said:
The learner feedback on this course in December 2024 was 95% positive.
“The practical elements in particular engaged course participants and led to useful discussion/questions.” (learner feedback, December 2024)
“The practical with the wetland tool was really helpful. I can imagine real projects and scenarios where it could be useful.” (learner feedback, December 2024)
Relevant links and key publications:
Acreman, M.C. & Dunbar, M.J. 2004 Methods for defining environmental river flow requirements – a review. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 8, 5, 861-876.
Acreman, M.C., Dunbar, M.J., Hannaford, J., Wood, P.J., Holmes, N.J., Cowx, I., Noble, R., Mountford, J.O., King, J., Black, A., Extence, C., Crookall, D. & Aldrick, J. 2008. Developing environmental standards for abstractions from UK rivers to implement the Water Framework Directive. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 53, 6, 1105-1120.
Acreman, M.C., Aldrick, J., Binnie, C., Black, A.R., Cowx, I., Dawson, F.H., Dunbar, M.J., Extence, C., Hannaford, J., Harby, A., Holmes, N.T., Jarrett, N., Old, G., Peirson, G., Webb, J., Wood, P.J. 2009 Environmental flows from dams; the Water Framework Directive. Engineering Sustainability. 162,
Acreman, M.C., Ferguson, A. 2010 Environmental flows and European Water Framework Directive. Freshwater Biology 55, 32-48
Acreman, M.C. (ed) 2014 Hydrological Sciences Journal. Special Issue on Hydrological Science for Environmental Flows.
Acreman, M.C., Overton, I., King, J., Wood, P., Cowx, I., Dunbar, M.J., Kendy, E., Young, W. 2014 The changing role of science in environmental flows Hydrological Sciences Journal. 59, 3-4, 433-450
Acreman, M. 2016 Environmental flows; basics for novices WIREs Water DOI: 10.1002/WAT2.1160
Dunbar, M.J., Warren, M., Extence, C., Baker, L., Cadman, D., Mould, D.J., Hall, J. and Chadd, R., 2010. Interaction between macroinvertebrates, discharge and physical habitat in upland rivers. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 20, pp.S31-S44.
Horne, A., Webb, J.A., Stewardson, M., Richter, B., M., Acreman, M.C. (eds) 2017 Water for the environment; from policy and science to implementation and management. Elsevier
Laize, C., Acreman, M.C., Schneider, C., Dunbar, M.J., Hougton-Carr, H., Flörke, M., Hannah, D. 2014 Projected flow alteration and ecological risk for pan-European rivers. Rivers Research and Applications 30, 3, 299-314