Hutton Highlights, May 2018

PhD researcher Fortune Gomo, who hails from Zimbabwe, presented research on how to evaluate water, energy and food linkages for the achievement of SDGs in countries in the Zambezi river basin. She is supervised by Jagadeesh Yeluripati and Kit Macleod (both James Hutton Institute), John Rowan (University of Dundee) and Kairsty Topp (Scotland’s Rural College). “The Nexus 2018 message on water, energy, food, and climate will be presented at the High Level Political Forum (HPLF) in New York in July and to the Heads of State when they review Sustainable Development Goal commitments in 2019. It was a privilege to attend and contribute to that” said Fortune. For the Institute, Kit MacLeod added that this Scottish Government- funded PhD project was contributing to developing capacity in Nexus thinking to help achieve SDG targets.” The Hydro Nation Scholars programme is funded by the Scottish Government, Hydro Nation scholar presents research at international water, food, energy and climate conference The result of three years’ work, the four regional assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem services cover the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Africa, as well as Europe and Central Asia – the entire planet except the poles and the open oceans. The assessment reports were approved by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), in Medellín, Colombia, recently. According to IPBES Chair Sir Robert Watson, biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people sound academic and far removed from most people’s daily lives when – in reality – they are the bedrock of our food, clean water and energy. “They are at the heart not only of our survival, but of our cultures, identities and enjoyment of life” he contends. “The best available evidence, gathered by the world’s leading experts, points us now to a single conclusion: we must act to halt and reverse the unsustainable use of nature – or risk not only the future we want, but even the lives we currently lead. Fortunately, the evidence also shows that we know how to protect and partially restore our vital natural assets.” Extensively peer-reviewed, each IPBES assessment report focuses on providing answers to key questions for each of the four regions, including why biodiversity is important, where we are making progress, what the main threats and opportunities are for biodiversity and how we can adjust our policies and institutions for a more sustainable future. In every region, with the exception of a number of positive examples where lessons can be learned, biodiversity and nature’s capacity to contribute to people are being degraded, reduced and lost due to a number of common pressures. Examples include habitat stress, overexploitation and unsustainable use of natural resources, air, land and water pollution, increasing numbers and impact of invasive alien species and climate change. Hutton social scientists Dr Kirsty Blackstock and Dr Anke Fischer contributed to the regional assessment Decline of biodiversity and contributions from nature will continue, scientists warn for Europe and Central Asia (ECA) co-authoring the chapter on “Options for governance, institutions and decision-making”. This focuses on environmental governance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, as well as communication, capacity building and public participation and includes a reference to Scotland’s Land Use Strategy 2016-2021. Each IPBES assessment covers: • Policy-relevant questions and themes • Nature’s contributions to people • Status, trends and near future dynamics • Direct and indirect drivers of change in nature • Interactions between the natural world and society Further details of the IPBES plenary and assessment reports, are on https://www.ipbes.net/ . May 2018 19 Comments? Biodiversity continues to decline in every region of the world, significantly reducing nature’s capacity to contribute to people’s well-being. This alarming trend endangers economies, livelihoods, food security and the quality of life of people everywhere, according to four landmark science reports written by more than 550 leading experts from over 100 countries, including scientists from the James Hutton Institute. 18 Hutton Highlights Harvest fields in Poland © Marius Szczygiel Postgraduate researcher Fortune Gomo What is Nexus thinking? Nexus thinking means considering and understanding water, food and energy and their interrelationships, rather than viewing any in isolation. It is a strategic and holistic style of thinking that considers long-term implications across the three areas, weighing up and balancing social, economic and environmental goals. Nexus thinking looks at the big picture: considering the whole catchment or river basin rather than one river or dam in isolation, thinking about trans-boundary issues rather than a single country or area, ensuring that multiple uses - current and future - are catered for. It takes account of the cumulative effects of interventions or developments rather than immediate and discrete impacts alone and involves thinking across agencies and organisations responsible for water, food and energy. A Hydro Nation scholar carrying out research on common challenges across water, energy and food and their connections to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was chosen to present her PhD research at a prestigious water, food, energy and climate Nexus conference organised by the Water Institute at the University of North Carolina in April. managed by the Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) and supported by the James Hutton Institute. Aerial view of the Zambezi river © 3dan3