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Mike Rivington

Staff picture: Mike Rivington
Information and Computational Sciences
Information and Computational Sciences
Land Use System Modeller
mike.rivington@hutton.ac.uk
+44 (0)344 928 5428 (*)

The James Hutton Institute
Craigiebuckler
Aberdeen AB15 8QH
Scotland UK

 

Dr Mike Rivington is a senior scientist at the James Hutton Institute having researched land use and climate change issues for 22 years. He studied Ecological Science (Bsc), Natural Resource Management (MSc) and a PhD at Edinburgh University. His main research interests are in understanding how climate change impacts land use and ecosystems, in Scotland and globally, and how mitigation and adaptation options can be developed. He uses a range of research approaches including: use of crop simulation models applied spatially at a high resolution to estimate barley growth under future climate conditions for the whole of Scotland; mapping agro-meteorological indicators spatially to assess risks and opportunities for land management. Particular attention is paid to understand future soil water conditions. He is an inter- and trans-disciplinary scientist, for example he is currently Principal Investigator on an ESRC funded project ‘UK food and nutrition security during and after the COVID-19 pandemic’. His other interests include ecosystem management and ecosystem services, particularly for climate change mitigation and adaptation. He has written policy briefs for UNEP on ecosystem-based adaptation, contributed to the US National Climate Assessment chapter on agriculture, and was a member of a UK-US tasks force on extreme weather and resilience of the global food system. He works with the Land Use Systems Team within the Information and Computational Sciences Department.

Current roles:

In the 2022-2027 Scottish Government Strategic Research Programme:

  • Theme Lead - Human Impacts on the Environment. 
  • Principle Investigator: Climate Change Impacts on Natural Capital.
  • Work Package lead: Change, Resilience and Adaptiation in the Land Use Transformation Project.

He researches how mitigation and adaptation options can be developed particularly considering the essential role of ecosystem services in enabling the food system, societal development and wellbeing. He uses a range of research approaches to diverse applications, including:

These and other approaches have been applied to a range of research challenges. The current focus is as Principal Investigator on for an ESRC funded project 'UK food and nutrition security during and after the COVID-19 pandemic', with project partners Chatham House and Cranfield University.

Other interests include ecosystem management and ecosystem services, particularly for climate change mitigation and adaptation. I have written policy briefs for UNEP on ecosystem-based adaptation, contributed to the US National Climate Assessment chapter on agriculture, and was a member of the UK-US tasks force on extreme weather and resilience of the global food system.

Background: He has been a scientist at the James Hutton Institute for 22 years. He joined the Institute in 1999, working on the Land Allocation Decision Support System (LADSS) project researching land management issues at the farm scale. From this work his interests developed to follow interdisciplinary research covering social and biophysical sciences. He studied Ecological Science (Bsc), Natural Resource Management (MSc) and undertook a part-time PhD with Edinburgh University whilst working full-time at the James Hutton Institute. He initially trained as a design engineer before having a '6-year career break' in outdoor eduction and recreation management.

Recent Research: Along with other Hutton, Chatham House and Cranfeild University collegues, he has recently completed as PI (Decemebr 2021) a UKRI Agile Response funded project. Key findings and links to the projects outputs are available here:  UK food and nutrtion security during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

He has been fortunate in the past to have been:

 

Current research interests

I have an interdisciplinary research background that enables the integration of different disciplines to address complex socio-ecological system issues. I am currently or have recently worked on a diverse reange of projects including:

  • Principal Investigator, ESRC funded project 'UK food and nutrition security during and after the COVID-19 pandemic'.
  • Team leader, 'Future Land Capbility for Agriculture' supported by ClimateXChange to assess how climate change impacts may alter land capability.
  • Team leader, “Geospatial Risk Analysis”, integrating crop modelling, climate model uncertainty evaluation, downscaling, agro-meteorological indicators of vulnerability, threat and exposure. Projects include: Spatial cereal modelling: simulating barley for the whole of Scotland at the soil series + 1km weather resolution. Agro-meteorological Indicators: mapping multiple indicators. This work is funded by the Scottish Government's Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) Environment, Agriculture and Food Strategic Research Portfolio to delivery information and evidence to support policy development.
  • Payment for Ecosystem Services project lead for ClimateXChange, developing PES definitions and evaluation of different mechanisms.
  • Integration Work Package lead on an ESPA (DfID, ESRC, NERC) ‘Alternative carbon investments in ecosystems for poverty alleviation’ (ALTER) project, responsible for integrated social and biophysical sciences.
  • Developing sustainable crop production systems through the use of crop models to explore climate change and management impacts and options for adaptation.
  • Ecosystem Management, Ecosystem Services and Ecosystem Based Adaptation. Understanding complex socio-ecological systems for sustainability through ecosystem management. The role of biodiversity in ecosystem services, conservation and ecosystem restoration.
  • Inter-disciplinary research and the integration of science into policy and practical application; sustainable land management using land-use systems modelling.
  • Multi-scale Social Metabolism analytical frameworks – EU H2020 Moving Towards Adaptive Governance in Complexity: Informing Nexus Security (MAGIC) project considering the food-energy-water nexus.  

Past research

Below is a selection of Policy Briefs I helped prepare for UNEP. These helped inform discussion on the role of ecosystems and climate change, shaping the UNFCCC decision 1/CP.16 inviting Parties to enhance action on adaptation by “building resilience of socio-ecological systems, including through economic diversification and sustainable management of natural resources” which in turn lead to Article 7 of the Paris Agreement.

Liu, J et al (2011) Restoring the natural foundation to sustain a green economy. UNEP Policy Series - Ecosystem Management, Policy Brief 6 - 2011. Prepared for the launch of the International Ecosystems Management Partnership, Beijing, November 2011.

Munang, R et al (2011) Putting ecosystem management in the vision of Africa's development. UNEP Policy Series - Ecosystem Management, Policy Brief 7 - 2011. Prepared or the launch of the International Ecosystems Management Partnership, Beijing, November 2011.

Mensah, A et al (2012) Building resilience to climate change: making the case for ecosystem-based adaptation. UNON/Publishing, Nairobi.

Munang, R.; Rivington, M. et al. (2011) Adapting for a green economy: companies, communities and climate change. A caring for climate report. The Global Compact, UNEP, WRI, Oxfam.

Munang, R.; Thiaw, I.; Thompson, J.; Ganz, D.; Girvetz, E.; Rivington, M. (2011) Sustaining forests: investing in our common future. UNEP Ecosystem Management Policy Series, No. 5, August 2011.

Munang, R.M.; Rivington, M.; Lui, J.; Thiaw, I.; Kasten, T. (2010) Integrated solutions for biodiversity, climate change and poverty. UNEP Policy Series, Ecosystem Management Policy Brief, No.1.

Rivington, M.; Mumba, M.; Munang, R. (2010) Ecosystem management: the need to adopt a different approach under a changing climate. World Resources Report 2010, World Resource Institute.

Munang, R.M.; Rivington, M.; Aspinall, R.J.; Liu, J. (2009) Cost effective solutions for climate change mitigation, adaptation and long-term sustainability: the ecosystems approach. UN General Assembly, New York, 22nd September 2009; United Nations Environmental Programme Brief, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Seventh and Eighth Sessions of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Long-term Co-operative Action (AWG-LCA); 15th Conference of the Parties Meeting, Copenhagen.

Munang, R.M.; Rivington, M.; Aspinall, R.J.; Smith, P.; Liu, J.; Thiaw, I. (2009) Climate change and ecosystem management: the "Win-Win-Win" link between mitigation, adaptation and sustainability. UN General Assembly, New York, 22nd September 2009; United Nations Environmental Programme Brief, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Seventh and Eighth Sessions of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Long-term Co-operative Action (AWG-LCA); 15th Conference of the Parties Meeting, Copenhagen.

Munang, R.M.; Rivington, M.; Aspinall, R.J.; Smith, P.; Liu, J.; Thiaw, I. (2009) United Nations Environmental Programme - Climate change and ecosystem management: the "Win-Win-Win" link between mitigation, adaptation and sustainability. A scoping paper. UN General Assembly, New York, 22nd September 2009; United Nations Environmental Programme Brief, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Seventh and Eighth Sessions of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Long-term Co-operative Action (AWG-LCA); 15th Conference of the Parties Meeting, Copenhagen.

Munang, R.M.; Rivington, M.; Liu, J.; Thiaw, I. (2009) The need to include ecosystems management as part of the COP 15 Agenda. United Nations Environmental Programme Brief, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Seventh and Eighth Sessions of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Long-term Co-operative Action (AWG-LCA).

Munang, R.M.; Rivington, M.; Liu, J.; Thiaw, I. (2009) United Nations Environmental Programme Research Brief. Ecosystem-based adaptation: the natural climate change solution. United Nations Environmental Programme, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 15th Conference of the Parties, Copenhagen 7-18 December 2009.

Munang, R.M.; Rivington, M.; Takle, G.; Mackey, B.; Liu, J. (2009) Climate information and capacity needs for ecosystem management under a changing climate. UNEP Copenhagen CoP 15 Discussion Series.

Other relevant reports:

Walthall, C.L et al (2012) Climate change and agriculture in the United States: effects and adaptation. USDA Technical Bulletin 1935, Washington, DC. USA, 186pp.

Angel, P.S. (Editor-in-Chief); … Rivington, M. et al. (2011) World Resources Report 2010-2011: Decision making in a changing climate - adaptation challenges and choices. World Resources Institute (WRI) in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, and World Bank, Washington, DC.Earlier career research includes:

Rivington, M.; Koo, J. (2011) Report on the meta-analysis of crop modelling for climate change and food security survey, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research / Earth Systems Science Partnership sponsored Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Challenge Program.

Previous research activities:

  • Crop modelling applications in UK, Italy, Cameroon, Syria to assess climate impacts.
  • Evaluation of the quality and suitability of multiple data types for use in land use models and consequences of their use in simulation estimate uncertainty. A particular focus was on the development of methods to estimate solar radiation data for input into crop models.
  • Evaluation of Regional Climate Model projections and development of bias correction methods (to site specific and 1 and 5 km resolutions) to reduce data spatial representation uncertainty to improve the utility of projections in the spatial application of land use simulation models.
  • C4LU - communicating climate change consequences for land use - SG Science Communication Fund project using case-studies with rural stakeholders to stimulate deliberation on adaptive responses to climate change.

  • Farm-scale Land Allocation Decision Support.

Bibliography

  • Wallach, D.; Mearns, L.; Rivington, M.; Antle, M.J.; Ruane, C.A. (2014) Uncertainty in agricultural impact assessment., In: Hillel, D. & Rosenzweig, C. (eds.). Handbook of Climate Change and Agro-ecosystems: The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project, Part 1. Imperial College Press, London, Chapter 9, 223-259.


Printed from /staff/mike-rivington on 29/03/23 05:05:52 PM

The James Hutton Research Institute is the result of the merger in April 2011 of MLURI and SCRI. This merger formed a new powerhouse for research into food, land use, and climate change.