Joined up landscapes

Researchers at the Centre for Food Policy at City St George’s, University of London have been awarded £1.6 million in funding by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to lead a new project exploring how to enhance the contribution of nature-based solutions (NBS) to climate change adaptation in the UK, with a focus on achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

“Joined Up Landscapes” is an interdisciplinary and multi-institution initiative, co-led by Dr Christian Reynolds and Dr Christopher Yap. The project aims to examine the conditions under which NBS can make the greatest contribution to climate adaptation in the UK through multi-functional landscapes, which balance carbon sequestration, flood risk management, and biodiversity net gain with other land uses such as food production.

The three-year project, beginning in January 2025, involves partners from King’s College London, Birkbeck, Brunel University London, Harper Adams University, and the Universities of Reading, York, and Cambridge, WRAP, the South East Rivers Trust, the Wye and Usk Foundation, and the North Essex Farm Cluster. The project team includes experts from various disciplines who will focus on creating solutions that are practical and scalable while balancing environmental and socio-economic priorities.

Joined Up Landscapes is part of the £15 million Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) programme, funded by UKRI and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The programme comprises six transdisciplinary research projects and a climate change adaptation hub, led by King’s College London.

Achieving net zero 

NBS is a central strategy to the UK's long-term goal of achieving a net-zero emission economy by 2050, as outlined in the Government's Net Zero Growth Plan. NBS refers to a diversity of approaches to land management that deliver multiple benefits through the restoration of natural ecosystems. NBS typically involve restoring and managing ecosystems such as wetlands, river catchments, forests, and coastal habitats.

Despite this potential, NBS currently receive limited funding, and there remain significant knowledge gaps around how they can be effectively governed and managed in the long term, how they can be effectively integrated within multi-functional landscapes, and how their benefits can be optimised under different climate change scenarios.

Improving climate resilience

The project will use a mix of research methods, including evidence reviews, qualitative interviews with stakeholders, workshops, and system dynamics modelling, to identify the best strategies for scaling up NBS. The results will inform future policies and practices, helping to improve the UK’s climate resilience.

Dr Christian Reynolds, Reader in Food Policy at the Centre for Food Policy and the project co-lead from City St George’s explains the project's aim: “We seek to optimise the role of nature-based solutions in the UK for climate adaptation by understanding how they can be successfully implemented at local, regional, and national levels. Our focus is on identifying the best conditions for these solutions to thrive within different climate scenarios up to 2050.”

A significant part of the project will involve testing and trialling NBS across three key regions in the UK (Wye and Usk; Medway, Kent; and North Essex) with the help of the South East Rivers Trust, the Wye and Usk Foundation, and the North Essex Farmers Cluster. These different geographical contexts will allow the research team to explore how different governance and financial models can be adapted to support NBS at both small and large scales.

Dr Reynolds added: “We hope that the project will contribute significantly to the UK’s goal of building climate-resilient landscapes, making a lasting impact on policy and practice across the country.”