Archive for category: Conference

Date: 16-18 June 2021

Title of Event: Environ 2021 – 31st Annual Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium

Location: Online – Co-hosted by Environmental Research Institute (ERI) and Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland (ESAI)

Presentation/poster: Presentation (Accepted)

Presentation Title: The application of Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM) to attenuate flood and water quality issues in agricultural catchments

Abstract (Accepted): Agricultural catchments are affected by elevated loadings of nutrients and suspended solids, channelization of low-order streams and the presence of complex networks of sub-surface drainage. Such human-driven alterations to the hydro-morphological and biological character of agricultural landscapes have the combined effects of inducing both chronic and flood-driven surges of nutrients and suspended solids to receiving water bodies; bringing about not only degradation of habitats for wildlife, but also jeopardizing the quality of drinking waters for humans and livestock. While legislation such as the Nitrates Directive and the Water Framework Directive may, in certain cases, have aided in the reduction of the flux of water quality pressures to receiving streams, rivers and lakes, water quality continues to degrade both in Ireland and internationally at a worrying pace.

Temporary retention of surface waters on land is known to reduce downstream flood risk and to encourage the deposition of suspended solids and biological uptake of labile nutrients such as Soluble Reactive Phosphorus (SRP) and Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC). In-stream structures which help to retain Particulate Organic Matter (POM) and enhance interactions between hyporheic microbial communities and nutrients in the water column have also been shown to aid in attenuation of pollutants including fecal indicator organisms (FIOs), which pose a significant risk to drinking waters.

The current study, conducted on a mixed-use farm in Co. Cork is investigating the potential for nature-based solutions, namely Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM) such as in-stream and offline water retention areas to attenuate floods and entrained water quality pressures. Chemical and hydrological data are being collected from a low-order stream within the farm as it is diverted and temporarily retained on forested and rye-grass dominated retention areas, and as its flow is altered by in-stream structures. Preliminary results indicate that retention of stream water on agricultural grassland for a as few as 6 hours can induce significant reductions in stream-borne ammonium and nitrate concentrations. These types of nature-based solutions can be installed at low-cost and can be knitted seamlessly into the agricultural landscape. The adoption of nature-based solutions to flood risk and water quality issues may offer affective protection to rural communities and natural environments, while preserving the physical infrastructure and livelihoods of rural landowners.

Such was the appetite, that the first National Biodiversity Conference to be held in Ireland was fully booked out months in advance.

In a session chaired by Dr Collier (TCD), four experts were asked to consider How can we use nature-based solutions in river catchments? Particularly when we consider the need to Plan for the Future.

How can we use nature to help us alleviate floods, improve river health and benefit biodiversity? What does ‘ecological engineering’ mean for a river and in what circumstances is it the appropriate approach? What kind of local actions are communities undertaking? And are nature-based solutions necessarily solutions for nature?

There were 4 speakers:

• Alan Sullivan from Rivus
• Sheevaun Thompson from LAWPRO
• Nathy Gilligan from OPW
• and Mary Bourke from TCD

Dr Bourke was invited to speak about the potential for National Water Retention Measures in Ireland. Below is the link to her 10 minute talk.

Conference Charter ‘Our Seeds for Nature’

The Charter was agreed at a meeting chaired by Minister Josepha Madigan in Dublin Castle and attended by Minister Bruton, Minister Doyle and other senior leaders from 14 Government Departments, state agencies, private sector and non-governmental organisations.

The Charter comprises a suite of commitments for nature and biodiversity that go beyond the respective organisations’ current work programmes to support, scale up and fast track the implementation of the National Biodiversity Action Plan.

We were delighted to see two of our new research projects highlighted in the Charter in collaboration with the Office of Public Works (OPW):

#6: The OPW will

*Partner with the EPA on a major new research project – SloWaters – which is a strategic assessment of natural water retention measures.

*Partner directly with Trinity College Dublin on ecosystem services of Ireland’s forests for flood protection. 

Finally if you have 40 minutes to be inspired by our President you can watch him in action here at the conference.