Ecological surveys of wetland habitats and mosquito fauna
There is a great deal of variability in wetland habitats and the range of species they support. Ecological surveys over twelve different study sites will be led by the University of Greenwich and Public Health England, and will categorize diverse wetlands according to both biological variables and management practices. Surveys for adult and larval mosquitoes will be carried out, to determine their diversity, abundance, phenology and habitat specificity. These data will be used in combination to identify species-specific variables associated with peak seasonal mosquito abundance and to understand population dynamics in relation to management options. We will also review the benefits of larval and pupal mosquitoes to aquatic biodiversity and the value of adults in the aerial plankton to terrestrial ecosystems. This ecological data, plus socio-economic findings, will be used to prepare technical guidelines for management options to minimize mosquito proliferation under various wetland conditions, resulting in a practical decision-making tool for wetland practitioners. Contact: Prof. Gabriella Gibson
Economic evaluation of wetland sites
The economic evaluation will assess the costs and benefits associated with wetlands from both a financial and economic perspective, taking care to include both market and non-market values. In the initial stages, it will construct a matrix of ecosystem services to link existing wetland properties and flows of ecosystem services with social and economic benefits and costs. This will be applied in three detailed case study sites, and will draw on semi-structured interviews with key informants, local assessments of benefits, and values ‘transferred’ from research literature. A number of scenarios will be constructed associated with different “drivers” of mosquito prevalence, wetland features, and management options. The economic assessment will also study the effect of variations in actual or perceived mosquito-related risks on economic indicators such as incomes, expenditures, employment, trade, and gross value added at the scale of the individual wetland, with implications for the local economy and distribution of effects. The costs and benefits of potential mosquito mitigation impacts will also be considered. Contact: Dr Anil Graves
Contemporary social representation of wetlands
Wetland landscapes conjure a vast array of images and impressions; from the family-friendly visitor centers encouraging us to get involved in citizen science projects to more moody, esoteric expressions of wilderness spaces captured in musical soundscapes, poetry, and art. Within this exploratory research, the University of Brighton will collate the outputs from a range of different media to develop a sensory tapestry of ideas, images, actions, and artifacts which map how English wetlands are represented in contemporary cultural expressions. The research links with the Historical Representation of Wetlands work being undertaken by the Universities of Greenwich and Bristol, to interrogate how far past configurations of wetlands within society have shaped our current perceptions and understandings of wetlands now. Contact: Dr Mary Gearey
Environmental history
Environmental history explores the complex, multi-layered relationships between humans and the rest of the natural world over time, bringing in insights from various other disciplines, including anthropology, geography, and ecology. In WetlandLIFE we are using environmental history as a way of understanding changes in terms of what we have done to wetlands – and thought about them – as well as what they have done to us. Though concentrating on the 20th century, we also look further into the past where relevant. With a particular focus on the role of mosquitoes, our historical investigation will include changing uses and activities in wetlands, perceptions, and experience of risk and danger, and, conversely, health and wellbeing benefits from wetland environments. We will explore the notion that there are ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ of wetlands, and cultural depictions of wetlands as untrustworthy, mysterious, and desolate places. We will draw on a range of resources, including archival material, oral histories, photographs, local history and natural history texts, visual art and imaginative literature, to investigate different aspects of human-wetland-mosquito relationships in each of our three case study sites. Contact: Prof. Peter Coates
Community Voice Method
Community Voice Method (CVM) is a participatory method which aims, through film and other approaches, to encourage local stakeholders in engagement, discourse, and problem-solving. Based around the concept of sharing values, knowledge, and experiences, it combines stakeholder interviewing, qualitative analysis, film production, and deliberative public meetings. For the WetlandLIFE project, CVM will be an approach for engaging a range of stakeholders that are interested or concerned with the management of their local wetland. It is an intervention method that will reveal the complex relationships that different people have with their local wetland, and also help identify goals and approaches for the future management of the wetlands in the context of health and wellbeing and mosquito management. Through CVM, we will be producing place-based documentaries for each of our three main study areas, featuring members of the local communities, as well as shorter films, publications, and exhibitions. Contact: Dr Tim Acott
Place-based narratives with special focus on recreational wetland users
This work bundle operates in tandem with the Community Voice Method, to develop a series of place-based narratives to understand current perceptions of wetlands for health and well-being. The University of Brighton is adopting an approach that focuses on respondents with a selective/predisposed interest in wetland sites; those who choose to use wetlands for recreation due to their distinct characteristics, such as birders, anglers, canoeists, and wildlife photographers amongst others. Through focus groups and one-to-one interviews, the research will assess the particular benefits that wetland sites bring to the health and well-being of these specialist interest groups, to determine what encourages or promotes, and conversely what also deters, respondents from using wetlands sites for recreation. These insights will help us assess the range of factors that could be described as ‘nuisances’ within English wetlands, with particular interest given to the role of mosquitoes within this context. Contact: Dr Mary Gearey
Photo Essay: Wetlands, Wonder and Place by Tim Acott
This is not a photo essay about the wildlife of wetlands, although they are certainly characters that come to the fore. Rather, it is a subjective insight into the fantastically diverse and vibrant worlds of wetlands in lowland England. It is a personal encounter as I explore these wet landscapes and think about their sense of place and how different landscape elements come together and have meaning for me. The following are a series of 32 photographs, selected from over 2000, taken over three years across numerous wetlands in England. Ranging across the North Kent Marshes in the South East, to Alkborough Flats on the Humber and the Avalon Marshes in the South West. The photographs and associated text capture my experience of wetlands and hopefully something of the inspiring, haunting, and reflective qualities I encountered.
Originally exhibited at the Royal Geographical Society in January 2020, the full photo essay can now be viewed online here.
Stakeholder analysis
Stakeholder analysis involves application of a set of methods to help identify how stakeholder interests and influence might affect the outcome of public decision-making. This part of the work aims to consider how potential wetland scenarios may affect stakeholder interests and how stakeholder interest in, and influence over, wetlands will shape the potential role of wetlands in the future. In the initial stages, the work will identify a set of key potential outcomes for three case study wetlands, and define the boundaries associated with the socio-environmental system to be investigated. It will then identify the stakeholders within the boundaries of the socio-environmental system and classify stakeholders into groups, reflective key attributes and characteristics, and consider how these stakeholders interact together, before finally developing potential recommendations for future stakeholder engagement and policy. Contact: Dr Anil Graves
Collaboration with artists
A key objective of WetlandLIFE is to demonstrate the role that artists can play in environmental research – not just by communicating its findings, but also by helping to generate new knowledge that changes how we value nature and the services it provides. With this in mind, three artists were commissioned in mid-2017. Kerry Morrison is a socially-engaged artist and interdisciplinary researcher collaborating with sound artist Helmut Lemke. Their work merges art and ecology to produce intriguing interventions in the landscape. Victoria Leslie is a researcher and published author with an interest in water narratives and gender in folklore and cultural history. Victoria will immerse herself in the case study sites and other watery places, writing stories, blogs and creative non-fiction. As a team, we plan to ‘capture the story’ of the artists’ collaboration – i.e. how the process of creating, performing, and displaying artworks helped stimulate dialogue with wetland researchers, communities, managers, and decision-makers, potentially transforming our understandings, values, and actions. Contact: Kerry Morrison