{"id":1670,"date":"2021-07-21T11:41:24","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T10:41:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/nerc-nfm\/?page_id=1670"},"modified":"2021-07-21T11:50:20","modified_gmt":"2021-07-21T10:50:20","slug":"blog-mapping-nfm-opportunity-from-soil-data-comparing-technical-and-farmer-knowledge","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/nerc-nfm\/blog\/blog-mapping-nfm-opportunity-from-soil-data-comparing-technical-and-farmer-knowledge\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog – Mapping NFM opportunity from soil data: comparing technical and farmer knowledge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Samantha Broadmeadow from Forest Research<\/a> and Landwise-NFM<\/a> talks about mapping Natural Flood Management opportunity from soil data: comparing technical and farmer knowledge<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Samantha has worked for Fore<\/a>st\u00a0<\/a>Research<\/a> for 23 years.\u00a0 She explained that in that time mapping, her specialism, has changed: \u201cdrastically, and for the better. Initially mapping was quite a niche area, but since user friendly GIS software became available fifteen years ago I have been able to capture and share ideas with others easily and it\u2019s fun!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mapping has become an important tool for Forest Research particularly in Samantha\u2019s work on woodland creation She explained: \u201cusing GIS tools we can identify where woodland creation can provide additional benefits, or \u2018ecosystem services\u2019 and highlight where specific benefits can be maximised, such as biodiversity and flood risk attenuation. This facilitates more focused funding of proposals in an increasingly strategic catchment planning process. \u00a0Also, mapping provides a communication tool to help engagement with farmers and others who are concerned about how landscapes are managed.\u00a0 This is very much a two-way process as the knowledge and preferences of landowners and local communities need to be factored in to expediate good decision making.\u201d Samantha\u2019s mapping tools have been used by many organisations including Environment Agency, CaBA<\/a>, farm advisors and Natural England to engage with local partners.<\/p>\n

For the Landwise NFM project, Samantha has compared the existing national NFM \u2018opportunity maps\u2019 for NFM focused woodland creation, with the results of the Landwise NFM farmer survey on how they manage the soils on their farms and what steps they believe are required to keep it healthy and resilient.\u00a0 She explained \u201cour objective was not to create new opportunity maps, but to explore how accurate and useful the national maps are perceived to be by the farmers, catchment partnerships and government agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Example map of upper Thames\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Samantha pointed out that the research is still to be completed (a paper is in preparation) but that: \u201c\u2026work to date shows a strong overlap between technical and local knowledge; soil types with reported water management challenges were identified as the priority target areas for woodland creation. Initial conclusions indicate that land use, particularly the split between permanent pasture and rotational arable, should be incorporated with soil type in a more detailed land use classification within national opportunity maps.\u201d<\/p>\n

She has also used GIS to work with the community NFM preferences from the catchment workshops; to capture and collate the discussion and create future landscape scenarios that will be used by the LANDWISE modelling team to help prioritise and focus their work.\u00a0 She explained: \u201cCultural and heritage values of the landscape are also important and need to be factored in, to ensure the NFM measures and locations considered are both feasible and acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking forward, Samantha speculated: \u201c\u2026perhaps there will be scope in the forthcoming Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS)<\/a> to increase incentives for NFM measures in these areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related NFM webinar recordings:<\/p>\n