Latest News in the CCRI

Damian Maye joins Editorial Board of the Journal of Rural Studies

31/01/2012

CCRI Senior Research, Dr Damian Maye, has accepted a position on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Rural Studies.

The Journal of Rural Studies publishes research articles relating to such rural issues as society, demography, housing, employment, transport, services, land-use, recreation, agriculture and conservation, and is international and interdisciplinary in its scope and content.

Dr Owain Jones leads successful AHRC bid

31/01/2012

CCRI Senior Research Fellow Dr Owain Jones has led a successful bid to the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

Owain has been awarded £25,000 for a project entitled ‘Re-thinking, and re-connecting, communities with, and through, water issues. Situated (place-time), and therapeutic narratives’. The project will involve conducting a review of a range of work which has taken place in recent years in arts and humanities and related subjects into how communities in the UK, and beyond, are affected by, and cope with, issues such as flooding and related questions of water security. The research will also seek to explore how "community" has been envisaged in that work, and what insights thinking about communities and flooding and related water issues can bring to other approaches to communities, and how other theories and approaches to community can feed back into work on water and other environmental issues. Communities are seen as complex and contested formations, which do not simply or easily correspond to notions of place and settlement. But the research aims to explore how physical location, and environmental processes and hazards such as floods can have impacts on populations who share locations and neighbourhoods. What lessons can be leanrt from this?

Flood scene

There have been a series of very significant floods in the UK, which have clearly had dramatic and long lasting impacts on affected communities which include economic impacts, health and well being impacts, and also how the community sees itself and how it is embedded in the landscape and in wider society. The government response to the challenge of planning for flood risk management, as in the Pitt Review (2008), focuses very much on community preparedness, and developing community resilience as part of a wider range of measures in developing flood risk response. Climate change scenarios, which include possible sea level rise and more extreme rainfall events, coupled with pressure to build new homes, means that questions of how communities live with the risk of flooding (and other water issues) will remain high on the political and academic agenda. Alongside flooding there are also other important concerns about water security issues at the community level which include drought (as in Eastern England 2011) and how water catchment areas are effectively managed for assets such as biodiversity and ecosystem services.

All these approaches to communities and water issues raise a host of questions about what communities are, how they 'work' (or don't work), the extent to which a locational issue such as flooding creates community in a local population who, in other senses, might not function as a cohesive community. Thinking about community through water issues asks questions about how they are connected internally and externally (e.g. to other communities which share a river catchment area).

The research will develop ideas of "situated narratives": how communities develop stories of their collective environmental past, present and future in landscape. These changes can be about community relations with environmental issues such as water security and also about changes in how the community itself works and how it is connected to other communities. This kind of work can be supported by local agencies and institutions (e.g. local museums) and also through social media networks.

The research will also develop ideas of "therapeutic narratives": - how arts and humanities based research and practice (e.g. creative writing, photography, oral history) can help communities come to terms not only with challenging water issues and experiences, such as flooding, but also begin to develop new insights and empathies into relationships within their community and with neighbouring communities.

Owain, who is the project leader, will be working with Professor Lindsey McEwen (University of the West of England) and Professor Mike Wilson (University College Falmouth).

Research suggests farmers lack confidence in badger vaccination

23/01/2012

Research conducted by the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) and Cardiff University has found that farmers surveyed in five areas of England lack confidence in a badger vaccine to prevent the spread of bovine Tuberculosis (bTB). Farmers also had low levels of trust in the Government’s ability to manage bovine Tuberculosis.

A total of 341 farmers were surveyed during the autumn of 2010 in five areas of England (Devon, Gloucestershire and Cheshire), including the area of the Badger Vaccine Deployment Project (BVDP) where badgers have been vaccinated against bTB. This survey preceded Defra’s announcement in 2011 of their intention to license groups of farmers/landowners to cull badgers for the purpose of preventing the spread of bovine TB in cattle.

In general, 48% of farmers in this study thought that vaccination was a good thing to do, but only a quarter thought that it would help prevent the spread of bTB. Overall, 33% of the farmers that responded to the survey could be said to support badger vaccination, whilst 19% rejected it outright. These attitudes were related to farmers’ views of Defra: less than a quarter of farmers thought Defra could manage vaccination competently; a third thought that the Government’s scientific case for badger vaccination lacked credibility; and the vast majority (89%) believed that it was not their responsibility to pay for vaccination.

Farmers responding to the survey were pessimistic that they were able to do anything about avoiding bTB restrictions: 79% said that it was simply a matter of luck if their cattle got bTB. The majority of farmers (52%) did not think the Government were doing a good job in relation to bTB policy; 80% believed that bTB policy was too influenced by the general public (as opposed to veterinary or agricultural specialists); and 46% did not believe bTB policy decisions in general to have been fairly made.

Lead researcher Dr Damian Maye (CCRI) said: “This research has provided an important preliminary analysis of farmers’ confidence in badger vaccination. The results suggest farmers have cautious views about the role of vaccination to control bTB in cattle. In particular, farmers surveyed were concerned about the practicality of badger vaccination”.

Dr Gareth Enticott (Cardiff University) added: “What this research is showing is that farmers are not confident that vaccination will work, partly because they had low levels of trust in the Government’s approach to bovine TB.”

Matt Reed's presentation at WHO conference available online

19/01/2012

In December 2011, Dr Matt Reed made a presentation at a seminar organised by the World Heath Organisation Collaborating Centre for Healthy Cities, Institute for Sustainability, Health and Environment. The seminar was entitled 'Sustainable food systems from farm to fork to farm: the role for public health and planning', and looked at how spatial planning and public health can support the transition to a sustainable food system that is good for the planet and human health.

Matt’s presentation was entitled 'Assessing the potential of rural urban fringe agriculture', which looked at the research results of six case studies across England that have food business or projects sited in the urban fringe. His slide presentation can be accessed via this link.

The WHO collaborating centres are institutions which are designated by the WHO Director-General to carry out activities in support of the Organization's programmes. The event was supported by NHS South west.

New book edited by Matt Reed published online

Dr Matt Reed9/1/2012

A book edited by Dr Matt Reed (pictured right) has been pubished  online. The book is called ‘ Organic Food and Agriculture -New Trends and Developments in the Social Sciences’ (ISBN 978-953-307-764-2).

Published by Intech, the book looks at the new challenges facing organic food and farming as markets mature, and the impact of the global recession starts to change consumers and farmers' expectations. This global survey of the organic food and farming considers how the social sciences have come to understand in what way consumers make their choices as they shop, and how new national markets evolve. It also surveys how established organic sectors in North America and Europe are changing in response to the changes that, in part, the organic movement has created. Moving from a wide range of social science disciplines, methodologies and perspectives, this book represents an excellent starting place for new readers, and offers innovation to those already familiar with the literature.

Matt has also written a chapter in the book, which is entitled "Contesting 'Sustainable Intensification' in the UK: The Emerging Organic Discourse". This can be accessed by clicking here.

Nigel Curry's song published - all proceeds to charity - available on Amazon!

5 January 2012

CCRI Director, Nigel Curry has had a song published by 'Greys Matter' Records. The song is called 'Boundless Sky', and was written to mark the passing of his brother in 2011

100% of the proceeds will go to the Nordoff - Robbins music charity, which aims to transform the lives of vulnerable people through music. Please purchase Nigel's song to support this charity! Simply type 'Boundless Sky MP3' into Amazon. or click here to access the song.

CCRI Seminar Series presentation - 8 December 2011

Professor Alister Scott will be making a presentation for the CCRI Seminar Series entitled 'Crossing the Planning-Environment Divide at the Rural Urban Fringe: Re-connecting theory for spatial planning practice.' The seminar will take place at the University of Gloucestershire Oxstalls Campus, in room LC202, between 14.15 - 15.15 hrs.

Alister is Professor of Spatial Planning and Governance at Birmingham City University, and describes himself as a 'social scientist, geographer and chartered planner' with research interests centred around the changing nature of governance and partnerships. His research particularly focuses on the ways sustainable development has been conceptualised and operationalised. Click here for more information on Alister.

Click here for more information on the CCRI Seminar Series.

"Evaluation and Monitoring for CAP post 2013" Stakeholder Conference

17/11/11

Professor Janet Dwyer was invited to attend a major conference on the future monitoring and evaluation of CAP policies, hosted by DG Agriculture of the European Commission in Brussels on 20-21 September 2011. The event brought together policy makers and independent experts in a participatory exercise to help the Commission to develop a framework for the future which can cover both agricultural support and rural development policies. Attendance was by invitation only.

The full record of the "Evaluation and Monitoring for CAP post 2013" Stakeholder Conference is available on the European Commission website.

European Rural Development (ERD) MSc Students graduate

17/11/11

Three CCRI ERD MSc students graduated at the University of Gloucestershire graduation awards ceremony last week.

The picture above shows Anna Knight, Judith Wordsworth, Rebecca Frost, together with Course Leader Dr John Powell. They all graduated with an MSc, and in addition Rebecca Frost graduated with a distinction.

CCRI Winter School 2011

17/11/11

The 2011 CCRI Winter School took place on 10 and 11 November 2011 at the Park Campus in Cheltenham. The Winter School continued its association with the Rural Geography Research Group (RGRG) of the Royal Geographical Society, as their students joined students and staff from CCRI for a day and a half of student presentations and panel sessions.


CCRI PhD student Dirk Pardoel gives a presentation at the Winter School

The annual Winter School offers an opportunity for students to present their ideas in a sympathetic environment and to receive feedback from other students as well as from experienced staff. Additionally, the two staff panels answered questions on topics ranging from research methods to choosing an external examiner and the future of rural research.

The winter school also provided an opportunity for informal discussion and socialising with students from other institutions during coffee breaks and over meals.

Evaluation of HLS Permissive Access scheme

08/11/11

The CCRI has been commissioned by Natural England to undertake an evaluation to establish the extent to which Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) permissive access options are delivering their outcomes, and the value permissive access is delivering to agreement holders, users, the wider public, and the outcomes for HLS as a whole.

The HLS permissive access scheme has permitted access to many kilometres of pathways crossing working farmland as well as through woodland and along waterways. The HLS funding ensures fences and hedgerows are created and restored, paths maintained and upgraded, gates and stiles installed and kept in good working order whilst the land is managed for the benefit of both people and the environment including reversing the decline of farmland birds, the restoration of historic buildings and improving the resilience of nationally important habitats to climate change.

The project that the CCRI is contracted to undertake has two general objectives. The first is to evaluate the extent to which HLS permissive access options are delivery their outcomes, whether there are any unintended (or indirect) impacts, and how these impacts are experienced by different stakeholders. The second is to assess the likely affect of changes to a voluntary approach to the delivery of outcomes for HLS permissive areas.

The project will run from November 2011 until the end of March, 2012. Dr John Powell will lead the project, with assistance from Professor Nigel Curry, Jane Mills, Dr Peter Gaskell, Dr Carol Kambites, Nick Lewis and Rhiannon Fisher from the CCRI. Ken Taylor from Asken Ltd will also be assisting.

CCRI involvement in Planet Under Pressure 2012 Global conference

08/11/11

Janet Dwyer and Chris Short, together with Leticia Merino (Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales, Mexico City) and Ruth Meizen-Dick (International Food Policy Research Institute, USA) will be convening and chairing a session at a major International conference in London in March 2012. The conference, Planet under Pressure, will take place in London and is a major international science conference focusing on solutions to the global sustainability challenge and is organised by Global International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and the World Climate Research Programme. The title of the session, ‘Collective Governance of Shared Resources: examples of sustainable approaches for complex multi-scale commons’, will include presentations from South America, North America, Asia and Africa.

Click here for more information.

Valuing Nature Network project success

08/11/11

Chris Short is part of a consortium that secured a project grant from the Natural Environment Research Council supported Valuing Nature Network. The project, led by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, will seek to improve understanding of how the concepts of stocks and flows around natural capital can be used to deliver ecosystem services and the long-term sustainability of biodiversity. In particular, the importance of scale in the context of agricultural landscapes. The project will centre around two workshops and aims to identify clear areas of further interdisciplinary work.

 

CCRI support for Wye Valley Nature Improvement Area

08/11/11

In the Natural Environment White Paper, published in June 2011, Defra undertook to support the creation of Nature Improvement Areas and to fund a Nature Improvement Areas competition that seeks to achieve a more integrated approach to the delivery of landscape scale biodiversity management. The CCRI is part of a partnership that developed a successful stage 1 bid in September 2011. The 20 successful project bids will now advance to Stage 2 before the final 12 NIAs are announced in April 2012. Chris Short is leading the CCRI involvement and contributing to the development of the integrated partnership over the next 3 years, should the bid be successful.

More information can be found on the Defra website.

Evaluation of the Integrated Biodiversity Areas

08/11/11

The CCRI has secured a contract from Natural England to evaluate the Integrated Biodiversity Delivery Area (IBDA) programme. This programme, which had 8 pilot projects across England sought to demonstrate landscape-scale delivery and were developed by Natural England in partnership with the England Biodiversity Group. IBDAs formed part of the response to the England Biodiversity Framework, which set out the conservation challenges associated with securing a significant improvement in managing nature conservation through strong partnership working. The project will feed into the development of the Nature Improvement Areas and other local partnerships. The research project is being led by Chris Short and involves Rhiannon Fisher, Jane Mills, Carol Kambites, Owain Jones, Pete Gaskell and Will Manley.

Janet Dwyer paper to be published in OECD book

1/11/11

The OECD is in the process of negotiating the publication of a book of papers, taken from an EU-Latin America meeting in Rome in November 2010. CCRI Co-Director, Professor Janet Dwyer, presented a paper at the conference, which will be included in the book. It is expected that the book will go to print in the Spring of 2012.

The publication will be presented as a collection of papers, aimed at comparing policy experiences in rural development. The proposed title of the book is "EU and Latin America: comparing policy experiences in Rural Development", and is to be edited by Betty-Ann Brice, Francesco Mantino, Claudia Ranaboldo and Raffaele Trapasso. Janet's paper is entitled, "The characteristics of marginal areas and appropriate policy instruments for the EU".

Presentation to the National Rural Network in Malta

1/11/11

Professor Janet Dwyer gave a presentation to the National Rural Network in Malta on 28 October, at an event arranged to coincide with a visit from the EU Agricultural Commissioner, Dacian Ciolos.

Janet's presentation explored the proposed reforms to the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and their potential impact for agriculture and rural development in Malta. In particular she identified the potential for more flexible implementation of rural development measures, which could have significant benefits for Malta given the unique local characteristics of farming and rural development in the islands. Workshop participants included members from the three new local action groups (LAGs) established in Malta, representative from the Ministry for Rural Affairs and Agricultural Payments Agency, members of farmer associations, and producer cooperatives, and small producers.


Co-operative in Malta for local producers.

The participants had earlier heard from the Hon. George Pullicino, the Maltese Minster for Resources and Rural Affairs, and Dacian Ciolos, the EU Agricultural Commissioner. Dacian Ciolos clearly stated that rural development is a significant part of the agricultural programme in Europe and identified the need to restore linkages between production, land, quality, tradition and biodiversity. He described the proposed changes to rural development policy with the potential for more flexibility in implementation at member state level. In particular he emphasised that Maltese agriculture, even though a small part of the economy, was just as significant as agriculture in France of Germany, and the need for the CAP to deal with the unique conditions specific to each member state. The Commissioner also highlighted other key changes such as a start-up kit for new LAGs, and an ‘innovation network’ to link research more strongly to practice.

John Powell and Paul Courtney were also in Malta, and they utilised the opportunity to engage in more in-depth discussions with a range of stakeholders regarding farming and rural development, as part of the project to develop a new strategic programme for rural development in Malta.

Click here for full project information.

Damian Maye invited to become member of Editorial Board for international journal

1/11/11

Damian Maye has recently accepted an invitation to be a member of the Editorial Board of the international journal Moravian Geographical Reports. The journal covers physical and human geography, and has a regional orientation in terms of the papers it has published to date. It has been published in English since 1993 by the Institute of Geonics, Ostrava, in the Czech Republic.

Franz Krause awarded grant to run workshop in Germany

28/10/11

Franz Krause is part of a group which has been awarded a grant to run a workshop, regarding critical approaches to environmental management, at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Bielefeld, Germany, in May/June 2012.

The event is entitled “How do you manage? Unravelling the situated practice of environmental management”. More information can be found at http://ems-research.org/2012

Short Course Programme moved to February / March 2012

02/09/11

The re-run of CCRI's 'Essentials of Community Development' short course programme, which originally ran in February and March 2011, has been moved to February and March 2012.

Originally scheduled for November and December, the dates for the four sessions, which can be taken as a complete programme or individually, have now been re-scheduled as follows:

9th February 2012 - Session 1 - Making Your Community Sustainable:
23rd February 2012 - Session 2 - Projects & Partnerships:
8th March 2012 - Session 3 - Collecting & using good quality information:
22nd March 2012 - Session 4 - Exploring alternative approaches to developing sustainable communities:

The courses are designed to give understanding, tools and skills needed to explore, develop and manage activities leading to more sustainable community development.

If you require more information, or are interested in reserving a place for one or more sessions, please contact Jill Harper.

CCRI 25th Anniversary Briefing

27/10/11

The 2011 Briefing, which celebrates 25 years of rural research in the CCRI, has just been published.

It is available to download online (13.79mb). If you require a hard copy, please contact Evelyn Shaw.

'Severn Song'

20/10/11

Dr Owain Jones recommended a poem, 'Severn Song' by Philip Gross, to be read out on the BBC 6 Music Cerys Matthews Show on 16 October 2011. Dr Jones has a research interest in the Severn estuary and its tidal culture, and this was mentioned on the show.

The programme can be listened to on BBC iplayer, http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b0162gmj. Dr Jones features around 100 minutes into the programme.

CCRI Seminar - 17 November

19/10/11

Former CCRI Research Associate, James Taylor, will be giving a seminar as part of the CCRI Seminar Series on Thursday 17 November.

James is currently project co-ordinator of a Natural England and lottery-funded initiative for LEAF, which promotes an innovative and very creative approach to establishing visits and longer-term relationships between disadvantaged groups (elderly, mental/physical disability, behavioural difficulties, children from deprived inner-city areas) and farms (nature, food and land links). The project is due to finish in October 2012.

James will be talking about the progress and achievements of the project, as well as hopes for the future beyond the funding. Everyone is welcome to attend the seminar, which takes place at the University of Gloucestershire's Oxstalls Campus in Room OX TC016, from 12.15 - 13.15hrs.

Transcript of Janet Dwyer's inaugural professorial lecture now available!

A transcript of Professor Janet Dwyer's inaugural professorial lecture is now available to download from the CCRI website. Click here to access.

Annual Conference of the Association of Social Anthropologists of the UK

28/09/11

Franz Klaus co-organised a panel and delivered a paper at the Annual Conference of the Association of Social Anthropologists of the UK and Commonwealth on 14 September 2011. The panel subject was 'Living water: the powers and politics of a vital substance', and discussed the relations between humans and water, and how the precious vitality of water is constituted, negotiated and strategically used.

Click here for more information.

Professor Janet DwyerJanet Dwyer at two-day workshop in Copenhagen

28/09/11

Professor Janet Dwyer (pictured right) attended a two-day workshop on 'Pathways to policy integration for sustainable agricultural landscapes', funded by the OECD and hosted by the University of Copenhagen, on 2-3 September 2011. She presented a paper reflecting on UK experience of innovative approaches to integration. The edited papers from the workshop will be published in a special edition of an international refereed landscape journal, in 2012.

Dr Owain Jones gives papers at RGS/IBG Annual Conference

28/09/11

Earlier in September, Dr Owain Jones was invited to present papers at the Royal Geographical Society's (with the Institute of British Geographers)(RGS/IBS) Annual International Conference in London. The papers were:
'Up Close and Personal': Witnessing the spatio-embodied narratives of individual animal lives'; 'Animal Geography. Status: Endangered?' Session.
'Imagining (Hidden) Instances of Rural Displacement in the UK'; 'Imagined Ruralities' Session.

For more information on the RGS/IBG Annual Conference, click here.

Forthcoming Event

06/09/11

A Rural Services Network event is to be held at the University of Gloucestershire's Francis Close Hall campus (room TC007) on 10 January 2012, at 10.15 hrs to 16.15hrs. This is a joint Rural Services Network - University of Gloucestershire event.
More information will be available in the near future, but in the meantime please contact James Derounian if you have any questions.

Professor Janet Dwyer invited to major EU conference

02/09/11

Professor Janet Dwyer has been invited to attend a major conference on the future monitoring and evaluation of CAP policies, which is being hosted by DG Agriculture of the European Commission in Brussels on 20-21 September 2011.

The event will bring together policy makers and independent experts in a participatory exercise to help the Commission to develop a framework for the future which can cover both agricultural support and rural development policies. Attendance is by invitation only, and therefore the CCRI is particularly pleased that its work on policy evaluation has been recognised by relevant officials within the Commission.

Sustainable Flood Memories

01/09/11

The ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) funded project looking into sustainable flood memories is making good progress. The full title of the project is 'Sustainable flood memories and the development of community resilience to future flood risk: a comparative study of three recently flooded communities', and it aims to investigate the extent to which local communities who have a history of past extreme flooding events are better equipped to cope during and after new flood events. As part of the project, an online blog was set up to reach a wider public and engage them with the project, and provide a platform for those affected by flooding to share their experiences with others, including the problems of finding temporary accommodation following a flood, and issues surrounding insurance and organising repairs, and the importance of community support. Read latest blog entries.

The project has received some local publicity via BBCGloucestershire, who referred to the project on a recent feature which commemorated the July 2007 floods. The project has also received coverage in the Gloucestershire Echo newspaper.

If you have any questions regarding the project, or would like to contribute your own flood experiences, feel free to contact Dr Franz Krause.

Brian Ilbery invited to act as International Panel member for the Irish Higher Education Authority

31/08/11

Professor Brian IlberyProfessor Brian Ilbery (pictured right)has accepted an invitation to act as an International Panel member for the Irish Higher Education Authority. The International Panel will assess applications to Round 3 of the 'Programme of Strategic Cooperation between Irish Aid and Higher Education and Research Institutes (2007-2015). Members will meet in Dublin in November to advise on the allocation of €4.5m Round 3 investment, aimed at 'strengthening institutional capacity for development, research and teaching in southern higher education and research institutions and flexible collaborative partnerships. More details about the Programme can be found at: http://www.hea.ie/en/Irish-Aid-Programme-of-Strategic-Co-Operation

Owain Jones gives talk at the Scala Forever Film Festival

29/08/11

Owain Jones was invited to give a talk as part of the Scala Forever film festival. Owain’s talk was entitled ‘Sylvan Spirits. Trees as makers and shapers of strange places’, and was organised by PassengerFilms, a new independent London based film society focusing on the theme of geography and landscape.

Scala Forever is a film festival running across several venues in London , taking place this year from 13 August to 2 October 2011. The Scala was a cinema in London that operated at different times in Charlotte Street and Kings Cross between 1977 and 1992, offering a range of films from outside the mainstream.

Ecosystem Services Upland Pilot - Exmoor

29/08/2011

Janet Dwyer and Chris Short have now concluded their work for Natural England and Exmoor National Park Authority into the development of a framework for delivering ecosystem services. Both funders have agreed that the next stage is to meet with all the various stakeholders, both local and national, in order to see how the existing projects can be pulled together into an integrated project that will encompass all of the various ecosystem services around the Wimbleball reservoir.

Paper accepted for publication in Environment and Planning A.

29/8/11

Damian Maye has had a jointly authored paper accepted for publication in Environment and Planning A. The full reference is
Maye, D., Dibden, J., Higgins, V. and Potter, C. (2011 forthcoming) Governing biosecurity in a neoliberal world: comparative perspectives from Australia and the United Kingdom. Environment and Planning A.

Study into determined Town and Village Green applications

26/08/2011

A study into determined Town and Village Green applications, undertaken by the CCRI in 2009, is used extensively (including many case studies and photographs) in the recently announced consultation on adjustments to the process of registering town and village greens (see http://www.defra.gov.uk/consult/2011/07/25/town-village-greens/). As a member of the National Stakeholder Group on Common Land and Greens, the main author, Chris Short, will be involved in discussing the changes and the comments submitted in the consultation.

Chris Short appeared on the Mark Cummings breakfast show on Radio Gloucestershire on 23 August, when he spoke about the importance of village greens to rural society. At the time of writing, a repeat of the programme could be accessed via http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00jl4bh.

Inspiring and enabling communities: the Integrated Local Delivery model for localism and the environment

26/08/2011

There has been considerable interest in the Integrated Local Delivery (ILD) model evaluated by CCRI last year, and Chris Short was recently asked to draft an article for the Government's newsletter 'Sustain' on the ILD process. This features on the Sustainable Development in Government website (see http://sd.defra.gov.uk/2011/08/integrated-local-delivery-model/) and will be featured in the e-newsletter 'Sustain', going out to over 8,000 subscribers in early September. Click here to see final report of Inspiring and enabling communities: the Integrated Local Delivery model for localism and the environment .

The model now features on the Rural Development Programme for England Network (RDPE Network) as a case study (click here to view), and featured on their news page.

Dr Owain JonesOwain Jones appointed Visiting Fellow at Northumbria University

26/08/2011

Dr Owain Jones (pictured right)has been appointed as Visiting Fellow at the School of Arts and Social Sciences, Northumbria University.

Owain has recently contributed to a book published by Springer, Guilford, with an entry entitled 'Forest landscapes: Identity and Materiality', in E. Ritta and D. Dauksta (eds) 'Society, culture and forests: human-landscape relationships in a changing world', pp 159 - 178. Chris Short also contributed a paper to this book, entitled 'Forests and forest landscapes as commons: changing traditions and governance in Europe', pp 61-74.

Owain has also recently had two papers accepted for publication, as follows:
Jones O. (2011) Geography, Memory and Non-representational Theory; Geography Compass, Social Geography Section. Jones O. (2011) Lunar-solar ryhthmpatterns: towards the material cultures of tides, Environmental and Planning A.

Natural Environment White Paper

26/08/2011

In June this year, ‘The Natural Choice’, the first Government White Paper on the natural environment for 20 years, was published by Defra. The paper outlines the Government's vision for the natural environment over the next 50 years.

In July, Chris Short, along with Jenny Phelps of The Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), was invited to give a presentation at a Westminster Briefing focussing on the implementation of the White Paper. More information on can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/natural/whitepaper/

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