WEFWEBs

This WP will synthesise and analyse data sources at different scales to inform the WEF modelling; to develop and refine multiple data analytic approaches; to deal with scale and uncertainty issues. WP1 is an over-arching and integrative quantitative work package, which is connected to other WPs and also to the place based studies (in a bi-directional flow of data and knowledge).   At national level, the WP will review and identify existing examples, tools, and best practices relevant to mapping the WEF nexus in a national context. It will deliver a WEFWEB map in the form of a network diagram, and narrative concerning national (and international) statistics. At regional and local levels, the WP will work to deliver data synthesis and models of the outputs from WPs 2 and 3, and identify and describe new data needs while reviewing and modelling (data linkages) from the physical and ecological data sources to inform the modelling of dependencies. It will develop and deliver assimilation of the crowd sourcing and sensing data streams in collaboration with place based study 2. At local and individual levels, the WP will analyse in collaboration with WP4, the data arising from the multiple participatory workshops and develop and deliver assimilation of the sensing and PM data. Finally, the data analytics WP will be engaged in the specific place based studies to identify relevant data sources for our case studies, and report on how easy the data are to obtain. 

Deliverables: a data catalogue of the WEF nexus resources, WEFWEB network maps, assimilation of qualitative and sensory data and models. Legacy data sources

This package will involve mapping the regulatory and institutional framework of the WEF nexus at different levels. Firstly it will map the regulatory framework at a national level. Then there will a further stage where more regional mapping will be undertaken. It will map the broad regulatory environment for water (abstraction, pollution control and flood risk), food (farming, food safety, animal welfare and agri-environment objectives and energy (production and use) using a variety of different techniques, but also informed by the participatory workshops of WP4. The aim is to identify barriers to coordination (or even perverse outcomes) and potential complementarities and synergies. The specific focus for this further work will be at the water catchment level through the place based study of the Tamar estuary.

Deliverables: Documentation of the key aspects of the regulatory regimes of the three WEF sectors and the interactions that either obstruct or facilitate more sustainable patterns of land and water management at catchment scale and how the regulatory regimes affect the incentives of farmers.

The work package has four main objectives: to provide sound and accessible WEF stakeholder maps of the nexus to inform WP4 and WP2 and engage policy actors, to deliver longitudinal analysis of the trends and processes changing the WEF nexus across the life of the project, a map of the frictions and coordination/link opportunities in between water, energy and food systems, presenting a roadmap for improving the governance of the nexus and to collaborate with local government to offer a policy-relevant and multi-scalar view of the nexus governance systems in the UK, with an assessment of the local and international impact on national systems. Core stakeholders will be identified via interviews (with local and national focus groups and interviews), along with desktop research. Looking at the relations between stakeholders in each of the three WEF elements of the nexus, as well as between the governance of the three WEF elements.

Deliverables: Stakeholder maps of the WEF nexus (3 cases across 3 scales), Longitudinal analysis of WEF Nexus stakeholders, International context analysis

The objective of this work package is to engage with WEF nexus stakeholders at multiple embedded levels from household, through city, region in order to conduct participatory mapping of the WEF nexus within and across these levels. Stakeholder generated systemic WEF causal maps and influence diagrams are used to develop Fuzzy Cognitive Maps and Bayesian Belief Networks during the workshops. This mapping process iteratively informs and is informed by the Analytics work package. We will co-identify with stakeholders any bottlenecks, disconnects, synergies and opportunities for improved management and governance of the WEF nexus, and its relationships with broader social, economic and environmental systems. From the workshops, we will co-develop with stakeholders explorative future scenarios and appropriate transition pathways, and appropriate products to inform the implementation of actions required to implement stakeholder endorsed transition pathways. Deliverable: stakeholder generated of WEF causal maps, future scenarios

The objective of this work package is to integrate and synthesise the knowledge generated in all other work packages at each level, within each place based context and across them. This involves integrating and synthesising feedbacks between social, economic, political, institutional and environmental dimensions of the nexus; and integrating and synthesising qualitative and quantitative models and data. There are numerous systemic techniques that exist to this end that will be applied in this work package including Critical Systems Heuristics, Soft Systems Methodology: including rich pictures, influence diagrams and system maps, Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM) and Bayesian Belief Networks (BBN). These methods are mutually supportive and their application fits within a two-day workshop conducted by the researchers themselves following each of the participatory workshops to integrate the results of the participatory and non-participatory work packages for each level in each context.

Deliverables: outputs from the integrated analyses in the forms requested by stakeholders to facilitate impact: these may take the form of policy briefs, info-graphics, causal diagrams, maps, mathematical models, data sets, software tools and web platforms