knowledgescotland briefings https://www.knowledgescotland.org/ A new opportunity for policy stakeholders and Government audiences en-gb Copyright 2018, www.knowledgescotland.org contact@www.knowledgescotland.org ccc@www.knowledgescotland.org Mon, 29 Jan 2018 13:04:17 +0000 https://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 40 www.knowledgescotland.org https://www.knowledgescotland.org/resources/theme/logo_rss.gif https://www.knowledgescotland.org/ How investment in fundamental scientific research leads to practical outcomes https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=399 This briefing by James Hutton Institute scientists describes how Scottish Government investment in a number of fundamental scientific areas at Main Research Providers, through the Strategic Research Programme, has underpinned research which is now yielding practical outcomes that are making a difference in Scotland and beyond. id=399 Tue, 08 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMT Aberdeenshire Regional Land Use Pilot: Mapping the consEquences of LanD use Change (MELODiC) https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=397 Researchers from the James Hutton Institute have developed an interactive web-based mapping tool that allows users to explore the consequences of following different policy priorities on land use change and ecosystem service delivery using native woodland expansion as a lens. id=397 Thu, 25 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMT Future Land Use Change - Working locally, thinking globally https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=398 This briefing summarises the main findings from research done in two Local Focus Areas (Ballater and Huntly) as part of the Aberdeenshire Land Use Strategy Pilot. These findings have been used by Aberdeenshire Council to provide their overall lessons learnt regarding the pilot to Scottish Government. In turn, the Scottish Government has used the results from the Aberdeenshire and Borders Pilots to help develop the Land Use Strategy 2016-2021. id=398 Thu, 25 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMT Identifying ecosystem services provided by freshwater insects https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=394 Biodiversity conservation is increasingly framed within the ecosystem services concept. Consideration of insect-related ecosystem services has largely focussed on terrestrial taxa while those inhabiting freshwater have been neglected. This briefing argues freshwater insects are fundamental to processes such as decomposition and nutrient cycling. id=394 Mon, 08 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMT Sticking points - implications for environmental management https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=393 There are many new approaches to improve environmental management practices and projects, such as the Ecosystem Approach. However, attempts to implement these new ideas are often frustrating and may not achieve all of their aspirations. Understanding why can help to improve the outcomes of environmental management. One reason why projects get stuck and fail to deliver all they set out to do is, quite simply, that these projects are trying to do something new. This briefing highlights the importance of understanding how different types of legacy effect can create id=393 Fri, 21 Aug 2015 00:00:00 GMT Assessing Long-term Resilience Within the Potato Supply Chain https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=392 There is growing concern that food systems should be more resilient to a variety of shocks (e.g., economic, originating from climate change). id=392 Thu, 19 Mar 2015 00:00:00 GMT Changing Farm Biosecurity Practices https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=391 The Scottish Government policy on disease control is that prevention is better than cure, however in practice this can be difficult to achieve. One of the strategies that farmers can adopt is to maximise farm biosecurity. id=391 Tue, 10 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMT Integrated Disease Management in Spring Barley https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=389 Intergrated Disease Management (IDM) could help greatly reduce the volume of crops lost to disease in Scotland, contributing to our future food security. id=389 Tue, 16 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMT On-Farm Assessment of Soil Carbon Status https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=388 Soil Organic Matter (or soil carbon) is of significant importance, in terms of soil fertility, water retention, structure and biodiversity. Furthermore, soil carbon is of importance to the Scottish Government id=388 Thu, 04 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMT Eco-what?! The need for Clarity and Consistency in Communication Using Ecosystem Terminology https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=383 Within the natural resource management sector multiple ecosystem terms are presently in use. This briefing highlights key meanings underlying these terms, and suggests that better recognition of these concepts, together with consistency in use of terminology, will benefit both communication and practice. id=383 Wed, 06 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMT The Impact of Animal Health Status on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Livestock https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=378 Ruminant livestock production is a key contributor to the rural and national economy of Scotland, as well as the world-renowned Scottish Food and Drink industry. However, it comes with a well-documented carbon footprint as a result of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with enteric methane production and manure management. The research described in this briefing report attempts to address some of these knowledge gaps, with a specific focus on sheep health. id=378 Tue, 08 Jul 2014 00:00:00 GMT Implementing an Ecosystem Approach in Aberdeenshire https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=377 This research briefing summarises the results of a governance and policy analysis for Aberdeenshire. It was undertaken using funding from the Ecosystem Services Theme of the Scottish Government Environmental Change Programme 2011-2016 to support Aberdeenshire Council with the first stage of the Regional Land Use Pilot project. id=377 Wed, 11 Jun 2014 00:00:00 GMT Plant Traits, Functional Diversity, and Ecosystem Services https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=375 The protection of biodiversity is seen increasingly within the context of ecosystem service delivery, but understanding how biodiversity controls the delivery of ecosystem functions and processes, and hence final ecosystem services, is not straightforward. Developing this understanding is essential if we are to manage the environment for both nature conservation and ecosystem service delivery. id=375 Tue, 13 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT The Journey from Genes to Plant Traits Reveal a Flexible Response to a Changing Environment https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=374 To address the challenges brought about by the impact of climate change and our increasing reliability on plant based food, fuel and materials, requires an understanding of molecular processes that underlie crop responses to environmental stresses. id=374 Thu, 01 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT Improving Food Security and Nutrition Through Fisheries and Aquaculture https://www.knowledgescotland.org/briefings.php?id=369 The aim of this strand of research is to assess the efficiency and sustainability of the food supply chain and food security in Scotland. id=369 Thu, 24 Apr 2014 00:00:00 GMT