They presented their findings at a stakeholder workshop in Kisumu at the Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI). Stakeholders were gathered from academia, research institutes and government, along with community representatives and they were all invited to share their experiences in land and lake management.ÌýÌý

Changes to Kenyan land-management practices are urgently needed for sustainable agricultural productivity and to reduce the growing problem of soil erosion and transfers into Lake Victoria, which compromise the growing economic and food security dependence on fisheries aquaculture. The goal of the workshop was to find a way to better coordinate disparate research and create partnerships to improve communications that will better inform land-management decision makers. 

The workshop 

The workshop covered three exercises across three groups, with the first two set up as ice breakers and to help participants consider how they could translate research findings into impact. These exercises directed discussion towards the preparation of policy briefs: what they are, who reads them and how they can be effective, alongside examples of community engagement to change behaviour or practice.  

The third exercise generated the most discussion on how data and research should be coordinated and shared, with examples of good practice being quite rare owing to a lack of resources and expertise. Additionally, the exercise discussed whether there could be a process to enforce the delivery of research harmonisation, improved reliability of data quality and the ability to consider multiple research outcomes from numerous projects. Again, examples of good practice were limited, although less direct means of communication to policy decision makers were discussed; for example, via media or a community bottom-up approach.Ìý

Overall, the workshop demonstrated that the key to enabling a positive change in behaviour and practice for land and lake management is ensuring community engagement from the outset of a research project, such as engaging with focus groups, having community representatives or enabling citizen science participation. The workshop participants agreed that a committee was essential to share research outputs with relevant stakeholders in the Lake Victoria basin. A virtual platform is also essential to a functional framework, so that research outcomes are better shared, data is used in multiple ways to realise efficiency gains and long-lasting impact is created from research. However, such a platform would require adequate resourcing and continued support from stakeholders, alongside engagement from policy decision makers.  

Joint research with the University of Eldoret and KMFRI 

Research shared with this group was funded via previous Royal Society and NERC grants. It initially involved mapping the geochemistry across the Winam Gulf catchment of the Lake Victoria basin, to model the areas at greatest risk of soil erosion and identify more precisely the locations within a river catchment suitable for targeting limited resources to train farmers and test intervention methods to reduce soil erosion.  

Secondly, sediments and sediment cores were surveyed across the Winam Gulf catchment, to generate a chronology of sediment run-off over the past 100 years, as well as the extent of metal and nutrient land-to-lake transfers. This will help us to better understand the effects of poor land management on the lake environment.  

Field collections, measurements, and digitisation and modelling of data were described in previous blogs, with partnerships cemented by the exchange of technicians, early career researchers and principal researchers. The opportunities created by this collaborative project collectively and individually demonstrate the potential for scientific research to address environmental issues whilst developing scientific capacity in Kenya and the UK. The two-way exchange of staff and paired UK/Kenya PhD students provided an enriching experience for all involved. 

Continuing partnerships  

Ongoing efforts will see improvements to modelling the risk associated with soil erosion, including translating a machine-learning model for predicting risk at the sub-catchment scale to other similar land-lake environments, to determine changes in soil losses/sediment transfer at historical scales (100 years) and through dynamic modelling (within few years). Funding to support an advisory forum for Lake Victoria has the potential to set a template for the region on how to better coordinate research data. This will be of particular value to developments in machine learning, which can analyse vast amounts of data quickly. Machine learning could provide a broader, more effective perspective beyond the typical scope of a research project but is dependent on harmonised approaches to data capture and quality. 

Data and information are very expensive due to their endless nature and the value attached to them; thus, quality collaboration between KMFRI, BGS and UoE has created a unique platform to provide baseline and useful data and information on lake-land interphase, which will form the foundation of lake-basin management, planning and conservation in the region. 

Data and information are very expensive due to their endless nature and the value attached to them; thus, quality collaboration between KMFRI, BGS and UoE has created a unique platform to provide baseline and useful data and information on lake-land interphase, which will form the foundation of lake-basin management, planning and conservation in the region. 

Acknowledgements 

We would like to thank: 

• Olivier Humphrey and Andy Marriot, who provided expertise in machine learning, and sampling strategy and fisheries, respectively (BGS)Ìý

• Job Isaboke and Sophia Dowell, joint UK/Kenya PhD studentsÌý

• Staff from all three institutes that supported laboratory and field work, logistical arrangements and community engagementÌý

• Collins Ongore, Job Mwamburi and George Basweti (KMFRI)ÌýÌý

• Elliott Hamilton and Amanda Gardner (BGS)Ìý

• Prof William Blake for guidance on soil erosion sampling strategy and translation of data outcomes into useful data tools to advise on land management (University of Plymouth).Ìý

Funding 

This work was financially supported by:  

• Natural Environment Research Council (grant numbers NE/R000069/1, NE/X006255/1, NE/S007334/1 and GA/19S/017)Ìý

• Royal Society (grant number ICA/R1/191077])Ìý

• British Academy (grant number WW21100104] )Ìý

• Commonwealth Scholarship Council UK for professional fellowshipsÌýÌý

About the authors 

Dr Christopher M Aura: Director of Freshwater Research at the Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute. Chris was a co-PI on the joint research, with oversight on the lake management, sampling and community engagement. 

Prof. Odipo Osano: Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Eldoret.  Odipo was a co-PI on the joint research, with oversight on the land sampling and community engagement, overall coordination of Kenyan activities. 

Dr Michael Watts: Head of Inorganic Geochemistry and Lead for International Geoscience R&D at BGS.  Michael was the PI for UK funded grants and overall coordinator for the project. 

51ÁÔÆæ and The Geological Society of London have accepted an invitation from the Government Office for Science (GO-Science) to launch a new network after its report, ‘’, called for improved cross-sectoral work to address future issues.

The network, ‘Future of the Subsurface Community of Interest’, is set to be a community of decision makers from Government departments, local authorities, regulators and others in the public sector involved in subsurface policy and planning. It will serve as a forum for exchanging knowledge on subsurface issues to improve coordination and regulation and allow more effective management of the subsurface and the services it provides.

Use of the subsurface has been vital to people for thousands of years. The availability of subsurface resources, such as water, fertile soil and building materials, has long influenced where we choose to live. The UK diverse geology also plays a significant role in shaping its landscape and influences various aspects of land use, planning and society.

The subsurface is a natural space for the infrastructure that underpins society. We have developed methods to use and exploit the subsurface in a multitude of different ways, such as for natural resources and space for infrastructure, which deliver a range of societal benefits.

The Foresight study not only highlights the future need for the subsurface to deliver net zero technologies and climate adaptation measures; it also emphasises the challenge of implementing cross-sectoral solutions and the issue of incomplete and inconsistent regulation, which limit future options.

We will work alongside The Geological Society to ensure that we fulfil the need highlighted in the report, to facilitate a shared understand across decision makers of the value of the subsurface for the long-term public good.

Stephanie Bricker, head of urban geoscience and spatial planning, BGS

Informed and effective public policy relies on access to timely, digestible and relevant scientific evidence. By working with the 51ÁÔÆæ to facilitate this Community of Interest, we aspire to support those working across the breadth of subsurface policy and planning to engage with the best available geoscience and promote informed decision making.

Dr Megan O’Donnell, head of policy and communications at The Geological Society

Find out more about Go-Science report, the Future of the Subsurface Foresight.

Contact
For enquiries about the Community of Interest please contact FutureSubsurface@bgs.ac.uk

For media enquiries, please contact the BGS Press Office (bgspress@bgs.ac.uk) or call 07790 607 010.

The newly published Geospatial Commission report ‘’ sets out the findings and recommendations from its National Land Data Programme (NLDP). The report explains that complex decisions around land use can and should be supported by spatial data and modelling to enable better and more informed decision making, given that land in the UK is a finite resource.  

51ÁÔÆæ was commissioned to work with the (FFCC) and as part of FFCC development of a . The NLDP included a series of national-scale projects and regional ‘deep dive’ pilots in Devon, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Northern Ireland, and Newcastle. Further information about these and can be found in the .Ìý

51ÁÔÆæ facilitated the collaborative design of a prototype spatial decision-support tool. The tool will help to articulate the potential benefits of rural land management and land-use change on carbon sequestration, carbon storage and wider environmental benefits.

The prototype tool was designed so that users would be able to perform multiple functions. It allows users to select a land parcel for which they can access a summary of the land cover and soil data. They are able to identify potential new or improved habitat types for each land parcel and assess how changing the use of land would affect carbon sequestration or storage. They are also able to see the financial benefits of these land-use change options, the functionality of which  could be enhanced over time as more financial information is gleaned. The prototype produces a ‘rural carbon-performance certificate’ report, showing the potential effect of changing land use on carbon and other ecosystem service indicators.

Shared digital evidence for decision making is a crucial part of finding ‘common ground’ for multi-functional and sustainable land-use decision making. It been an absolute pleasure working with a passionate, committed team on this nationally relevant work.

Dr Darren Beriro, BGS Principal Geoscientist.

Having a clear, shared evidence base to inform Government policy is critical to making decisions about complex land–use demands. If we hope to achieve the many targets the Government has set out that require land, this shared evidence base will be absolutely crucial. The recommendations to champion markets for these data tools and to encourage academia, civil society and businesses to work together to bring greater clarity and information to these datasets are also welcome and we look forward to seeing how the Government takes these proposals forward.

Georgie Barber, FFCC Countryside and Land Use Lead.

The paves the way for integrating data, science and innovation to address the challenges of holistic, evidence-based decision making for future land use in the UK. BGS remain committed to similar objectives. For more information on this and other aspects of our five-year plan, see the new BGS Strategy for 2023 to 2028, ‘Understanding our Earth’.  

The design sprint report will be published shortly.

About the author

51ÁÔÆæ is working with the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission as part of the Geospatial Commission National Land Data Programme pilot in Devon, to support the design and development of a local land-use framework.

The National Land Data Programme will explore the UK key land-use challenges, such as energy, housing and decarbonisation, and how spatial data and modelling can support better decisions about land use change.

The Geospatial Commission is convening regional pilots, including in Devon, national round tables and expert workshops to bring together stakeholders across local and national government, academia and industry. Land faces increasing demands from a wide range of economic and environmental objectives, including housing, transport, energy, food production, flood protection, water security and decarbonisation. The scale of land-use change required to meet these demands is significant. 

The Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC), supported by the National Land Data Programme, is running two pilot projects to test a broad, inclusive and evidence-led  and see how this approach can be integrated into land-use decision making longer term.

51ÁÔÆæ is supporting the FFCC in Devon with the design and prototyping of a decision support tool, using spatial modelling to help articulate the impacts of different land-use change scenarios amongst local stakeholders.

Devon has a diverse landscape of national parks, coast, farming and rural communities. These areas face competing land-use pressures and are subject to complex land-use governance arrangements. Having access to quality data and evidence will support a more joined-up approach to decision making for land use.

Creating a shared digital evidence base, underpinned by accessible data, is a key part of optimising trade-offs when deciding where land use should change.

Dr Darren Beriro, BGS Geoscientist.

It is hoped that, by improving how spatial data can be made accessible and visualised, local decision makers in Devon can more confidently appraise their land use choices. 

Find out more information about the .