Annual Report Accounts 2023

Research excellence

In 2023, we commissioned Elsevier to review and benchmark our research outputs from 2013 to 2022. The report concludes that UKCEH stands out as a leading organisation in terms of research culture indicators, demonstrating a strong commitment to interdisciplinary research, openness, and academic mentorship. Highlights included:

• Between 2013 and 2022, UKCEH published over 4,300 publications, including articles, reviews, and conference proceedings. Our publication rate grew consistently, at an annual rate of one per cent over this period. Our research has global reach, significance, and influence, with 67 per cent of our outputs involving international collaboration. The FWCI (field weighted citation index) for these outputs is more than double the global average.
• Our research has been extensively cited by policy organisations, including the UK Government, European Commission, IPCC, and UNEP, among others, occurring at five times the global average FWCI. This underscores the global impact of our research.
• More than 80 per cent of UKCEH outputs are open access, with nearly half being Gold Open Access, demonstrating our commitment to making our research available to others.
• Our outputs show that a quarter of UKCEH researchers significantly contribute to mentoring the next generation of scientists, surpassing the global average.

National capability for UK environmental challenges

UKCEH is a strategic delivery partner for UKRI-NERC and a close partner of UK and devolved governments. In 2023, through our national capability programmes, we continued to support the research community across the four nations. Our work pushed the frontiers of environmental science, informed policy and business decisions, supported rapid responses to crises, and met national needs. For example:

• The SPEED project advanced scenario development, enabling researchers to explore UK futures up to 2100 using a common set of climate, environment, and societal scenarios. These scenarios provide insights into how climate will affect society and how society might respond. UKCEH scientists collaborated widely to maximise usability, and by the end of 2023, other organisations had leveraged over £1.5 million in funding based on SPEED projections.
• For nearly 50 years, the UKCEH Countryside Survey has been invaluable in understanding how our landscape is changing. The survey continues to adapt to technological developments and evolving stakeholder needs. Between 2018 and 2023, it was cited in 368 articles, informed 22 policy engagements, and was used by other organisations to leverage £29.5 million in funding.
• UKCEH is the only organisation in the world producing annually updated, detailed national land cover maps, enabled by satellite image processing tools and automatic classifier training. These maps are used by environmental charities such as WWF, RSPB, and the Woodland Trust, as well as consultancies and government departments. By the end of 2023, the maps had also been cited in 74 articles.

These are just a few of the examples of the work we have delivered through our national capability funding.

Essential science for global challenges

We lead efforts to tackle global challenges through our work with United Nations agencies and programmes, including IPBES, UNEP, UNESCO and the WMO. In 2023, we continued to provide scientific evidence and tools to underpin effective responses to global challenges. Examples of our collaborative work included:

• A comprehensive assessment by over 200 researchers warned that the Earth is fast approaching global tipping points, such as major ice sheet collapses and widespread coral reef mortality. These could trigger catastrophic impacts, including mass displacement, political instability, and financial collapse. UKCEH freshwater scientists Professor Bryan Spears and Dr Amy Pickard contributed to the report, focusing on sudden large-scale changes in lakes.
• A new study published in 2023 suggests that nearly all major floods in Europe could be predicted by studying similar events elsewhere on the continent. Megafloods, like those on Germany’s Rhine tributaries in 2021, are extreme events that cause significant damage and deaths. A team of European scientists, including UKCEH experts, analysed river discharges from 8,000 stations across Europe between the years 1810-2021. They found that 95.5 per cent of megafloods could have been foreseen based on past events in similar climates.
• New guidelines for the management of Europe’s railway network to protect and enhance biodiversity were published. UKCEH worked with the International Union of Railways (UIC) to provide technical recommendations and key design features for enhancing habitats within the existing European rail network and new line upgrades. The UIC European region comprises 118 member companies from 39 countries, amounting to 350,000 kilometres of rail network.

Landmark report leads to action on invasive species

Invasive alien species (IAS) pose a significant threat to human health, nature, economies and food security. The global annual cost of IAS to economies has quadrupled every decade since the 1970s, rising to at least $429bn (US dollars) by 2019.

Responding to this challenge, IPBES (The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), asked Professor Helen Roy of UKCEH to co-chair a major report. The report set out the best available evidence and policy options to deal with the challenges posed by biological invasions.

The assessment, published during the IPBES-10 Plenary in Bonn in September, brings together the work of 86 experts from 49 countries. It constitutes the most comprehensive evaluation to date of the impacts of IAS and makes recommendations to strengthen the global response.

The report sparked media coverage around the world, generating public debate, and leading to governmental and inter-governmental action.

Notably, Australia pledged $2.2m (Australian dollars) to combat invasive buffel grass, acknowledging the report’s insights into the threat it posed. At a G7 workshop in Japan, ministers committed to enhanced international cooperation based on the report’s findings, recognising the urgency of controlling IAS.

Rapid report on the environmental impact of the Kakhovka Dam collapse supports recovery

The breach of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine wreaked havoc along the Dnipro River, causing widespread flooding and ecological damage. In response, the UK government commissioned UKCEH and HR Wallingford to carry out a rapid remote assessment of the environmental impact.

With the area in southern Ukraine in a war zone, the contributors used cutting-edge technologies to carry out the first independent assessment of the impacts within weeks of the dam being breached in June. They combined hydrological and digital modelling with satellite imagery and analysis of the region’s ecology. This enabled them to identify protected habitats and species likely to be impacted by the breach, and set a precedent for early assessment in future conflicts.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) used the findings to inform its own evaluation of the disaster. UKCEH scientists contributed their expertise in flood estimations, land use modelling, and environmental hazard assessments to UNEP’s work.

The report also played a valuable role in guiding humanitarian response efforts. Information on flooding patterns and pollution risks enabled the Centre for Disease Control to coordinate aid distribution.

Scientists provide recipe to halve pollution from food production

A new report for the United Nations, published in December, proposes strategies to cut nitrogen pollution from agriculture and food systems in Europe by half. Suggested measures include reducing meat and dairy consumption, optimising fertilizer use, and minimising food waste.

The report, titled Appetite for Change, and coordinated by UKCEH for the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, provides comprehensive insights and recommendations for addressing nitrogen pollution in Europe’s food systems.

It highlights inefficiencies in the agri-food system, where only 18 per cent of nitrogen input ends up in food and other products for consumers. The rest escapes into the environment, contributing to air and water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Aligning with UN goals, the report examined how to achieve a target to halve nitrogen waste by 2030. Scientific analysis of various scenarios found that this target was achieved with highest net societal benefit by combining a halving of meat and dairy consumption (‘demitarian approach’), along with improved agricultural, wastewater and other practices.

Study reveals 30-year recovery of river invertebrate biodiversity in England

A comprehensive study led by UKCEH reveals a resurgence in river invertebrate biodiversity across England since 1989. The study, involving one of the largest and most wide-ranging analyses of longterm monitoring data in the world, shows significant improvements in invertebrate biodiversity across all English regions and river types.

While English rivers face considerable pressures from wastewater contamination and other pollution sources, the findings suggest a surprising uptick in invertebrate biodiversity. This contrasts with the declining trend in overall species abundance across Great Britain.

Published in the Science of the Total Environment, the analysis contributes to mounting evidence of freshwater invertebrate recovery, not only in England but also across Europe since the 1990s.

Researchers examined data from over 223,300 freshwater records collected by the Environment Agency between 1989 and 2018. They assessed the presence and abundance of key invertebrate families like dragonflies, snails, mayflies, shrimp and worms, which are sensitive to water quality changes.

Results showed the average number of invertebrate families per site increasing from 15 to 25 over the study period. However, the rate began to slow for some groups from 2003 onwards.

This improvement was seen across various river types and geographic regions, suggesting a potential link to declines in key chemical pollutants. Notably, families particularly sensitive to river pollution, such as mayflies and stoneflies, recovered strongly, with their diversity soaring by 300 per cent on average.

While there is much room for improvement in river water quality, England’s rivers now provide better habitats for invertebrates than they did 30 years ago.

Trials explore whether rock dust can combat climate crisis

UKCEH scientists are trialling an innovative approach to mitigating climate change and boosting crop yield in mid-Wales. Adding crushed rock dust to farmland has the potential to remove and lock up substantial amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

In the first trial of enhanced rock weathering on upland grasslands in the world, our scientists applied 56 tonnes of finely ground basalt rock from quarries to three hectares of farmland in Plynlimon, Powys, in 2023. They will repeat this in 2024.

The basalt rock dust particles, smaller than 2mm, absorb and store carbon much faster than natural rock weathering at the sites, reducing the timescale from decades to just months.

Similar trials are also being carried out at lowland grassland in North Wyke, Devon, and arable cropland in Harpenden, field sites owned by Rothamsted Research, as part of a wider study funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

While studies from around the world suggest enhanced rock weathering could be highly effective in removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, there have been no large-scale trials in the UK for our specific land use and soil systems.

Enhanced rock weathering offers several potential benefits. Rock dust could help meet net zero targets, and resulting changes in soil chemistry could boost crop and grass production.

Importantly, the project assesses emissions from supplying and transporting rock dust from quarries. It also seeks to identify potential unintended environmental impacts such as changes in freshwater biodiversity.

Major review of knowledge about droughts supports water resource management

Predicting and managing droughts and their impacts is vital to protect the environment, safeguard lives, livelihoods and vital infrastructures.

To address this challenge, 20 scientists from UKCEH contributed to the Environment Agency’s largest ever review of drought research in England.

The report, published in November, drew on the expertise of 40 academics from 13 institutions. It summarises scientific knowledge about droughts and their impacts on both people and the environment, considering how droughts may alter due to climate change, and the implications for how we manage water resources.

UKCEH scientists led sections on historical river flow trends, future drought projections, and impacts on water quality, vegetation, and soil health.

Using up-to-date climate projections, their analysis suggests a significant increase in drought severity across the UK by 2080, with consequences for river flows and groundwater levels.

The report also identifies areas for future research. Looking forward, the proposed national Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure (FDRI) programme, to be led by UKCEH, will produce extensive new measurements across several catchments, adding to our understanding.