vision & objectives

HYDRA has a vision for hydrosciences and objectives to meet this vision.

vision

The water environment faces unprecedented pressures. There is:

• Increasing demand for water resources, yet a recognition that groundwater abstractions are at or beyond their sustainable limits
• The threat of increasing drought frequency due to climate change
• Increased flood risk is expected though the specific effects are uncertain
• Land use and land management change which is affecting runoff processes and pollutant transport to water, creating unprecedented stress for aquatic plants and animals in many UK waters

Domestic and European policies recognise that a holistic approach to the integrated management of land and water is needed to develop appropriate strategies for the management of these problems.

The HYDRA vision is to draw together the necessary skills and facilities to undertake the integrated science necessary to provide the best in evidence-based policy for UK environmental management, to do this in an integrative and inclusive environment involving both scientists and policymakers and thereby meet our objectives.

objectives

The objectives for HYDRA are to

• Undertake strategic research through collaboration between member organisations, policy makers and industry
• Develop collaborative relationships with leading research centres in allied environmental, social and economic research areas to better integrate the science
• Deliver better integrated multi-disciplinary science addressing those questions of major societal impact
• Disseminate focussed advice to policy makers and industry
• Develop exchange of knowledge partnerships with policy makers, environmental managers and industry to facilitate better exchange of knowledge between differing interest group
• Make our science accessible and useful