Around 3000 years ago communities in Scotland & Ireland started building islands called 'crannogs' in lakes & mires, a practise that in places continued into the Medieval Period. Why & how did these sites fit into the emerging Celtic landscapes we still see today? Crannogs show a distinctly westerly distribution being absent in England, with one in Wales, but common in Scotland (400) & Ireland (1500). Being under water these sites can have remarkable preservation of perishable artifacts, but because they are rarely in the path of development few have been excavated, however, many are under threat from erosion, pollution & natural decay. The recent discovery of a crannog with near-perfect preservation of artefacts due to road construction at Enniskillen (Drumclay) & another superbly preserved wetland village in Dumfreis & Galloway (Black Loch of Murton) offer rare glimpses of their archaeological potential & provides a unique opportunity for this project. Although crannogs can be found from the Scottish Islands to the SW of Ireland the central point in the distribution is the North Channel of the Irish Sea, separating Dumfreis & Galloway from Antrim & Down. There are many cultural links between these regions particularly in the Iron Age & early Medieval Periods. Was Medieval Christian and/or noble connection founded upon earlier Iron Age cultural links & is this reflected in vernacular traditions including crannog construction? In order to answer these questions & explore the common lake-settlement heritage we need to know more about the chronology, longevity, intensity of use & environmental context of these enigmatic sites. The fact that in both areas their construction spanned over two millennia suggests there is no single stimuli for construction, however, indications of parallel chronologies may have implications for cultural, political, symbolic & environmental stimuli. This project takes to a new level previous research by the applicants which developed a new methodology for 'remote sensing' crannog construction & inhabitation through the analysis of lake sediment cores. This involved a multi-proxy approach utilising pollen, diatoms & insects which relied on the inevitable disturbance to the biology of small lakes caused by crannog construction/use. This project will go far further by applying these techniques alongside a new generation of bioarchaeological methods, particularly geochemistry, lipid biomarkers & DNA metabarcoding in conjunction with archaeological excavation, landscape survey & community involvement. A major limitation of previous work was that none of the crannogs remote sensed were excavated. One of the most variable aspects of crannog archaeology is longevity of use. Recent excavation at Cults Loch (SW Scotland) suggests it may have been in use for no more than half a century with construction in pulses. Whereas indications from Drumclay suggests it may have been occupied for several centuries. An allied question is the intensity of use - were they dwellings & if so used seasonally, episodically or permanently? It is clear that longevity & intensity are key variables but since only a few crannogs will ever be excavated we need additional estimates from unexcavated crannogs. Site ages will be established using 14C AMS dating from lake cores, volcanic ash & tree-ring counts. Improvements in crannog dating each side of the Irish Sea will have important implications for understanding the stimuli for crannog construction since correlation may relate to common environmental conditions, especially under the unstable climatic conditions of the later prehistory & the sixth century AD. Although primarily a survey & environmental project, material culture will be compared as part of the survey element & partnership with excavations. Material culture from structures to portable artefacts are invaluable for understanding the cultural context of crannog use from agricultural implements to religious items.

For centuries the north coast of Ireland and Western Scotland were intrinsically linked by a common set of cultural traditions, language and political structures. This was a maritime province connected by short and easily navigable sea routes that had its high-water mark with the fifteenth-century Century Lordship of the Isles. The shifting political landscape and other socio-economic changes have meant that the shared identities and connections between these communities have all but vanished, and the Scottish Island communities that were once at the centre of this kingdom now experience geographical and social peripherality and the many problems this brings. With the onset of the Troubles Northern Ireland became increasingly isolated as the extended period of conflict closed the country and paralysed economic growth. As Ulster stutters out of conflict sections of the community are looking increasingly to the past to reaffirm and reposition themselves in contemporary society. Large sections of the unionist tradition look towards Scotland to define their identities and histories in an emerging Ulster Scots tradition. The nationalist community remains firmly embedded in a Gaelic Irish tradition that looks southwards for its cultural identities. Simultaneously, a new sense of nationhood is being developed in Scotland as politicians embrace a selective view of the past that sidelines the role the peoples of the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and others. Yet increasingly, archaeology is demonstrating the depth of connections between these communities and recent excavations of the seventeenth-century town at Dunluce Castle, for example, have confirmed vividly that the shared heritage of this region extended well into the early modern period through a linked economy, familial connections and cultural traditions. We propose a project to develop a researcher network across Ulster and Western Scotland (University of Ulster, Queen's University Belfast, Glasgow University, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Historic Scotland and the Kilmartin House Trust and co-produce this historic resource working with three communities in the project area (Colonsay Heritage Trust and Kilchattan Primary School, Colonsay Bushmills Heritage Group, Ballintoy Community Group and Millstrand Integrated Primary School in Antrim and Tavvallich Village Commnity Group and Tayvallich Primary School in Mid Argyll. This will build an awareness of a shared past and challenge and question contemporary versions of identity and place. It will play a part in economic regeneration and enhanced community well-being by contributing to current proposals to develop a heritage centre on Colonsay. We will build on established institutional and community links to create a researcher-community partnership between HE institutions, community groups, schools and heritage organisations within the region. We will bring together existing archaeological research and resources within the project area and findings from an initial programme of archaeological survey and investigation to deliver three open days in May/June 2011 (one each in Colonsay, Kilmartin museum and Kinbane, Antrim), a social networking programme for three schools (one each from Colonsay, Mid Argyll and Antrim) and a web site and online blog to support community-researcher interaction, hosted by the University of Ulster. This will stimulate researcher-community dialogue, support future community-led applications for HLF funding and potential applications for co-produced heritage research projects. A round of follow up meetings and workshops with community and research partners in September/October 2012 will further support this process. The project will culminate in the design and production of a poster, artefact and digital exhibit, displayed in each project area before being permanently housed initially at the village hall on Colonsay to directly support the Colonsay Heritage Trust.

Environmental change is happening on a global scale. Freshwater ecosystems represent some of the most endangered habitats in the world, with declines in diversity (83% in the period 1970-2014) far exceeding that of terrestrial counterparts. One of the primary causes of reduced riverine ecosystem health is a loss of habitat associated with excessive fine sediment deposition (typically referred to as particles <2mm). Fine sediment is a natural part of river systems, however alterations to land use (e.g. intensive farming) and channelization / impoundment (via dams and reservoirs) have altered the quantity of fine sediment such that inputs now far exceed historic levels. Additionally, increasing hydrological extremes associated with climatic change, such as intense rainfall events, are likely to further increase the delivery of fine sediment to river channels. Fine sediment deposition alters and degrades instream habitats making rivers unsuitable for flora and fauna to live in. Such changes lead to reductions in the biodiversity of riverine ecosystems and affects all components of the food web from fish and insects through to algae. Understanding the ecological implications of fine sediment is therefore imperative to be able to manage our rivers so that they can support and sustain healthy ecosystem functioning and support anthropogenic activities (e.g., fisheries, recreational activities). This is however challenging because a number of environmental factors control the consequences of fine sediment for flora and fauna. The proposed Fellowship aims to understand and quantify which environmental factors (e.g. land use, size of fine sediment and of the gravels within the river, time of year) influence the severity of fine sediment deposition for river communities. Specific objectives are to (i) quantify the trends between fine sediment loading and ecological responses in the UK and internationally; (ii) determine if there is a threshold of fine sediment loading before ecological degradation occurs and how this varies within individual rivers, (iii) develop understanding of how environmental controls (e.g. grain size, hydrological exchange) structure the effects of fine sediment and; (iv) outline a future research agenda to tackle the management of fine sediment in rivers. In achieving these objectives, my Fellowship will provide a framework to determine which rivers types (e.g. highland or lowland, geology) are most at threat from fine sediment pressures internationally. The Fellowship will focus on macroinvertebrates (river invertebrates such as snails, insects and crustaceans) as a target organisms being abundant, diverse and occurring across the globe. The Fellowship represents a novel and exciting research programme with international reach and applicability that combines global datasets with multi-country field and artificial stream channel experiments (alpine and lowland) and laboratory experiments over different spatial scales to develop and validate theories spanning different environmental settings. The fellowship will lead to an exciting step-change in our understanding and will address unique fundamental research questions whilst working synergistically with UK statutory regulatory agencies and end-users such as the Environment Agency of England, Natural Resources Wales and Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. The research generated will have important ramifications for how stakeholders allocate resources to monitor and manage UK riverine ecosystems and will enable more efficient and targeted conservation and restoration plans.

It is estimated that environmental mitigation costs are in the region of $1 trillion per year of which ~$120 billion is provided largely by government and charitable foundations. Private investment is relatively small, providing a large untapped funding source that needs to be mobilised to help cover the massive shortfall. There are many impediments to private sector investment, including lack of appropriate and marketable financial instruments that can provide a satisfactory level of assurance regarding the outcome of environmental projects. The problem is exacerbated, in terms of biodiversity, due to the lack of financial value attributed to biodiversity and biodiversity assets. Current financial instruments that support the environment comprise mainly of green bonds. While the green bond market is expanding, these assets are not environmental performance related instead representing a commitment to simply fund more "straight forward" sustainable projects such as tree planting and renewable energy. As a result they have been linked to "green washing". FRIBO will identify with stakeholder partners (from the finance, land-use, wildlife, ecosystem service civil society and policy sectors) the opportunities and impediments to developing more fit-for-purpose performance related financial instruments that would be attractive to private investors while incentivising the delivery of real nature-based solutions (NBSs), with a focus on improved and measurable biodiversity outcomes. Examples of candidate instruments are Environmental Impact Bonds (EIBs); they link financial return to the success of the intervention by repaying the initial loan and interest using the financially valuable and marketable benefits of the project, such as carbon offsets, or cost reducing outcomes such as reduced flood damage, to pay off the full project costs. They are termed as "pay for performance" instruments. Sustainability Linked Bonds (SLBs) work in a similar way, but depend on meeting broader pre-defined sustainability goals such as reduction in GHG emissions to avoid penalty payments. FRIBO will analyse the linkages and drivers within the Finance-Biodiversity Nexus to assess opportunities and impediments to progress. Extensive stakeholder interaction, face to face, virtual and via surveys and questionnaires, will be conducted to identify key areas of research needed and critique optimum strategies for developing and incentivising the instruments. Challenges that will need to be taken into account are: how to measure and financially value biodiversity and biodiversity outcomes and NBSs in a market context (FRIBO will exploit links with existing NERC projects in this area), defining an improved biodiversity outcome; developing suitable biodiversity metrics; the role and function of Environmental Impact Assessments, the role and function of biodiversity in NBSs; the evaluation and quantification of wider societal benefits; identifying how to obtain additional payments for the wider biodiversity benefits that are realised in NBSs; the immaturity of EIBs and NBSs requires that their marketability within the financial sector requires study. Finally, there may be unintended consequences such as divesting/offshoring of environmental damage, non-equivalence of some "offsets" such as the carbon and biodiversity value of new tree plantations to offset deforestation of old growth forests;. Comprising a core group of researchers from Queen's University Belfast and Newcastle University, with a range of national and international partners, FRIBO will produce a Strategic Research Agenda that will identify the research required to address these challenges and accelerate investment in biodiversity related NBSs. In addition, FRIBO will produce an Implementation Roadmap that will outline key activities and timelines that need to be undertaken in order for stakeholders to implement Biodiversity focused "Rewards for performance" investment schemes.

There are around 304 million lakes globally. These provide essential resources for human survival and are an important component of global biogeochemical cycles. Lakes are also fragile systems that are sensitive to multiple pressures including nutrient enrichment, climate change and hydrological modification, making them important 'sentinels' of environmental perturbation. However, traditional monitoring has only produced data from a tiny fraction of the global population of lakes and disentangling the causes of change requires consistently-produced data from a large number of lakes, along with measurements of possible causes of change. Satellite observations (remote sensing) and the establishment of a global lake observatory would produce a step-change in our ability to detect and attribute the causes of changes in lakes world-wide. This is now possible for three reasons: (1) the improved wavebands, spatial resolution and frequency of data collection from satellite sensors is now sufficient to monitor inland waters; (2) formulae to correct for atmospheric properties and to convert the detected reflected light to useful lake properties have been developed; and (3) computing power has increased to the point that allows near real time and archived information from satellites to be processed. GloboLakes will analyse 20 years of data from more than 1000 large lakes across the globe to determine 'what controls the differential sensitivity of lakes to environmental perturbation'. This is an ambitious project that is only possible by bringing together a consortium of scientists with complementary skills. These include expertise in remote sensing of freshwaters and processing large volumes of satellite images, collation and analysis of large-scale environmental data, environmental statistics and the assessment of data uncertainty, freshwater ecology and mechanisms of environmental change and the ability to produce lake models to forecast future lake conditions. The eight objectives of GloboLakes are to: (i) develop remote sensing algorithms to estimate lake biogeochemical and physical parameters; (ii) make these algorithms operational and process satellite data; (iii) compile integrated spatio-temporal information on climatic and catchment data for >1000 lakes; (iv) integrate data and assess uncertainty in data sources; (v) detect spatial and temporal patterns in lake water quality; (vi) attribute the causes of lake response to environmental conditions; (vii) forecast lake sensitivity to environmental change; (viii) apply data to lake management and the monitoring of freshwater resources. The project will focus on the retrieval of surface water temperature as this has a fundamental effect on lake ecology, the concentration of coloured dissolved organic matter and suspended solids that derive largely from the catchment, the abundance of phytoplankton measured as the concentration of the pigment, chlorophyll a, and the abundance of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) that can potentially be toxic. Knowledge of the conditions of lakes and their sensitivity to change is also extremely valuable for the management of lakes and reservoirs and GloboLakes will provide information and products specifically for environmental managers. A satellite due to be launched during the course of the project, called Sentinel 2, will provide even greater spatial resolution allowing data to be collected and exploited from even smaller lakes. This will be investigated by GloboLakes and incorporated into the framework of a global lake observatory.