This paper shares reflections on work in progress within RCUK Project DRY (Drought Risk and You) - an innovative interdisciplinary project which aims to develop an easy-to-use, evidence-based resource (or ‘utility’) for decision-making in UK drought risk management. To achieve this, the team are bringing together information from drought risk and ecology and scenario-modelling to forecast drought impacts, with stakeholder engagement and narrative storytelling. While other drought impact studies have focused on mathematical modelling of drought risk or the assessment of the impacts of droughts using qualitative or quantitative methodologies, this project is very different. Our project integrates arts, humanities and social science research methods, with hydrological, meteorological, agricultural and ecological science knowledge, through multi-partner interdisciplinary collaboration. Seven case study river catchments in England, Wales and Scotland have been selected to reflect the hydrological, socio-economic and cultural contrasts in the UK. Study of drought impacts is taking place at different scales - from small plot experiments to local catchment scale. The project spans diverse sectors including water supply, health and wellbeing, business, agriculture/horticulture, built environment, and ecosystem services. Through storytelling approaches, different stakeholders in water management are exchanging their local knowledge and information about drought risk and its impacts on their activities, while scientists in turn are exchanging cutting-edge science with these stakeholders.
The project is investigating: different stakeholder perceptions of when drought occurs and action is needed; how the amount of rainfall, water levels and temperature affect drought perception; the impact of policy decisions on drought management; water users' behaviours that lead to adverse drought impacts on people and ecosystems; and water-use conflicts, synergies and trade-offs, drawing on previous drought experiences and community knowledge. These data will feedback into the drought modelling and future scenario building to help ascertain present and future water resources availability across N-S and W-E climatic gradients, with a view to exploring a variety of policy options.
This paper will explore challenges and opportunities in developing a science-narrative approach, within a systems framework, to explore engagement with drought risk and the impacts of drought, water scarcity and heatwaves with diverse stakeholders. It will critique how a science-narrative approach might be used to encourage new processes of working (knowledge integration) and resources (capturing lesser heard voices) to underpin multi-stakeholder decision-making around drought risk.
Methodological progress in risk research , Risk analysis and assessment of natural and technological hazards
