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.