Social aspects of river restoration: or some experiences from my PhD as an interpretive researcher Emma Westling

Background PhD – social aspects of river restoration Public values and perceptions of restored rivers in the north of England Consideration of social objectives in river restoration processes seeking to deliver multiple benefits “a vibrant water environment for wildlife and people […] by aiming to achieve environmental, social and economic benefits concurrently” (EA, 2006) “ recognising the benefits of water to people, both now and in the future, to use and enjoy” (Defra, 2002) After Before The River Restoration Centre (year unknown)

River restoration practice Expert-led exercise Clear boundaries of roles and responsibilities Social objectives rarely considered Passive rather than active public engagement Missed opportunities to understand relationships between environmental improvements and public values

A willingness to be involved “It is always nice to be asked what you think it would be like or have you got any ideas to put forward. Just to be told what’s happening would be good rather than just see a load of bulldozers arrive and start ripping the flood banks apart and not knowing what’s happening.” I'm even sure that local people would get involved in caring for the river. I think sometimes it's about giving it (the river) back to the people isn’t it?” “I should imagine a lot of people would be interested in what’s happening down in the river because a lot of people in the village use the river.”

Unpacking values and aspirations Public engagement – key to river restoration success and multifunctional riverine environments Complex web of factors underpinning perceptions and values of the river New ways needed to capture these values and to use the understanding in river restoration design Interpretive approaches in river restoration planning and implementation

Interpretive research impacting upon river restoration processes Allow for an open dialogue where opinions can be expressed Critical evaluation of the expert-led scientific processes Unpack discourses underpinning public and ‘expert’ values and aspirations about the riverine environment Allow for roles and responsibilities to be shifted

Impacts so far Research community Research colleagues -Interpretive research in an engineering and ecology context Publications - Publishing interpretive research in environmental journals Practice Involved in EA/Arup habitat enhancement scheme - Briefing on community values and opinions Community interviews - Discuss roles and responsibilities of river management

Opportunities and barriers: interpretive approaches in river restoration Ideal river restoration scheme Recognise the value of interpretive perspectives alongside positivist Allow for an open dialogue where a range of perceptions and aspirations were emphasised Encourage active public engagement throughout and beyond the restoration process Allow for shift of roles and responsibilities and being open for different types of knowledge - Facilitate dialogue - Evaluate process and encourage learning Role of interpretive researcher:... or really the role of policy makers and practitioners

Opportunities and barriers: interpretive approaches in river restoration Lack of interest and capability amongst practitioners Maintaining traditional power structures BUT need to recognise that aspirations of multifunctional landscapes are not likely to be met with current approaches Barriers to overcome (some examples...) Thank you!