蘑菇短视频

Community Events

We held Walkie Talkies and events, talking about the fragility of water systems, natural river restoration and horticulture in a changing world and the efforts that are being made in reducing environmental impacts.

• 26 November 2025 - Our guide is Ellen Wiles, a novelist, multidisciplinary artist, and academic. As artist-in-residence at CREWW, the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste at the University of 蘑菇短视频, she is working on a project exploring the wonder and fragility of the water system through sound and storytelling, untangling the web of processes that enable clear liquid to flow from our taps, now and into the future.
• 3 July 2025 - Join Alan Puttock from the University of 蘑菇短视频 for a gentle stroll along the famous River Otter to search for signs of beavers. We’ll enjoy the abundance of wildlife around and hear about Alan’s research on nature-based solutions and landscape restoration. He will chat about natural river restoration and the key role beavers play in helping us preserve biodiversity, improve water quality,  and reduce drought and flooding.
• September 2024 - Join Frances Tophill from Gardeners’ World and three world-leading researchers for a special live event on horticulture in a changing world. From flood mitigation to pollutant capture and urban green rooftops, gardens aren’t just benefiting humans but represent essential spaces and habitats for wildlife and biodiversity.

The was developed as a community interest project to deliver safer sea swimming and water safety to primary schools within the Exmouth Learning Community and has grown and evolved rapidly due to popularity and demand and is now delivered to over 1200 children a year, from 26 Schools (both Primary and Secondary) from across Devon.

The project takes 3 strands of education and pulls them into an unforgettable day-long experience.

• Sea Safety?– Learn how to swim safely in the sea – understanding tides, currents, weather, self-rescue and risks.
• Environmental Education?– Learn how to respect the ocean environment and understand the threats from sewage, pollution, plastics and other human activity and become the change makers of tomorrow (co-developed and delivered by 蘑菇短视频 University).
• Art Workshop?– In this workshop we help children to reflect and build deeper understanding of the ocean through the use of creative art.

Lower Hoopern Valley - Since 2024 we have been carrying out improvements to the Lower Hoopern Valley on the University campus.  

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The works, carried out by the University of 蘑菇短视频, saw a range of biodiversity-focused improvements implemented on the 38-acre site located near the University’s Streatham Campus.? These included plans to improve freshwater habitats thanks to leaky woody dams installed in partnership with the Environment Agency and CREWW (Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste). They hold back water but don't stop it and connect the brook to the flood plain to create wet grassland habitat and help us to improve the quality of water leaving campus.

Throughout the event, attendees explored the valley, met representatives from local charity Devon Wildlife Trust, the Environment Agency and enjoyed a variety of activities.? 
The University is continuing to work with community group Friends of Hoopern Valley to encourage public engagement through ongoing events, ensuring the space remains a valuable asset for both nature and the wider 蘑菇短视频 community.

Research projects

蘑菇短视频 University is a partner of the 6-year project (2021-2027) to help predict and reduce the impact of flooding, we're investigating how rain, river and wastewater move through Eastbourne and south Wealden.

(MPAs) - Our research into marine biodiversity and ocean resource users has successfully helped to create Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Ascension Island, Gabon and the Ivory Coast.

The (ROCC) project aims to build the know-how to enhance the resilience of marine resource-users to environmental, regulatory and socio-cultural change, while simultaneously improving their wellbeing and reducing adverse impacts on the marine environment.?The team has come together from the University of 蘑菇短视频, University of Bristol, and European Centre for Environment and Human Health and Plymouth Marine Laboratory, and is being led by Dr Louisa Evans, University of 蘑菇短视频.

Storying Water is an arts-led research project to explore our water system – what it means to people, how it works, challenges involved in maintaining it, species affected by human uses of it, why its future resilience is threatened, and, in the face of environmental emergency, what is needed to improve and protect it into the future.  Collaborating with scientists, and with other experts, to translate their research, experience and ideas into compelling audio storytelling, and to explore new possibilities for arts-based engagement with science research.

Our work on the award-winning ‘’ project has restored and protected over 100,000 hectares of land across the South West, enabling substantial cost savings and improving water quality and biodiversity. The long-term ongoing programme has been running for over a decade, established through close collaboration with expert delivery partners, including Westcountry Rivers Trust, Devon and Cornwall Wildlife Trusts, South West Peatland Partnership, and the University of 蘑菇短视频. Upstream Thinking approach to keeping our drinking and bathing water clean and affordable by stopping pollutants entering our rivers and streams. Ensuring that our waterways are clean and reducing pollution for shared local wildlife and for people. By working with landowners it means that we all benefit from cleaner water, better water flows throughout the year, and we can create more space for nature on farmland.

Community and landowner engagement is a constant theme. Farm Advisors have developed long-term relationships with farmers, supporting them with tailored advice and access to funding. Broader public engagement through walks, workshops and events has built shared ownership of water and biodiversity challenges across the South West. Wider community engagement is achieved through free public events, educational outreach and communication campaigns that raise awareness of the programme’s benefits and encourage local action and advocacy.

Partnerships

The University of 蘑菇短视频 works in partnership with businesses, NGOs and its local community to help restore and protect our valuable water resources.

We are part of the working together to restore degraded peatland across West Penwith, Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor and Exmoor. Restoring this damaged peatland through rewetting will have .

Peatlands significantly impact aquatic ecosystems,?influencing water quality, biodiversity, and hydrological processes.?Healthy peatlands act as natural filters, improving water quality by absorbing pollutants and releasing clean water.

Restoring peatlands is a huge task and requires the involvement, determination and drive of a wide range of people, businesses and community groups. It’s why SWPP work , bringing together knowledge, experience and skills from across the UK’s South West, collaborating to find the best ways of tackling this challenge and leaving a lasting positive impact. Working in partnership alongside government agencies, landowners, charities, farmers, commoners and other key stakeholders, The SWPP ensure that everything from local land use to the historic environment, cultural elements and ecology are fully considered and incorporated within restoration plans.

The EU funded project (2024-2028) aims to enhance environmental compliance by integrating citizen science with innovative technologies.

The partnership between Westcountry Rivers Trust and the University of 蘑菇短视频 focuses on one of the eight case studies (each tailored to address the unique environmental challenges of their location across Europe) . Leveraging tools such as GIS mapping from satellite land cover data and Serious Gaming projects to enhance regulatory targeting and compliance guidance. Additionally, a Citizen Science Investigation scheme engaged over 100 volunteers in monitoring water quality.

This project will ensure there is robust evidence base for tackling environmental challenges with direct support for local evidence gathering and community engagement. 

SW Peatland Project

We are part of the working together to restore degraded peatland across West Penwith, Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor and Exmoor. Restoring this damaged peatland through rewetting will have .

Peatlands significantly impact aquatic ecosystems,?influencing water quality, biodiversity, and hydrological processes.?Healthy peatlands act as natural filters, improving water quality by absorbing pollutants and releasing clean water.

Restoring peatlands is a huge task and requires the involvement, determination and drive of a wide range of people, businesses and community groups. It’s why SWPP work , bringing together knowledge, experience and skills from across the UK’s South West, collaborating to find the best ways of tackling this challenge and leaving a lasting positive impact. Working in partnership alongside government agencies, landowners, charities, farmers, commoners and other key stakeholders, The SWPP ensure that everything from local land use to the historic environment, cultural elements and ecology are fully considered and incorporated within restoration plans. 

BlueAdapt Project

The??project has been developed by the University of 蘑菇短视频’s European Centre for Environment and Human Health and is led by the?.

Protecting human health by understanding how climate change can impact pathogens and antimicrobial drug resistant bacteria in coastal waters.

Climate change and environmental pollution could be making waterborne pathogens (such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites) more dangerous in ways that we don’t yet fully understand. To prevent illness and disease, we need to know how people could be exposed to different pathogens in coastal environments.

We are investigating how climate change is enabling pathogens to evolve and multiply, and how people are at risk. Our findings will help to inform the most effective ways for Europe to adapt through policy and innovation. BlueAdapt (2022 – 2026) has been funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and UK Research and Innovation. 

UK King Prawn Project

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The project aims to help position the UK as a global frontrunner in this field and provide innovative diversification opportunities for UK aquaculture and agriculture.

The UK Sustainable King Prawn Project is funded by UK Research and Innovation as part of its Transforming UK Food Systems Strategic Priorities Fund. It is led by the University of 蘑菇短视频 but also has researchers based at Rothamsted Research and the University of Reading and strong links outside academia including 11 industry partnerships with organisations such as Rastech Ltd and other aquaculture producers.

The £2 million project, which is exploring the potential to create a new, sustainable and more environmentally friendly king prawn farming sector using renewable energy technology, was exhibited at the Transforming UK Food Systems annual meeting in York 6-7 January 2025.

The conference was a platform for academics and policymakers to address critical issues in food security, health and environment.  As well as presenting directly to the Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and the Chair of the Food Standards Agency, the team were awarded a special commendation for the clarity of message () about the project’s science, societal relevance, impact and technological innovation.

The King Prawn Demonstrator facility is now open for in person tours. You can ?of our commercial scale demonstrator via the project website. 

CREWW (Centre for Resilience in Environment, Waste and Water)

CREWW has been established?to undertake?research into the challenges facing the water?sector in the UK and overseas. The Centre is a?joint venture between?South West Water?and?the?University of 蘑菇短视频, based on?蘑菇短视频's?Streatham?Campus.

Our aim is to understand how we?can?manage?our?precious natural resources in?ways which are sustainable?and?resilient in the?face?of?climate?change?and population?growth.

Research?focuses on pressing issues facing the water and waste sectors, including:

• How to protect drinking water supplies from pollution
• The safe treatment and disposal of waste water (including issues such as micro-plastics and anti-microbial resistance)
• Ensuring we have enough water to cope with a growing population and climate change
• Predicting and preventing pollution from the waste water network

Microplastics research at University of 蘑菇短视频 is world-leading, to grow this work at pace, we have established a state-of-the-art ‘CREWW Microplastics Lab’, which will underpin and enable further ground-breaking work on microplastics at a scale to meet the needs of the industry.

The Understanding combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharge impacts –CREWW is working with SWW on CSO spills (chemical and microbial) pilot studies in three major catchments (Exe, Tamar and Torbay) to study CSO spills, frequency and volumes and their potential impact on receiving waters and whether or not they present a significant risk to environmental and/or human health.  

NEPC Public Health Report

蘑菇短视频 expert, Professor David Butler, , called?Testing the waters: Priorities for mitigating health risks from wastewater pollution, which was published recently.

, the first of its kind to assess how potential health risks from polluted open waters can be mitigated, calls for the?national wastewater infrastructure to be upgraded to protect public health.

The recommendations include engineering interventions to prioritise wastewater asset management, enhanced public health monitoring and updated bathing water regulations.