Developing Your Dissertation Ideas
If you are seeking to deliver an impactful dissertation topic, with direct relevance to environmental policy makers or, simply looking for inspiration for your final year project, you can search for ideas below.
You can search the research questions that have been directly submitted to us, or browse other collections of research ideas from partner organisation such as Natural Resources Wales and Climate Cymru.
If you do find a question of relevance and decide to address it through your dissertation, we would really like to know about it. Please fill out the form that can be found here.
[Enter keyword and press ‘search’ or the return key]
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What are the barriers to improving the existing invasive non-native species records data and how can we overcome these?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
This evidence will help to gain a more accurate indication of the affect that invasive non-native species of Interest (priority) to Wales are having on ecosystems and ecosystem services
Keywords (discipline, other): Invasive non-native species
Ecosystem resilience
Biodiversity
Website/URL links: https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/state-of-natural-resources-report-sonarr-for-wales-2020/evidence-needs-table/?lang=en
Looking for collaborators: n/a External Partner: Y Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: n/a n/a Email Address: Phone: NA
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What are the barriers to increasing energy efficiency in Wales? How can these be addressed?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Current progress on the energy efficiency does not reflect this. Policies, programmes and plans need to prioritised for greater focus on energy efficiency. Most of data is very much focused on building and housing and more so for social housing and/or certain georaphical area.
Keywords (discipline, other): Energy
Waste
Water efficiency
Climate change
Website/URL links: https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/state-of-natural-resources-report-sonarr-for-wales-2020/evidence-needs-table/?lang=en
Looking for collaborators: n/a External Partner: Y Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: n/a n/a Email Address: Phone: NA
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What are the barriers to peatland restoration for landowners? How can these be addressed?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Welsh Government policy is to restore appropriate management on all Welsh peatlands. This may require hydrological rewetting, nutrient reduction and biomass harvesting grazing or mowing or other interventions which may be challenging, especially where peatlands are divided between multiple landholdings or land managers are unfamiliar with the techniques.
Keywords (discipline, other): Mountains, moorland, and heath
Land use and soil
Enclosed farmland
Website/URL links: https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/state-of-natural-resources-report-sonarr-for-wales-2020/evidence-needs-table/?lang=en
Looking for collaborators: External Partner: Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: Email Address: Phone: NA
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What are the barriers to reducing energy consumption in Wales? How can these be addressed. What and where are the opportunities or interventions that could help reduce energy consumption/demand in Wales.
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
The evidence for this is limited and patchy.
We would like to know the options to address barriers or reduce the barriers. Effectiveness of interventions used to reduce energy demand and consumption. Behavioural insights into promoting energy reduction and energy efficiency in behaviours.
Keywords (discipline, other): Energy
Waste
Water efficiency
Climate change
Website/URL links: https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/state-of-natural-resources-report-sonarr-for-wales-2020/evidence-needs-table/?lang=en
Looking for collaborators: n/a External Partner: Y Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: n/a n/a Email Address: Phone: NA
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What are the barriers to the uptake of regulatory measured put in place to provide minimum standards of environmental conditions?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
An exploration of the benefits of raising the regulatory floor could be an important part of any post-EU exit review of these regulations. Most sectors also have long-standing voluntary guidance and standards for good practice. These could contribute to building resilience
Keywords (discipline, other): Ecosystem Resilience
Website/URL links: https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/state-of-natural-resources-report-sonarr-for-wales-2020/evidence-needs-table/?lang=en
Looking for collaborators: n/a External Partner: Y Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: n/a n/a Email Address: Phone: NA
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What are the benefits and impacts on ecosystem services of using maize crops grown for biomass to feed anaerobic digesters for sustainable energy production?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Maize crops have both negative and positive impacts on ecosystem services. The crop provides biomass for anaerobic digesters but potentially creates soil erosion and water quality issues. Should we promote this land use? Do the benefits outweigh the disbenefits?
Keywords (discipline, other): Enclosed farmland
Land use and soil
Climate change
Website/URL links: https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/state-of-natural-resources-report-sonarr-for-wales-2020/evidence-needs-table/?lang=en
Looking for collaborators: n/a External Partner: Y Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: n/a n/a Email Address: Phone: NA
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What are the best Collision Risk Models and parameters to assess impacts on marine mammals?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Existing collision risk models and encounter rate models and their input parameters used in our advice should be reviewed to ensure the best available evidence/techniques are being used, and are applicable to Wales. Other collision risk models have been/are being developed, especially to accommodate different/unusual tidal turbine designs, and a review (with recommendations) of available models/techniques would be valuable.
Next steps and progress: Likely to be contracted out.
Keywords (discipline, other): Marine science, Collision Risk Models, impacts on marine mammals, encounter rate models, input parameters, tidal turbine design
Website/URL links: https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/marine-biodiversity-collaborative-research-priorities/?lang=en
Looking for collaborators: Yes External Partner: Yes Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: Kirsten Ramsay Email Address: kirsten.ramsay@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk Phone: NA
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What are the causes of the decline in Milford Haven maerl bed?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
To inform our understanding of and advice on building resilient marine ecosystems. Monitoring has shown a decline in the health of the maerl bed in Milford Haven. Work is needed to identify the cause or causes of this decline.
Keywords (discipline, other): Marine
Freshwater
Coastal margins
Biodiversity
Ecosystem resilience
Climate change
Website/URL links: https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/state-of-natural-resources-report-sonarr-for-wales-2020/evidence-needs-table/?lang=en
Looking for collaborators: n/a External Partner: Y Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: n/a n/a Email Address: Phone: NA
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What are the costs and benefits of carrying out mitigation and enhancement to hydro-morphological processes where these have been modified in the past?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Aid identification of areas of focus.
Keywords (discipline, other): Coastal margins
Marine
Ecosystem resilience
Biodiversity
Climate change
Website/URL links: https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/state-of-natural-resources-report-sonarr-for-wales-2020/evidence-needs-table/?lang=en
Looking for collaborators: n/a External Partner: Y Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: n/a n/a Email Address: Phone: NA
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What are the critical inshore and coastal migration routes and marine habitats used by diadromous fish in Wales?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Based on recommendations in NRW Evidence reports; ‘Feasibility Study of Methods to Collect Data on the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Diadromous Fish in Welsh Waters’ and ‘Acoustic tracking in Wales – designing a programme to evaluate Marine Renewable Energy impacts on Diadromous fish’. The project would hydroacoustically tag and track diadromous fish from a selection of Welsh rivers, to collect data on their distribution, particularly in marine energy resource areas. The evidence would be used to inform modelling tools to establish risk to salmon, sea trout, eel and shad populations from tidal range and tidal stream developments in Wales.
Next steps and progress: Strategic evidence which needs large scale funding. However, some progress is being made notably for shad in the Bristol Channel through working with research partners. Large gaps remain for other species and regions of Wales
Keywords (discipline, other): Marine science, inshore and coastal migration routes, marine habitats, diadromous fish, acoustic tracking, marine renewable energy, rivers, data, distribution, risk to salmon, sea trout, eel, shad, tidal range
Website/URL links: https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/marine-biodiversity-collaborative-research-priorities/?lang=en
Looking for collaborators: Yes External Partner: Yes Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: Dr Kirsten Ramsay Email Address: kirsten.ramsay@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk Phone: NA
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