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 is the global impact of Wales’s transport on natural resources within and outside Wales?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
To improve the assessment of Wales’s ecological and carbon footprint
Keywords (discipline, other): Regenerative economy
Stocks of natural resources
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 is the greenhouse gas balance of transition mire and quaking bog? How does its carbon sequestration compare to methane emissions?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
There is good evidence of the important greenhouse gas functions including storage, sequestration and emissions of acid raised bog and blanket mire and some understanding of basic fen, but little or no evidence of the role of transtion mire nor poor-fen in greenhouse gas flux. Studies are urgently required to fill this void in understanding and to consider the greenhouse gas policy implications alongside biodiversity values.
Keywords (discipline, other): Mountains, moorland, and heath
Land use and soil
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 is the Gross Value Added (GVA) contribution from the woodland sector that includes woodland-based recreation and other woodland-dependent businesses?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Undestanding the wider contribution (GVA) of the woodland sector would support more accurate assessment of the value of cultural ecosystem services and well-being benefits, and inform policy and management options.
Keywords (discipline, other): Woodland
Land use and soil
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 is the impact of applying biowaste to land on soil health in Wales?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Obtain wider understanding of assessing further positive and negative impacts on soil health from application of biowastes to land. Biowaste is increasingly diverted from disposal for recovery for example food waste, we need to be able to assess whether Wales has the land for absorbing the recovery outputs, for example compost or digestate, beneficially to enrich soils as opposed to over application and any other unintended consequences/impacts to the Natural Environment. We also need to assess that the waste is suitable to be applied to land in the first instance, for example to assess the level of compliance with Quality Protocols and others.
Keywords (discipline, other): Waste
Urban
Land use and soil
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 is the impact of changes in local government spending on the quality of management and use of urban green space in Wales?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Most publicly accessible green space is managed by local authorities and declines in funding for managing green space have been directly linked to declines in management standards, ultimately leading to green space becoming “no go zones” functionally inaccessible to people. Black and minority ethnic groups are particularly reliant on public urban green space, so a decline in the management standards could have a disproportionate effect on these groups.
Keywords (discipline, other): Urban
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 is the impact of changes in temperature and rainfall to coastal margins habitats in Wales and how will this affect their resilience under future climate change scenarios?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Evaluate extent of pressure and identify areas for intervention.
Keywords (discipline, other): Coastal margins
Marine
Land use and soil
Freshwater
Ecosystem resilience
Climate change
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 is the impact of climate change driven changes in hydrological conditions for example sea level rise, near shore wave activity and storms events on Welsh shorelines?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Evaluate extent of pressure and identify areas for intervention.
Keywords (discipline, other): Coastal margins
Marine
Land use and soil
Freshwater
Ecosystem resilience
Climate change
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 is the impact of climate change induced summer flow reductions on private water supplies?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
The extent of private (non-mains) water supply is currently unknown. Climate change may cause the water table and flows to reduce forcing a switch to mains supply.
Keywords (discipline, other): Water efficiency
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 is the impact of climate change induced summer flow reductions on riverine ecosystems?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Current research indicates that average natural summer flows in rivers could drastically reduce by between 50 and 80 % across Wales. However, the potential impacts and the consequences of these changes on our riverine ecosystems and water resources requires further study.
Keywords (discipline, other): Water efficiency
Freshwater
Climate change
Waste
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 is the impact of climate change on soil chemical changes, macro and micro nutrients in Wales?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Evidence gaps remain on the impact of climate change on the chemical properies of soils, emphasis on nutrients.
Keywords (discipline, other): 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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