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 area of crops grown for biomass or biofuel?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
These crops are part of the Climate Change Committee’s recommendations for combating climate change. There is currently no reliable baseline of their extent.
Keywords (discipline, other): Enclosed farmland
Energy
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 is the baseline biodiversity within urban areas of Wales? And what ecosystem services does urban biodiversity provide?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
To understand the ecosystem services provided by urban ecosystems we need to know the baseline levels of biodiversity. Biodiversity in urban ecosystems is often overlooked. Reliable and replicable estimates are needed in place of acedotal information to provide us with the evidence to enhance or maintain biodiversity within our urban ecosystems. Understanding this at all levels of biodiversity (ecosystem, species, genetic) would be desirable.
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 baseline extent of traditional orchards, parkland, hedgerows, veteran trees and arable plant assemblages?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Stocks of natural resources are a basic measure of sustainable management of natural resources. The majority of the habitat extent data is based on partial surveys such as for parkland, traditional orchards, extensive arable, hedgerows, out of date surveys such as for improved and semi-improved grassland or has no baseline extend data at all such as for wood pasture, veteran trees.
Keywords (discipline, other): Enclosed farmland
Woodland
Urban
Biodiversity
Land use and soil
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 is the bathymetry and morphodynamics of Turbot Bank and surrounding areas?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
This project would focus on the Turbot Bank and other large areas of mobile sediment around the approaches to Milford Haven. There is future anthropogenic activity anticipated in this area, primarily relating to cable routes, but minimal bathymetric data in the area and no knowledge on the mobility and stability of the seabed over the wider area. This increases risk in the consenting process and makes management of the Annex 1 Sandbank habitat of Turbot Bank difficult. The project would collect at least one set of multibeam bathymetry to compare to the CCW 2012 survey. Ideally, additional targeted repeat bathymetry surveys would be used to better understand mobility. This understanding would then be used to develop preferred management options with regards cable routing and laying, as well as other activities. The data will also be useful for future marine condition assessments, Turbot Bank could not be assessed for topography in the current round. Next steps and progress: Investigating third-party data.
Keywords (discipline, other): Bathymetry, Turbot Bank, mobile sediment, Milford Haven, multibeam bathymetry, Sandbank habitat, CCW 2012, cable routing, marine condition assessments
Website/URL links: https://naturalresources.wales/evidence-and-data/research-and-reports/marine-biodiversity-collaborative-research-priorities/?lang=en
Looking for collaborators: No External Partner: Yes Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: Email Address: Phone:
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What is the cause of the decline in salmon stocks?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Restoration of freshwater ecosystems is key to improving their resilience to multiple pressures and addressing the climate and nature emergencies. Knowledge and tools are required to facilitate sucessful and cost effective ecosystem restoration.
Keywords (discipline, other): Freshwater
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 cause of the recent decline in otter populations across Wales?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Outdated or absent data and associated analyses hinders the assessment of the current extent, condition and trends of our freshwater ecosystems.
Keywords (discipline, other): Freshwater
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 change in extent of permeable surfaces and surface water detention or retention features in Wales’s urban areas? Are our current permeable surfaces and surface water detention or retention features in Wales’s urban areas able to cope under future climate change rainfall predictions?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Increases in the extent of sealed surfaces in an urban area will lead to an increase in the volume of storm water run off, and likely increase in flood risk. Decreases in the extent of permeable surfaces and detention/retention features will reduce the ability of soil moisture to replenish after rainfall and may lead to increased susceptibility to drought.
Keywords (discipline, other): Urban
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 is the condition of coastal margins habitats within protected sites where there is no up to date data?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Condition is a basic measure of stocks of natural resources and resilience.
Keywords (discipline, other): Coastal margins
Land use and soil
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 condition of existing mountains, moorland, and heath habitat in land management units, measured against the yardstick set by Common Standards Monitoring?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
We have little knowledge of the current health of the ecosystems across much of the Mountains, moorlands and heath resource and must extrapolate from very few samples. A “broad and shallow” approach is needed to complement the “narow and deep” approach of existing terrrestrial monitoring.
Keywords (discipline, other): Mountains, moorland, and heath
Land use and soil
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: External Partner: Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: Email Address: Phone: NA
________________________________________________________________________________
What is the condition of existing semi-natural habitat within Enclosed Farmland: hedgerows, species-rich arable land, orchards, wood pasture, semi-improved grassland, veteran trees?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
There is limited data from GMEP/ERAMMP on hedgerow condition and semi-improved grasslands. There is no condition data available for the other habitats.
Keywords (discipline, other): Enclosed farmland
Woodland
Semi-natural grassland
Land use and soil
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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