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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Has the diversity, extent, condition and connectivity of river habitats changed across Wales since the baseline River Habitat Survey in the 1990s?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Ecosystem resilience evidence needs encompass several needs from the other ecosystem and theme chapters.
Keywords (discipline, other): Ecosystem Resilience
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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Have agri-environment scheme measures been successful in creating new semi-natural grassland in Wales?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Stocks of natural resources is a basic measure of sustainable management of natural resources. Agri-environment has been one of the main grassland creation mechanisms in Wales
Keywords (discipline, other): Semi-natural grassland
Enclosed farmland
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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Have agri-environment scheme measures been successful in improving condition of semi-natural grassland?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Condition is a basic measure of stocks of natural resources and resilience. Agri-environment has been one of the main mechanisms in Wales for maintaining and improving semi-natural grassland condition
Keywords (discipline, other): Semi-natural grassland
Enclosed farmland
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: n/a External Partner: Y Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: n/a n/a Email Address: Phone: NA
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Have grassland creation projects been successful in creating new semi-natural grassland in Wales?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Stocks of natural resources is a basic measure of sustainable management of natural resources. A number of projects have included some grassland creation, but long-term success or otherwise of these is often not recorded
Keywords (discipline, other): Semi-natural grassland
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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Have grassland projects been successful in improving condition of semi-natural grassland?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Condition is a basic measure of stocks of natural resources and resilience. A number of projects in Wales have included measures for maintaining and improving semi-natural grassland condition; results have not always been adequately recorded
Keywords (discipline, other): Semi-natural grassland
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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How are Welsh saltmarshes used by fish for example, for nursery areas and foraging?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
There has been little research into this ecosystem service within Wales.
Keywords (discipline, other): Coastal margins
Marine
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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How can building regulations be improved to deliver water efficiencies as standard?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Wales Low Carbon Action Plan launched in March 19 includes steps for social housing but has little on water efficiency.
Keywords (discipline, other): Water efficiency
Urban
Climate change
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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How can diffuse pollution into lowland wetlands be reduced?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
Nutrient pollution is a major cause of decline in lowland peatlands via both waterborne (surface and groundwater) and aerial deposition. Are buffer zones effective and how extensive should they be? Source-pathway- receptor studies are required to determine best practice. This is likely to be site-specific due to varying hydrological conditions although a general review of practice elsewhere may lead to insights.
Keywords (discipline, other): Mountains, moorland, and heath
Freshwater
Waste
Ecosystem resilience
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: n/a External Partner: Y Organisation: Natural Resources Wales
Contact Details
Name: n/a n/a Email Address: Phone: NA
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How can earth observation technology/ remote sensing and ground based measures be used to monitor ecosystem condition more comprehensively than currently?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
We need this evidence to build a monitoring strategy for Wales that is capable of reporting on aspects of resilience across the whole landscape and which can support transformational management change.
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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How can environmental interventions be used to benefit human health, without amplifying health and social inequalities?
Summary of the Research Question / Evidence Need:
To improve our assessment of healthy places
Keywords (discipline, other): Healthy places
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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