I am a catchment scientist conducting research and providing policy advice around nature-based solutions (NBS) to climate change. My current research focusses on assessing the effectiveness ‘natural flood management’ (NFM) policies using hydrometric, isotopic, geochemical, geophysical and GIS methods. I have used these methods to evaluate the role of land cover change in controlling runoff at the catchment scale, particularly in the nationally important Eddleston NFM pilot site.
My interest in nature-based solutions extends beyond investigating underlying biophysical processes. I have expertise in developing partnership models for implementing NBS at scale. I am currently a UKRI-funded ‘Landscape Decisions Fellow’ focussing on this issue. I collaborate with Scottish Government and Local Authorities, translating scientific evidence in order to support the development of Regional Land Use Partnerships (RLUPs) and Frameworks (under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2019).
Prior to this UK-based work, I had a decade of experience as a researcher and policy advisor on climate change impacts on developing countries that was influential in global climate debates. My work focussed on designing and evaluating new policies for reducing carbon emissions in the land sector in the tropics (particularly REDD+). I collaborated with several multilateral organisations (e.g. UN, World Bank) and country governments (e.g. Indonesia, Rwanda) to support the development of these policies.
Contact
email: leo.peskett[at]ed.ac.uk
twitter: PeskettLeo
find me on LinkedIn
