James Foster

The Effects of land use change on the sediment sources and sedimentation rates of the River Liza Catchment at Ennerdale in the Lake District
Supervisors: Professor Tony Parsons and Dr Darrel Swift

Introduction

After completing a BA Hons in Geography at Lancaster University I spent several years in industry before taking a PGCE in FE at MMU since then I have spent time lecturing and now combine this with studying for a PhD at Sheffield.

Research Summary

The Lake District National Park along with the Forestry Commission and United Utilities have joined forces to turn one of the least accessible lakes of the lake district into a large scale experiment in land use management. Their intention is to allow the valley to return to a wild state. They are doing this via a series of methods including removal of forestry, implementing indigenous cattle such as the Galloway herd and introducing various indigenous tree species as well as removing various hard river management techniques.

My research aims at developing sedimentation rates for pre-forestry and post forestry levels as well a contemporary sediment rates to help identify management issues and whether the process of re-wilding is affecting the movement of sediment within the catchment and whether the changes in land use are affecting sediment sources.

Contact Details

Address: A5, Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Winter Street, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
Tel: +44 (0)114 222 7914
Fax: +44 (0)114 222 7907
Email: ggp09jsf@Sheffield.ac.uk