Phytoplankton are free-floating plants found in marine and freshwaters that form the base of the aquatic food chain. A subset of the phytoplankton may be harmful to human health or to human use of the ecosystem. The species that cause harm are referred to as 'Harmful Algae' with the term 'Harmful Algal Bloom' (HAB) commonly being used to describe their occurrence and effects. Some HABs can be harmful to humans through their production of biotoxins that are concentrated in the flesh of filter feeding shellfish, leading to a health risk if the shellfish are consumed by humans. Other HABs can kill farmed fish though toxicity, interaction with the gills or anoxia. HAB events of either type can have serious financial consequences for aquaculture. In most locations HABs are natural events with their timing, location, magnitude and toxicity being spatially and temporally variable. Early warning of events can therefore be used to protect health and minimise economic losses. Moreover, HAB events are not random, but a product of their environment. So through a combination of monitoring of the causative species and their toxins, and expert interpretation of these data and other available environmental information, it is possible to produce short term (~ 1-2 week) risk forecasts of HAB location and severity (akin to a weather forecast). In the UK we have since 2015 been operating a weekly HAB and biotoxin alert and forecast system. It operates from the web site www.HABreports.org and contains products that the aquaculture industry can use to better understand the HAB risk in their location and hence take mitigation action to safeguard human health and prevent economic loss. The alerts are based on the synthesis and graphical presentation of multiple data streams including: the abundance of different HAB species, concentrations different of shellfish biotoxins, satellite derived sea surface chlorophyll (an index of overall phytoplankton biomass), sea surface temperature and meteorological information. Historical trends are summarized graphically in map and chart based format, current conditions are presented on a map and through a high/medium/low risk "traffic light" index and expert interpretation is used to produce a forward looking risk assessment. In this proposal we intend to transfer this technology to Malaysia, a DAC country in South East Asia with a significant and growing aquaculture industry related to both finfish and shellfish, and which suffers from HABs though fish kills and episodes of shellfish poisoning. HABs are frequent in Malaysia, with recent events including a fish kill that an estimated to have cost industry $ 2.6 million. In 2013 a paralytic shellfish poisoning outbreak resulted in four deaths and left more than 60 other victims ill after consuming contaminated shellfish. Early warning of HABs in Malaysia will warn regulator and consumers of potential health risks from contaminated shellfish (or sometimes fish) and allow aquaculture businesses to take mitigation measures, e.g., shellfish can be left in situ until toxin depurates, fish cages can be "fenced" using perimeter skirting, fish can be harvested early or transferred to land facilities. In this project UK and Malaysian scientists and fishery regulators will work together to transfer the HAB early warning technology operating in the UK to Malaysia. This will allow us to produce a Malaysian HABreports web site and mobile phone app that includes a traffic light (low, medium, high) index of current risk in different locations and an expert interpretation based forecast of risk for the coming week. Following the project the Malaysian Government will be in a position to continue to produce these risk assessments, providing enhanced ongoing support for the aquaculture industry and public consumers of seafood. Demonstration of our approach will also lead to its potential application elsewhere in the region.

Context - Leakage of plastic waste into the environment in Indonesia is amongst the highest in the world. Only 39% of all waste is collected and 6 million tons of waste per annum is either burnt or dumped into the environment where it contaminates the air, soil, ground water, rivers and oceans damaging ecosystems and their services. In 2017, the Indonesian government introduced an ambitious target to reduce marine plastic debris by 70% by 2025. Yet social, behavioral, economic, political and infrastructural challenges hamper progress across the country's 17,000 islands. Production and consumption of plastic and plastic leakage are driven by multiple linked human decisions and practices that are not easily disentangled into specific, manageable problems. We need a better understanding of the nature of these individual aspects and that of the relationships that link them together. Aims - To address this challenge, we will conduct a scientific research programme that brings political, environmental, economic, technical and social disciplines together to understand and address the causes of failures, rather than treating the symptoms. Objectives - 1) We will research sources, pathways and fate of plastic waste in the environment, using state of the art modelling of plastic use, waste generation and littering to estimate the volumes of plastic flows reaching the land, rivers and seas around Indonesia. We will do this at national scale and in more detail at two case study sites in Pasuran, East Java and Jembrana, Bali. We will use this data to identify hotspots to prioritize sites for calibration and validation of the model and to inform government intervention programmes 2) We will calibrate and validate the models by doing litter surveys at a range of hotspot locations to count and categorize different items of waste and litter from the point of release into the environment and at increasing distances from the source to the sea. 3) We will examine impacts of plastic waste leakage on ecosystem services, ecosystem functions and social and economic structures. 4) We will use focus groups and surveys to increase our understanding of human behavioural and cultural factors associated with the consumption, use and disposal of plastic products 5) We will harmonise the collection of various mass and monetary data types under an analytical framework that seeks to assess the complex value of plastic flows positive (profit, benefit) or negative (cost, impact). Considering all environmental, economic, social, technical and political domains the framework allows for a whole-system assessment to support informed decision-making. Optimisation of the system not only facilitates the recovery of plastic resources but also ensures that impacts on society and the environment are fully considered. Using advanced modelling approaches within this framework, we will identify the most effective points to intervene, in order to create value from plastic waste and maximise the efficiency of identified solutions. 6). We will involve users and multiple stakeholders in "living laboratory experiments" co-creating, testing and observing new solutions and organizational structures. We will examine integrated sets of design interventions (at product, business model, behavior change, waste management levels), pproviding guidance as to where successful interventions can be made, and indicating how changes in the political and legal framework can be instrumental in the better management of resources at different levels of the economy. Benefits - Our multi-stakeholder team includes action delivery partners who are designing and implementing change programmes on the ground and local and national governments. Our research is designed to inform and add value to these programmes, driving inter-connectivity between academia and government, established public-private partnerships, implementation programmes.

A reliable and acceptable quantity and quality of water, and managing water-related risks for all is considered by the United Nations to be "the critical determinant of success in achieving most other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)". Water is essential for human life, but also necessary for food and energy security, health and well-being, and prosperous economies. However, some 80% of the world's population live in areas with threats to water security; the impacts of which cost $500bn a year. Progress in meeting SDG6 (Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all), has been slow and in May 2018 the United Nations reported that "The world is not on track to achieve SDG6". Improvements that increase access to water or sanitation are undone by pollution, extreme weather, urbanization, over-abstraction of groundwater, land degradation etc. This is caused by significant barriers that include: (1) Insufficient data to understand social, cultural, environmental, hydrological processes; (2) Existing service delivery / business models are not fit for purpose - costs are too high, and poor understanding of local priorities leads to inappropriate investments; (3) Water governance is fragmented and communities are engage with, and take responsibility for, water security; (4) Pathways to water security are not adaptable and appropriate to local context and values. These barriers are inherently systemic, and will require a significant international and interdisciplinary endeavour. The GCRF Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub brings together leading researchers from Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Malaysia and the UK. Each international partner will host a Water Collaboratory (collaboration laboratories) which will provide a participatory process, open to all stakeholders, to jointly question, discuss, and construct new ideas to resolve water security issues. Through developing and demonstrating a systems and capacity building approach to better understand water systems; value all aspects of water; and strengthen water governance we will unlock systemic barriers to achieving water security in practice.