A Review of Approaches to Communicating Drought Status and Risk

Tender description

Introduction The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is commissioning a project to explore how drought may be communicated in regard to water resources and whether there are alternative, simpler and more applicable approaches to the current drought risk probability (e.g. 1 in 50 years). It will review the known approaches to communicating drought risk, seek to identify alternative potential metrics and test their appropriateness. Aim and Objectives The overall aim of the project is to explore alternative, simpler and more applicable approaches (including styles, information, methods and metrics) for communicating drought risk and status. This aim is centred on three overall objectives: 1. Review the known approaches to communicating hydrological risk/status 2. Explore alternative potential drought communication approaches 3. Test the appropriateness of different drought communication approaches and identify the most promising The results of the project will: • inform the way that Defra, the Environment Agency and Welsh Government/Natural Resources Wales communicates drought risk • help agencies adopt a consistent approach to conveying drought risk and likelihood, enabling them to join up their subsequent activities.