The Centre for Ecology is the UK's Centre of Excellence for integrated research in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and their interaction with the atmosphere. As part of the Natural Environment Research Council, we provide National Capability based on innovative, independent and interdisciplinary science and long-term environmental monitoring, forming an integral part of NERC's vision and strategy. Working in partnership with the research community, policy-makers, industry and society, we deliver world-class solutions to the most complex environmental challenges facing humankind. CEH is a member of PEER (the Partnership for European Environmental Research).

The CEH Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC) underpins all CEH scientific challenges. Its primary purpose is to provide the capability to co-ordinate our extensive information assets and thereby support integrated environmental research. To achieve this goal requires a corporate approach for the curation and integration of science information assets across all the Science Programmes to make them more readily accessible to all. This novel construct will evolve during the next five years and requires the development of new skills and expertise. The EIDC will develop informatics tools such as the Information Gateway to disseminate CEH data and contribute to NERC's data discovery services. This will meet our wider obligations including those of a NERC Designated Data Centre (DDC) and compliance with the EU INSPIRE Directive. A key deliverable is provision of an integrated reference service linking libraries, archives, samples and digital data as an institutional repository.

The CEH Sustainable Economies Programme is a cross-cutting theme which provides strategic environmental science supporting the wise use of natural resources, and also supports government decision-making. Work focuses on sustainable land use and management practices, sustainable energy production and energy use, and ecological and hydrological risks.

The CEH Water Programme (delivering science for the sustainable management of catchments and water resources ) will maintain and enhance activities in observing the long-term status of water systems including the morphology, biology and chemistry of lowland and upland rivers and lakes. The data will be used for trend detection, model evaluation and model construction. Priority areas include the establishment of new experimental and field facilities such as: experimental wetland, fish mesocosms, the River Lambourn Observatory, and ‘Source to Sea’ monitored catchments. These will provide a focus for integrated environmental science and ‘laboratories’ for the determination of processes and linkages. Examples of Water research include: Bioenergy / energy crops, Energy and the Environment, Hydropower, Lake ecosystems, UK lake restoration, Deep lakes and climate change, Scottish freshwater ecosystems, Micro-organics, Prediction and modelling of hydrological extremes, Response of river biota to climate, flows and habitat, Rainfall forecasting, Water balance of peri-urban systems, Source to sea observatories – Conwy, Ribble and Wyre, Tay, Water quality, Wetlands.

The CEH Climate Change Programme is a cross-cutting theme which harnesses expertise in biogeochemistry, water, biodiversity and environmental informatics in a holistic way. The Theme aims to investigate the underlying processes in the global climate system, assessing the impact of climate change and developing cost-effective mitigation and adaptation strategies.