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Global Sea Turtle Conservation

Summary of the impact

Research on the status, distribution and ecology of sea turtles at the University of Exeter has driven national and international conservation policy, engaged millions of people worldwide and raised substantial funding for conservation. Governments including the UK, Cayman Islands, Cyprus and Gabon have used this research in making legislation and multi-million pound management decisions. Development of open-access animal tracking tools has facilitated a global network of over 135 countries, with more than 300 projects tracking thousands of animals from 118 species. The ability to adopt tracked animals online has attracted millions of visitors and raised funding for conservation projects world-wide.

Submitting Institution

University of Exeter

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Biological Sciences: Ecology
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences: Fisheries Sciences

Marine mammal conservation: from policy to bycatch reduction

Summary of the impact

The research resulted in primary legislation and provided government with the evidence used when implementing the measures set out within legislation. Specifically, this concerned:

  • Enabling effective conservation of marine mammals in UK, EU and international waters
  • Defining UK and EU policy objectives for marine mammal conservation
  • Delivering UK obligations arising from EU legal instruments
  • Reducing marine mammal bycatch by over 90% in key fisheries

This work, together with connected public outreach, was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2011 for excellence in research supporting better governance of the ocean.

Submitting Institution

University of St Andrews

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Earth Sciences: Oceanography
Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Biological Sciences: Ecology

Impacts of offshore energy developments

Summary of the impact

Achievement of energy security and the UK's 2020 carbon targets economy depends upon a mix of new offshore oil and gas and renewable energy developments, but concern that seismic survey and construction noise could pose an unacceptable risk to marine mammals threatens to delay these plans.

University of Aberdeen ecologists, under the direction of Paul Thompson, have developed long-term studies of marine mammal population dynamics that now underpin frameworks for assessing and mitigating the impacts of such developments on marine mammals in EU protected areas.

The specific impact on commerce and the environment is that this assessment process has been adopted by industry within their consent applications. As a result of academic consultancy in industry, planning decisions have been informed by the research, and the management of environmental risks has changed. This has reduced the consenting risk for industry and provided an assessment framework that allows regulators to ensure that they are implementing current government policy within international legal frameworks for environmental protection.

Submitting Institution

University of Aberdeen

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences: Fisheries Sciences
Engineering: Mechanical Engineering

Enabling Industry compliance with offshore regulation

Summary of the impact

Research on the distribution, abundance and sensitivity to disturbance of marine predators has been translated into environmental and economic benefits via a series of spin-out companies with a global presence. The research enabled the following impacts:

  • PAMGuard software enables the oil and gas industry to conduct seismic surveys within legal environmental limits, saving the industry ~$100M per annum.
  • The licensing of the world's first grid-connected tidal stream power station (SeaGen) in Strangford loch and offshore developments in the wind-power industry.
  • The progress of major engineering projects, including bridges (Forth Crossing and Hong Kong to Macao) and port extensions (Vancouver).

Direct company earnings were ~£6 million turnover in the assessment period and this supported 24 employees two-thirds of whom are skilled specialists.

Submitting Institution

University of St Andrews

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Statistics
Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Biological Sciences: Ecology

Changing the way nations manage impacts of human disturbances

Summary of the impact

Dr Lusseau's work at the University of Aberdeen into the impact of man's activities on wild animals has led to changes in public and environmental policies in several nations as well as changes in international policies. He developed insights as well as modelling approaches to understand the consequences of human disturbances on the viability of animal populations.

The Aberdeen work has led to a change in the way the environmental impact of a range of industries — including tourism, marine renewable energy and oil & gas — is assessed. Lusseau developed best approaches to manage the disruptions of animal behaviour that those activities created to ensure that those disturbances do not endanger the viability of wild animal populations.

Specifically this research resulted in impact that influenced international policy development and international planning processes. It also informed planning decisions and changed the way environmental risks and hazards are managed in the UK, USA, and New Zealand, and informed changes in legislations and regulations in the USA, UK and New Zealand.

Submitting Institution

University of Aberdeen

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Biological Sciences: Ecology

New statistical tools for ecologists

Summary of the impact

The impact of statistical ecology research at Kent is on both the survey design of data collection on wild animals, and the analysis of the resulting data. As a result of our research, better quality data are being collected more efficiently, and a wide range of new methods of data analysis are being used. This is essential for the conservation and management of wild animal populations and the preservation of biodiversity. New methods developed at Kent are now standard tools used in ecology. Examples of impact are improved understanding of the decline of British farmland birds, underpinning conservation action plans; and analysis of data from tiger surveys, supporting the Indonesian Government's National Tiger Recovery Plan.

Submitting Institution

University of Kent

Unit of Assessment

Mathematical Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Statistics
Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management

Defining and sustaining healthy seas

Summary of the impact

Managing and conserving the marine environment requires defining what constitutes healthy ecosystems and understanding the effects of pollution. Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) research defining `undesirable disturbance' allowed the United Kingdom (UK) to mount a successful defence at the European Court of Justice in 2009 against alleged infraction of UK obligations under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. This saved UK taxpayers £6 billion in estimated additional costs. The European Union (EU) Marine Strategy Framework Directive uses a definition of good status for pelagic habitats derived from work at ENU, which benefits policy makers and marine stakeholders by facilitating the establishment of Marine Protected Areas.

Submitting Institution

Edinburgh Napier University

Unit of Assessment

Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Earth Sciences: Oceanography
Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Biological Sciences: Ecology

Explore the Deep: Public Engagement with Deep-Ocean Research

Summary of the impact

By putting public engagement at the heart of our deep-sea research, we have delivered benefits to society of generating inspiration and curiosity about science, raising public awareness of our research insights and their context, and providing cultural enrichment by supporting lifelong learning. We have achieved these impacts through: interactions with print, online, and broadcast media that have brought our research to millions; series of talks and events that have inspired specific audiences of tens of thousands; and a network of interactive online resources that has enabled people worldwide to share in our exploration of deep-ocean environments and their biodiversity.

Submitting Institution

University of Southampton

Unit of Assessment

Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Earth Sciences: Oceanography
Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Biological Sciences: Ecology

MAT05 - Balanced Harvest: Mathematical underpinnings of a sustainable fisheries policy

Summary of the impact

Mathematical models recently developed in York have improved our understanding of the dynamics of marine ecosystems. They underpin paradigm-changing proposals to orient fisheries policy towards a "balanced harvest" and away from the traditional selective harvesting of species and sizes. These proposals have:

  • influenced, and are now being actively pursued by, international NGOs involved in shaping the future direction of fisheries policy worldwide;
  • informed and stimulated debate among policy makers in the EU Parliament and elsewhere;
  • been incorporated into long range planning for Norwegian fishery management.

Submitting Institution

University of York

Unit of Assessment

Mathematical Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Statistics
Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences: Fisheries Sciences

New statistical methods result in better marine environmental monitoring and impact assessment

Summary of the impact

Researchers at the University of St Andrews have changed the way environmental monitoring and impact assessment data are collected and analysed, particularly in the marine environment. We have developed new statistical models of wildlife population dynamics that, for example, form the basis for population assessment of most of the world's grey seals, allowing the UK and Canadian governments to implement effective management of the populations. Other research carried out by us has led to reformulation of the recommended standard statistical practice for impact assessment in the UK marine renewables industry, enabling marine regulators such as Marine Scotland to make better-informed licensing decisions concerning large-scale offshore renewable energy developments.

Submitting Institution

University of St Andrews

Unit of Assessment

Mathematical Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Mathematical Sciences: Statistics

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