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Research staff in the Centre for Population Biology (CPB) at Imperial developed a range of species conservation assessment tools and methodologies based on population modelling carried out by CPB research staff. The introduction in 1994 of a scientifically rigorous approach to determine risks of extinction that is applicable to all species, based on underlying research at Imperial and described in paper [6], has led to a rigorous and robust approach that is used by governments, conservation organisations and researchers worldwide. In particular, these tools have been applied in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ and have made a fundamental contribution to this conservation measure. This Red List is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species. It plays a prominent role in guiding conservation activities of governments, NGOs and scientific institutions and has led to the formation of the Red List Index. Results from the Red List Index have led to worldwide bodies rethinking conservation targets and indicators and strongly influenced the Convention on Biological Diversity's 2020 Aichi targets.
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT), a conservation charity launched at the University of Stirling in 2006, was aimed at bridging the gap between research findings and conservation practice. BBCT now has 11 staff, offices and staff based in England, Wales and Scotland, 8,000 paying members, and has involved >12,000 people in bumblebee recording or conservation. Other impacts include awareness raising through extensive media coverage for bumblebee conservation, creation of an education pack for primary schools, joint initiatives with a nationwide Garden Centre chain (Wyevale) and a supermarket (Morrisons), helping to create >2,000 ha of flower rich habitat, involvement in a reintroduction attempt for the locally extinct short-haired bumblebee, political lobbying and influencing national and international policy.
Listing an endangered DPS under US law (governed by the Endangered Species Act, ESA, of 1973) requires the use of genetic markers to assess the extent of reproductive isolation, direction and pattern of gene flow, and effective size of the DPS under assessment. Professor Hoelzel's group provided these essential data from work in multiple peer-review publications, and in a commissioned report in 2004 in support of a successful petition by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to protect the killer whale population residing in the inland waters of Washington State, USA, after it was shown to have declined by 20% in 10 years (Krahn et al. 2004; see volume 79, No.222 of the Federal Register for DPS listing). This formed the foundation for on-going impact on policy and regulation between 2008 and the present, including support in response to petitions filed in 2012 and 2013 (see testimonial from the Branch Chief, NOAA Fisheries). Killer whale sustainability in this region reflects general ecosystem health and supports an economically important whale-watch industry.
Dr Anne Goodenough and Professor Frank Chambers undertake applied ecological research with importance for conservation and management, nationally and internationally. Working with, or commissioned by, major national bodies including The Heather Trust, Natural England, Countryside Council for Wales, British Trust for Ornithology and RSPB, their research on rare species and habitats influences major national policy (e.g. species conservation priorities, and degraded habitat restoration and conservation). Furthermore, their research informs evidence-based changes in management for species (leading to conservation of internationally declining songbird, the pied flycatcher, at key sites throughout the UK) and landscapes (blanket bog and heather moorland restoration in Wales and England).
Work by University of Stirling staff has contributed directly to improved wildlife resource management in the Central African region. Innovative research into the status and trends of key wildlife populations, ecological impacts, resource harvests and trade, drivers of resource use and assessing management success have contributed directly to new thinking on the issue, revisions of laws and policy and to success in attracting foreign aid for management issues. Stirling staff members now advise the Government of Gabon on resource management policies, National Park management and biodiversity issues.
We set up one of Britain's first online recording projects (www.harlequin-survey.org) to track the spread and study the effects of an invasive alien species (IAS), the harlequin ladybird. We used this as a model to develop a recording programme for other IAS (www.nonnativespecies.org/recording/). The main areas of impact are: (i) Informing conservation policy through collecting and analysing wildlife data (e.g. GB non-natives surveillance and monitoring system stemmed from our work; long-term trends data used to address Convention on Biological Diversity targets); (ii) Utilizing `citizen science' and (iii) Changing public attitudes to IAS (e.g. by engaging the public, changing the way that IAS are recorded; educating and training the public).
York research on the responses of species to habitat fragmentation has led to a paradigm shift in the approach to conservation that has permeated non-governmental organisations (NGOs), governmental agencies and intergovernmental bodies; the traditional concept of protecting and managing populations of species in isolated reserves has largely been replaced by landscape-scale conservation strategies, which increase the long-term survival of species. This new approach is now accepted government policy and has altered practical land designation and management for conservation over millions of hectares in the UK, as well as affecting the strategies adopted by most global conservation organisations and countries in the world.
Since 2008, the School of Environment & Life Sciences at the University of Salford has expanded its research in the field of population and conservation genetics, focusing on the application of molecular genetics and evolutionary theory on supporting the management of exploited living resources and conservation of endangered species and ecosystems. Molecular Ecology and Conservation demonstrates the following impact:
Increasing consumer awareness of the environmental implications of food choices, improving consumer confidence and food management policy, supporting environmental management and biodiversity, and guiding international conservation policy and management processes.
Bangor Research since 1998 has pioneered, through experimental, comparative and modelling studies and industry collaborations, quantification of the wider ecosystem effects of fishing, specifically on seabed habitats. Novel findings gave policy and economic benefits to the fishing industry and led to the sustainable, continued profitable development of the UK's largest blue mussel fishery and Isle of Man scallop fishery, with a combined value of £22M. It directly led to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of these fisheries and underpinned certification of dozens of other demersal fisheries. Additionally, the research has influenced UK retailer policies on sustainable fish sourcing, providing direct environmental and commercial benefits and improving public knowledge and sustainable consumption.
Two books and review/research articles in Italian have disseminated the findings from the underpinning research on creating false autobiographical memories and the dangers of inadequate interviewing techniques. This work has critically increased awareness in the Italian legal system amongst both barristers and judges, to the point of shaping the practice of interviewing witnesses in that country. It has also informed all verdicts on child sexual abuse by the Supreme Court of Cassation.