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Applied ecology: from science to conservation policy and practice

Summary of the impact

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).

Submitting Institution

University of Gloucestershire

Unit of Assessment

Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Environmental Sciences: Ecological Applications, Environmental Science and Management
Biological Sciences: Genetics

'New Conservation': concrete strategies for linking the philosophy, education and practice of Conservation with a public awareness of the value of the historic environment.

Summary of the impact

Alan Chandler's `New Conservation' research into the integration of conservation philosophy, practice and pedagogy has informed the development of architectural conservation policy and practice nationally and internationally. By shaping a new Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) education initiative, Chandler has defined and demonstrated the means of establishing continuity between professional architectural education and exemplary conservation practice. By articulating the relationship between cultural, technical and philosophical aspects of Conservation, the research communicates to a new generation of Professionals ideas about the management of change within historic monuments in the UK and in Chile.

Submitting Institution

University of East London

Unit of Assessment

Architecture, Built Environment and Planning

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Built Environment and Design: Architecture, Design Practice and Management
Education: Specialist Studies In Education

Agrobiodiversity Conservation for Food Security

Summary of the impact

Food Security is one of the major global challenges confronting mankind. The Birmingham Plant Genetic Resource Group's (PGR) research and its contribution to policy implementation are helping to secure food supplies, mitigate the impact of climate change and maintain consumer choice, thereby impacting governments, commercial breeders, farmers and the public alike. PGR research on the development and implementation of agrobiodiversity conservation strategies, specifically on crop wild relatives' (CWR) and landraces' (LR) in situ and ex situ conservation, has helped national and international agencies meet their convention and treaty obligations, and underpinned food security. Their work has provided the necessary scientific foundation for global, European and UK impact: assisting the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation establish a global network for CWR in situ conservation, the European Commission create an inventory of traditional crop varieties and the UK government inclusion of CWR and LR diversity in environmental stewardship schemes, actions taken on the basis of the group's advice.

Submitting Institution

University of Birmingham

Unit of Assessment

Biological Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Biological Sciences: Genetics

Saving Species

Summary of the impact

Molecular and evolutionary research by Dr Jim Groombridge at the University of Kent, (2003 onwards, lecturer 2003-2008, Senior Lecturer 2008-2012, Reader 2012-), undertaken in partnership with the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation, the Seychelles Islands Foundation and Government Ministries of both states, has identified unexpected evolutionary distinctiveness and established high conservation priority for rare populations of birds and frogs on Mauritius and Seychelles. Subsequent studies have led to the recovery of three critically-endangered species and to the alleviation of problems with wildlife disease. Groombridge's research has led to renewed investment of international conservation resources across the Indian Ocean. His work on island species conservation is particularly important because islands host a high proportion of global biodiversity and help define our understanding of evolutionary science; these `living laboratories' also host many of the World's rarest species making them a global conservation priority.

Submitting Institution

University of Kent

Unit of Assessment

Anthropology and Development Studies

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Biological Sciences: Ecology, Genetics

Questioning the ‘financialisation of nature’: influencing international policy thinking on biodiversity conservation

Summary of the impact

Dr Sian Sullivan's research, which challenges neoliberal approaches to biodiversity conservation policies, has been used by environmental policy-makers and advocacy groups internationally to show that contemporary trends in environmental policy development may intensify socio-economic inequality and increase the loss of biological diversity arising from economic development and commercial enterprises. A conference paper presented in 2010 became a major focus of the debate about the tendency towards `financialising nature'. Since then Sullivan's research has been seen as a source of grounded critique of neoliberal conservation policies. Several environmental advocacy organisations have used her work to support their campaigns, and she has been invited to contribute to high-level international policy forums concerned with biodiversity conservation.

Submitting Institution

Birkbeck College

Unit of Assessment

Sociology

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration

3) Sacred and Protected Areas

Summary of the impact

Research by Dr William Tuladhar-Douglas on biocultural diversity and religion in sacred landscapes in the Himalayas has had significant impact on conservation policy and practices for ecosystems in the Himalayas. His research has reinvigorated debate about culturally appropriate modes of engagement and challenged the concept of `religion' that conservationists use in their work with indigenous communities. This is particularly the case in terms of concepts of personhood which are held by certain indigenous peoples in relation to non-human creatures, and the ways in which traditional practices engage with non-human persons in the form of animals, plants and deities. Through directly influencing the policy and practice of the World Conservation Union (the leading international body in world conservation), Tuladhar-Douglas' research has led to culturally appropriate understandings of `personhood' being recovered into the management of protected areas. This has changed the interplay between local cultural variation, threats to biodiversity, indigenous perspectives and international conservation norms. Furthermore, his work has determined that there is greater capacity to engage with traditional peoples in conservation, helping to transform them from being `paper stakeholders' to genuine participants. The resulting policy changes are likely to help achieve resilient and successfully protected sites.

Submitting Institution

University of Aberdeen

Unit of Assessment

Theology and Religious Studies

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

History and Archaeology: Historical Studies
Philosophy and Religious Studies: Religion and Religious Studies

Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management

Summary of the impact

The Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management is the product of six years of international collaborative research and sector-based consultancy between Writtle College and Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (Germany). Activities at the Centre include developing a core body of internationally recognised research in the fields of non-equilibrium thermodynamics, complex systems science and adaptive management, and using the research to work with conservation organisations around the World to resolve significant environmental problems. Our sponsors include GIZ, Germany and WWF Germany, and our operations extend from Central America to the Ukraine, Russia, South Eastern Europe, China and Korea.

Submitting Institution

Writtle College

Unit of Assessment

Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management

Conservation Education and Public Engagement - Zoos and Aquaria

Summary of the impact

The survival of many animal species is currently threatened by environmental challenges and unsustainable resource consumption. Research carried out between 2010-2013 promoted the conservation of endangered species by improving communication and education strategies of zoos and aquaria. It has:

  • Created new content, delivery and structures of public engagement to address visitors' needs, promoting interactive approaches to conservation issues;
  • Improved methods for evaluating impact and contributed new resources to the training of educators engaged with communicating conservation messages;
  • Contributed to public debate about the ethics of zoos by enhancing the effectiveness of their educational role.

As a result of this research, the educational function of zoos was enhanced and there has been a direct impact upon how visitors experience zoos and aquaria. These impacts have been achieved through research and consultancy in collaboration with organisations in the field.

Submitting Institution

University of Warwick

Unit of Assessment

Sociology

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Environmental Sciences: Environmental Science and Management
Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services

Management Strategies for Biodiversity Conservation

Summary of the impact

The creation of an evidenced-based framework for biodiversity conservation has profoundly altered approaches to conservation policy and practice, both in the UK and globally. Our research has underpinned strategic management that has supported tropical biodiversity resilience and mitigated ecosystem impacts in the face of changes in land-use, rural livelihoods and forest resource extraction. Our research on biodiversity and conservation management has had impact on governmental and non-governmental policy and practice at national (UK) and international (Brazil, Cambodia) scales, including directly influencing a forestry conservation Bill in Brazil.

Submitting Institution

University of East Anglia

Unit of Assessment

Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences

Summary Impact Type

Environmental

Research Subject Area(s)

Environmental Sciences: Ecological Applications, Environmental Science and Management
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences: Forestry Sciences

Peoples-based conservation: Caring for Hinemihi, the Maori meeting house at Clandon Park, UK

Summary of the impact

The Peoples-based Conservation Project (PBC) has challenged conventional heritage conservation practice by privileging a community's cultural systems over universalised concepts of heritage, through participatory practice. This transformed conservation practice by transferring the focus from material preservation to developing and preserving the connections between people, their cultural heritage, and each other. This new approach has developed a shared responsibility between the National Trust and Maori in the UK and New Zealand for the care of Hinemihi, an historic Maori meeting house which is no longer conserved as an object of built heritage, but as the living focus of a network of reciprocal social relationships.

Submitting Institution

University College London

Unit of Assessment

Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Built Environment and Design: Architecture
Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration

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