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Taxonomy is of key relevance to the environment, agriculture, food production, and human health. However, describing all living organisms is such a daunting task that it calls for new approaches. A DNA-based system for species identification, called 'DNA Barcoding', is one such solution. Imperial researchers identified DNA barcodes for plants in 2008, which have since had impacts on the environment, health and welfare and in commerce. The plant DNA barcodes have been endorsed by the Consortium for the Barcoding of Life and have led to multiple applications ranging from facilitating biodiversity inventories, helping authentication of material (herbal medicine) for trade control in Malaysia, South Africa, India and Nigeria, and combating invasive species and smuggling in Africa.
Leicester's world-leading research into exceptionally well preserved fossils has crucially underpinned the successful establishment of a new UNESCO World Heritage Site in China. The Chengjiang Fossil Site in Yunnan Province is officially recognised by UNESCO as having "Outstanding Universal Value", containing fossils of soft-bodied sea-life dating from 530 million years ago. The fossils occur in a region where the minerals industry is a key economic driver: granting of World Heritage Site (WHS) status has removed the threat of encroaching commercial mining activities, secured conservation of the site, and paved the way for further sustainable, non-invasive tourism. The same research serves as a vehicle for raising awareness about the evolution of life, the history of biodiversity and the importance of `blue skies' research in the UK.
Research by David Unwin on extinct flying reptiles underpinned a successful bid to produce a 3D digital product backed by funding, principally from Sky, of more than three million pounds. This facilitated development of 3D film technology by the British film industry and resulted in a BAFTA award winning digital film `Flying Monsters 3D'. FM3D was hosted by David Attenborough, featured Unwin and was delivered via television, cinemas and the web. The film, which has generated revenues of more than $10 million, is primarily targeted at children and has helped foster positive attitudes toward natural history, the sciences and academic research.
Professor Hutchinson's team has pursued research into movement of large land animals, and how they have evolved under biomechanical constraints, such as gravity, which dominate their lifestyles. Their findings relating to elephants and to dinosaurs, applying physics, maths and computer science to study the natural world, have captured the public's imagination through a variety of engagement activities. The work has contributed to several major documentaries and interactive museum exhibits, (with Professor Hutchinson consulting), as well as featuring in a substantial number of print and online news stories. The research has had practical applications in foot health and welfare of elephants in captivity and, through examining constraints of growth on anatomy, has also led to applications in health of broiler chickens.
Mathematical modelling of squirrel populations published in 2003 by White (Maxwell Institute), Tompkins and Boots (Stirling) highlighted how squirrelpox virus transmitted by invasive grey squirrels to reds is a critical factor in the decline of UK red squirrels. As a consequence of this research the role of squirrelpox is now universally accepted. This has had an impact on policy and practice since 2006 with priority given to the control of grey squirrel numbers in order to prevent the spread of squirrelpox. The modelling framework developed at the Maxwell Institute was reported to the Saving Scotland's Red Squirrel steering group and has been used to design the conservation strategies currently applied throughout Scotland. The research has therefore had an impact on the environment, contributing to the mitigation of a problem that is estimated to cost £14M/year to the UK economy.
Research carried out at Oxford University has helped demonstrate the extraordinary significance of a fossil site in Yunnan Province (China) for understanding evolution at the time of the Cambrian explosion. This research contributed to the site being proposed and, in 2012, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. An Oxford University researcher (Siveter) played an important part in this process, drawing on his research when writing the World-Heritage bid. Government policy for the Chengjiang area has now shifted away from phosphate mining to conservation, education and tourism, with the establishment of a Geopark and, in 2010, a Museum. Annual visitor numbers to the area are rising, already in the thousands, benefiting the regional economy. The Chengjiang site has been preserved for future generations to investigate and enjoy.