Biodiversity and Conservation
Members of the Biodiversity and Conservation research theme work on the ecology and evolution of organisms in their natural environment. Our research provides an integrated evidence-based approach to inform land management practices and environmental policy decision-making across a range of environmental issues. These include: 1) conservation of globally-threatened species; 2) restoration of forest habitats for improved ecosystem resilience; 3) to estimate genetic diversity and its distribution and to apply behavioural studies to conservation problems; 4) development and application of quantitative metrics for the valuation of biodiversity loss and ecosystem services. Therefore, much of our current research has important applications both within Europe and globally.
Some of our currently funded work addresses the following issues:
- How does soil compaction influence biodiversity? (DEFRA funded 2009-2013)
- How much do different components of organic farm management affect biodiversity? (NERC 2009-2010)
- Are there differences in gene expression between male sterile and hermaphrodite (restored) plants in Plantago lanceolata?(NERC 2009-2010)
- What is the mating system of field slugs?(Newcastle University funded 2009)
- Management planning for Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Philippines (variously funded 2007-2011
- Conservation of the Critically Endangered Djibouti francolin in the Horn of Africa (variously funded since 2004)
- Human-driven changes in species' geographic ranges and their risk of extinction (Leverhulme Trust funded to Imperial College [Georgina Mace])
- The role of Buddhist religious culture in biodiversity conservation under changing environmental and social conditions in Western Sichuan, China (ESRC funded to EJ Milner-Gulland, Imperial College)
- Training conservation ecologists, especially in China, India and Brazil (John Ellerman Foundation funded 2009-2011)
- Ecology of Andean tree-line bird communities, south-east Peru (2009 Seed Grant Funding from Amazonian Conservation Association Peru)