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A family walking in nature
A picture of British woodland
RENEW

Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach

Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach

RENEW is a five-year partnership programme to develop solutions to one of the major environmental challenges for humankind: the renewal of biodiversity.

We are in a biodiversity crisis. A million species of plants and animals are threatened with global extinction, and wildlife populations across much of the planet have been dramatically reduced. This is of profound concern because biodiversity underpins human existence. RENEW is working, with a sense of urgency, to reshape understanding and action on biodiversity renewal across scales, creating knowledge, and influencing national institutions, communities and individuals. Our focus is on a ‘people-in-nature’ approach, reflecting the two-way, dynamic relations between people and nature and the need to develop a relational approach to renew our life-support systems.

Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the programme is a collaboration between the University of Exeter and the National Trust, and has been co-designed and developed with over 30 partners from a diverse range of sectors. RENEW is led by Professors Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova, Kevin Gaston, and Catriona McKinnon from the University of Exeter, and Professor Rosie Hails from the National Trust.

RENEW is part of the Changing the Environment programme funded by UKRI NERC which brings together leading universities, environmental experts and communities to develop a collaborative research approach for greater environmental impact.

For more information about the Changing the Environment programme visit: www.changingtheenvironment.org

 

News

A banner image of Professor Ben Groom, combined with University of Exeter colours.

13 May 2025

Exeter researcher receives Frontiers Planet Prize honour

An Exeter academic has been recognised by the Frontiers Planet Prize for providing a breakthrough to an important environmental issue. Professor Ben Groom from the University of Exeter Business School is part of a team that has designed a new method for calculating the benefits that arise from conserving biodiversity and nature for future generations. [...]
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An image of an environmental dispute by Markus Spiske

12 May 2025

How can we make environmental justice a reality?

Research team . Catriona McKinnon - University of Exeter Alice Moseley - University of Exeter Ria Poole - University of Exeter Aims Many communities feel disconnected from nature and its benefits. RENEW’s people-in-nature approach puts fairness for people at the heart of biodiversity renewal. This means taking environmental injustice seriously. But what is environmental justice, [...]
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A photograph of trees in Plymouth Town Centre.

6 May 2025

Feelings towards trees in Plymouth

Research team . Shari Mang - University of Exeter Regan Early - University of Exeter John Wedgwood Clarke - University of Exeter Lucy Mercer - University of Exeter Aims This project aims to: 1) Study peoples' values and feelings towards urban street trees in Plymouth. 2) Evaluate if values and feelings vary among neighbourhoods with [...]
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Photographer - Brian Aitkenhead, Unsplash Community

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