Tagged: "Community Engagement"

Research team --- Eleanor Hadley-Kershaw - University of Exeter Angela Cassidy - University of Exeter Susan Molyneux-Hodgson - University of Exeter Paul Merchant - National Life Stories Mary Stewart - British Library Partners Aims RENEW is undertaking collaborative research across disciplines and sectors while also studying the practices of collaboration. Through our work exploring 20th [...]

In this paper we set out our plan for the first large scale survey of how 18,000 people’s attitudes towards nature and efforts to renew biodiversity change over time. In response to the biodiversity crisis, there are growing efforts in England to restore, expand, and connect natural areas, including in towns and cities. These initiatives [...]

In 2024, RENEW PhD student Will Bugg took his PhD research across the pond to Australia, where transdisciplinary ways of working, a change in lifestyle & common ground supplied by international Rugby added dimension to Will's PhD journey. Returning to the UK – still running - a series of conferences inspired new ideas & business [...]

Working with local communities to secure a future for willow tit populations. Cornwall’s unique natural landscape is home to some of the last remaining populations of willow tits in southern England. We previously introduced the case study, exploring the likely extinction of this species—Britain’s fastest-declining resident bird—and outlined a plan to assess their status in [...]

Nature restoration at the heart of where it's needed most To effectively restore nature, it is essential to allocate conservation resources where they are most needed and in amounts that support both wildlife and the environment. Agri-environment schemes (AES) are among the most significant tools in Europe for promoting environmental health across farmland. However, despite [...]

The power of collective intelligence This year’s Biodiversity Parliament, orchestrated by the ExCASES team, exemplified why large-scale research projects are so vital in addressing complex societal challenges. These events serve as crucial intersections where academic disciplines converge with industry expertise and policy insights. In the daily grind of data analysis, grant writing, and navigating peer [...]

Research team Clare Bissell (Project Lead) - National Trust Michelle Twena - National Trust David Bavin  - National Trust Sarah Crowley - University of Exeter Matthew Heard - National Trust Partners Collaborators Birmingham Tree People, Birmingham    Street Trees for Living, London    Tiny Forest Programme, National    Fruit and Nut Village, Birmingham    Walking Forest, Exmouth    Eden Project Communities, [...]

Research team Michelle Twena (Project Lead) - National Trust David Bavin - National Trust Clare Bissell - National Trust Matthew Heard - National Trust Sarah Crowley - University of Exeter Aims ExCASES Missions provide short, intense periods of focus towards issues that have been communicated as priorities for RENEW partner organisations and external stakeholders. The ExCASES [...]

Above: Rose Ferraby with poet Richard Scott at a pool of sphagnum moss on Dartmoor.  After a spring of getting to know these sites, this seasonal shift feels somehow personal, rooted by our attentive observations through the year. As part of our work with Natural England on their Protected Sites Strategy, we’ve been coming out [...]

Research team David Bavin (Project Lead)  - National Trust Sarah Crowley - University of Exeter Matthew Heard - National Trust Michelle Twena - National Trust Clare Bissell - National Trust Theme ExCASES Missions provide short, intense periods of focus towards issues communicated as priorities for RENEW partner organisations and external stakeholders. The ExCASES team work collaboratively [...]

Above: Drawing the bigger picture: Illustration by Georgia Harmey - Illustrator in residence at the Biodiversity Storytelling Summit 2024. The Whitworth Art Gallery, a great space for interdisciplinary events The Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester is set within 18 acres of parkland, here in the summer months, exhibition space extends into the park, children and [...]

‘Seeing the Forest for the Deer’ aimed to support stakeholders in more effectively framing, co-ordinating, and developing shared deer management objectives. The ExCASES team focused on engaging and drawing expertise from a diverse range of stakeholders to understand better what a landscape-scale approach to deer management could look like in practice. They employed a structured, […]

The mission oriented around a series of workshops with relevant stakeholders, which included many participants who are not usually involved in deer management activities and decisions (e.g., food justice and redistribution organisations, local councillors, academics and educators, animal welfare and countryside experts). By engaging a wider range of voices we were able to collectively explore [...]

Research team David Bavin - National Trust Michelle Twena -National Trust Clare Bissell - National Trust Matthew Heard - National Trust Sarah Crowley - University of Exeter Partners Collaborators Woodland Trust British Association for Shooting and Conservation Association of Deer Management Groups The Country Food Trust Forest Research South Downs National Park Authority FareShare Sussex & [...]

Some post-campaign reflections As you’ve probably guessed, given that I’m writing this blog rather than learning my way around the Palace of Westminster, I was unsuccessful – this time, anyway! I’m still processing the experience, but here are a few immediate reflections on the extent to which the nature crisis featured in the campaign. DISCLAIMER: [...]

Research team . Devmini Bandara - University of Exeter Kevin Gaston- University of Exeter Lewis Elliot - University of Exeter Rebecca Lovell - University of Exeter Partners . Dr. Humphrey Crick - Natural England Dr. Fraenze Kibowski - Natural England Dr. James Hoggett - Natural England Giselle Sterry - NBN Trust . . Aims Traditional [...]

Research team . Daveron Smith - University of Exeter Ilya Maclean - University of Exeter Peter Roseveare - Cornwall Bird Watching & Preservation Society Partners . . Collaborators . . Aims Since 1970, willow tits have seen a population decline of 94% in Britain and have earned the unenviable title of Britain’s fastest declining resident [...]

Research team . Mark Ferguson - University of Exeter Kevin Gaston- University of Exeter Aims Understanding people, their agency, nature experiences, landscape-embeddedness, and framings-of-meaning, is at the heart of RENEW. This work is intended to pilot a Personalised Ecology Index (PEI) that will translate the concept of Personalised Ecology into a simple measure.   The [...]

What is Systematic Conservation Planning? In recent years, the increasing recognition of the need for effective conservation measures to protect biodiversity has led to the widespread adoption of Systematic Conservation Planning (SCP) across various global contexts.  SCP is a framework designed to assist in making informed decisions about conservation actions. It helps prioritise and choose […]

Research team . Charlie Masquelier - University of Exeter Matt Lobley - University of Exeter Rebecca Wheeler - University of Exeter Caroline Nye - University of Exeter Carolyn Petersen - University of Exeter . Aims Farmers and other land managers play a vital role in looking after our countryside, but competing business pressures can sometimes make engaging [...]

Research team . Emma Squire - University of Exeter Lewis Elliot - University of Exeter Rebecca Lovell - University of Exeter Kevin J Gaston - University of Exeter . Partners . Aims Citizen science plays an important role in the provision of biodiversity data in the UK. However, there are certain limitations on the quantity [...]

Many people are unaware of the nature conservation work that the National Trust carries out, and we wanted to experience firsthand a local estate’s approach to biodiversity renewal and getting people into nature. For three days, we immersed ourselves in enriching experiences that informed our research journey and left lasting impressions, and we extend a […]

Research team . Sophie Stenson - University of Exeter Dr Oliver James - University of Exeter Dr Lewis Elliot - University of Exeter . Partners . Collaborators Aims Renewing biodiversity will require a workforce with the right skills, knowledge and experience. Relatively little is currently known about the nature workforce or how it might develop [...]

Integrating health, wellbeing, nature and sustainability (HWNS) outcomes into strategic place-making: co-designing a toolkit to support complex decision-making at a local level . Oliver James - University of Exeter  Jamie McCauley - University of Exeter  Jemma Sharman - Natural England Tim Sunderland - Natural England  Jen Scott - Natural England   Partners   Overview The toolkit is [...]

Research team . Jo Furtado - University of Exeter Regan Early - University of Exeter Matt Lobley - University of Exeter Rosie Hails - National Trust Julia Aglionby - Foundation for Common Land Partners . Aims Common land, especially upland common land in places like the Lake District, encompasses large tracts of our most well-loved [...]

Research team Patrick Oko Quaye - University of Exeter Gail Whiteman - University of Exeter Stefano Pascucci - University of Exeter Aims The UK is a signatory to the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) which set international goals to address ongoing biodiversity loss. These include a requirement on large and transnational companies and financial [...]

Above: Photo by Kelly Stevens. *A special thank you goes to Kate Morley for her demonstration of ‘Biodiversity Renewal’ in British Sign Language (BSL). Kate has kindly provided the following links which explain the thinking behind BSL terms for science. “BSL is essential for Deaf people to share their experiences and ways of knowing the […]

Research team --- Rebecca Edgerley - University of Exeter Susan Molyneux-Hodgson - University of Exeter Angela Cassidy - University of Exeter Eleanor Hadley-Kershaw - University of Exeter John Wedgwood Clarke - University of Exeter Aims Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research is popular right now, featuring heavily in funding calls and projects. But what does it mean, [...]

Research team --- Lewis Elliot - University of Exeter Rebecca Lovell - University of Exeter Jo Garrett - University of Exeter Ben Phillips - University of Exeter Kevin Gaston - University of Exeter Fraenze Kibowski - Natural England Ruth Lamont - Natural England Partners --- --- Aims The objectives of ReBLS are: To determine whether [...]

Research team   Kevin Gaston - University of Exeter James Lowe - University of Exeter Gavin Stark - Natural England Partners --- --- Aims Natural England’s Coastal Access Programme aims to increase and improve public access to England’s coastline. It is constructing the King Charles III England Coast Path, a walking route around England’s coast [...]

Above: Cambridge Cottage. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London. Image credit: Kew Gardens Introducing the first Biodiversity Storytelling Summit 2023 Beyond the weathered wooden doors of Cambridge Cottage at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, hanging along the corridors, drawing room and gallery are pictures – botanical illustrations reflecting a “golden century” for plant discovery, collection, and […]

  National Poetry Day There are poetry events all around the country today, and we’re marking the occasion with a new classroom resource – Care Package – for Key Stages 3-5, the Foyle Young Poets (To be announced 1300 05/10/23) of the Year Award Ceremony at Shakespeare’s Globe, and the announcement of the winners of our Stanza Poetry […]

People of colour in the UK face systemic barriers in accessing and thriving in natural, academic, and professional ‘green spaces’. When it comes to natural green spaces, people of colour are mainly affected by three types of barriers: structural barriers—e., shortage and/or low quality of nearby accessible natural spaces and often unaffordable costs of visiting […]

Exploring Scientific and Policy-based Landscapes This meeting marked the first time that the four projects had convened in person, enabling us to compare notes and learn about each other’s structure, goals and – critically – lessons learned so far. Over the course of the week, a group of primarily ECRs learned from each other, alongside […]

Seeing things differently John previously ran a research project based at the Red River, exploring how creative writing can transform our relationship with a polluted, post-industrial river. Joining us was Steve Jones, the joint coordinator for the Red River Rescuers, a lifelong advocate for wildlife in the area and an expert in Cornish insects. The Red River has […]

Watching nature through the window might have many benefits – and researchers want you to share your view. The survey comes from the University of Exeter and The Wildlife Trusts as part of 30 Days Wild – the annual challenge which invites people of all ages to connect with nature every single day during the […]

Thursday 22nd June, 10:00-12:00, Online Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration – that is, research reaching across disciplines and beyond academia – are key to achieving effective biodiversity renewal, but can be challenging to undertake in practice. RENEW Theme X3: Collaboration in Practice aims to determine the learning about inter- and transdisciplinary working that results from RENEW […]

Date: Wednesday 10th  – Thursday 11th May 2023 Time: 1000 – 1500 Location: Trevithick Room, Environment and Sustainability Institute, Penryn Campus Details: Biodiversity per se is valuable. But understanding which aspects of biodiversity should be prioritised is extremely difficult. This question is central in numerous arenas of decision-making; from setting government policy and regulation to […]

Researchers at the University of Exeter and the National Trust are joining forces to improve the UK’s biodiversity and manage precious landscapes. In the face of rapid environmental change and declining biodiversity, the two organisations are driving closer collaboration between their research teams to help transform the ways that landscapes are managed and encourage people [...]

Using poetic licence in research practice Caleb will be starting a creative writing practice-as-research studentship aligned with Theme 2 (Community Action) in January 2023, looking at poetic responses to the science of biodiversity renewal and the role of the poet-educator during the biodiversity crisis. Unbeknownst to many at the Parliament, Caleb was hard at work [...]

Hosting a parliament of partnerships The first Parliament took place on 18-19 October in Exeter and brought together the RENEW team and representatives of over 20 partner organisations to workshop pressing questions around people, nature, and biodiversity renewal. Inspired by the Select Committees of Westminster, with a strong focus on deliberative democracy, the event was […]

Taste with a sense of place Fortunately, on our doorstep we were lucky to find and work with the Ground Up Cookery School, who took us on a journey of discovery on foraged, sustainable, low-waste food options, enabling us to deliver a low-impact conference dinner. Based on the northern edge of Dartmoor National Park, Ground […]