Tagged: "Habitats and Landscapes"

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 [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]

‘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 & [...]

Research team Clare Bissell (Project Lead) - National Trust Michelle Twena -National Trust David Bavin - National Trust Matthew Heard - National Trust Sarah Crowley - University of Exeter Collaborators All of RENEW’s 30+ partners are being invited to participate in this exciting mission. Aims  ExCASES missions provide short, intense periods of focus towards issues that [...]

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 . Jo Garret - University of Exeter Lewis Elliot - University of Exeter Rebecca Lovell - University of Exeter Kevin J. Gaston - University of Exeter Ben Phillips - University of Exeter Fraenze Kibowski - Natural England  Tom Marshall - Natural England Partners and collaborators Aims It is now broadly recognised that living near [...]

Research team . Regan Early- University of Exeter Alice Drysdale - University of Exeter Kevin Gaston- University of Exeter Aims To understand the relationship between biodiversity and human communities in urban areas. . Approach Previous research has focused on access to the wellbeing value of greenspaces. For example, the ORVal tool was created to look at [...]

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 [...]

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 . 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 [...]

How effective are social science-informed interventions in addressing the environmental impacts of recreational activities in protected areas and similar sites?  Research Team . Bethan Stagg - University of Exeter  Oliver James - University of Exeter  Alice Moseley - University of Exeter  Gavin Stark - Natural England  Eirini Saratsi - Natural England   Partners     [...]

Well, the person is a coordinate on a grid, as is the pigeon, and the forest is indicated by a smattering of yellow pixels on the grid. Above: Pigeon-in-the-code (left) and pigeon-in-the-flesh-through-a-camera (right). Image and photograph by Siddharth Unnithan Kumar. Synapsed to the terminal, senses spellbound by the digital (to paraphrase David Abram), I do [...]

Research team --- David Baker - University of Exeter Ilya Maclean - University of Exeter Daveron Smith - University of Exeter Alex Inman - University of Exeter | LEEP Institute  Dr Emma Gardner - UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Partners Aims To understand key opportunities for and barriers to nature-friendly farming To collect baseline [...]

Research team --- Will Bugg - University of Exeter Tim Lenton - University of Exeter Oshadee Siyaguna - J O Hambro (Regnan) Gail Whiteman - University of Exeter Thomas Powell - University of Exeter Jesse Abrams - University of Exeter --- Partnership --- Aims Businesses and financial investors are paying more attention to how their [...]

How we develop mission proposals to ensure they are interdisciplinary, agile and codesigned… We wanted to give a flavour of what an ExCASES participatory workshop looks like and demonstrate practically how we develop mission proposals to ensure they are interdisciplinary, agile and codesigned. It was also a rare opportunity to collect mission ideas and inputs […]

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 [...]

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 […]

“It stands as a testament to the collective determination of nations to steer our planet towards a healthier future for the planet and its people.” Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility. This statement by Carlos Manuel Rodríguez to the assembly, which was in attendance by environmental leaders and managers from […]

Above: ExCASES deer mission planning, National Trust Heelis. Implementing the first mission The first mission we are currently delivering revolves around deer management. The increase and expansion of deer populations in the UK are, in places, having a significantly detrimental impact on biodiversity and deer welfare, with associated socio-economic costs for people. The spread and […]

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 […]

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 […]

Event Information Each of us has a personalised ecology, a set of direct interactions with the natural world that change through the day, the week, the season, and across our lifetimes. The scale and composition of these interactions vary greatly between people and are shaped by opportunities, capabilities and motivations. These personalised ecologies have a […]

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 [...]

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 […]