In the run-up to the global biodiversity conference, COP15, we present a series of posts in partnership with Scottish Government and NatureScot, showcasing Scotland’s innovative, high-impact research supporting biodiversity conservation. By way of introduction, Scotland’s Chief Scientific Adviser for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture, Mathew Williams, explains how scientific research and evidence is vital to tackling the nature and climate crisis.

Read Mathew Williams’ full introduction here.

Recent posts

118 P RH4488

Scotland’s Leaders in Biodiversity Conservation Science

In the run-up to the global biodiversity conference, COP15, we present a series of posts in partnership with Scottish Government and NatureScot, showcasing Scotland’s innovative, high-impact research supporting...
Image of Mathew Williams October 2021 cropped

Professor Mathew Williams, Chief Scientific Adviser

In the run-up to the global biodiversity conference, COP15, we present a series of posts in partnership with Scottish Government and NatureScot, showcasing Scotland’s innovative, high-impact research supporting...
Caroline 1

Dr Caroline Lehmann, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and University of Edinburgh

Exploring open ecosystems through a lens of environmental and social justice. Dr Caroline Lehmann describes her research as a “bridge between evolutionary and ecological science to understand the...
A white woman and a Black man sitting among grasses, shrubs and trees during fieldwork

Dr Antje Ahrends, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

A radical approach to forest degradation and destruction. The role of plantation agriculture in deforestation – and hence biodiversity loss and climate catastrophe – has been widely publicised,...
A woman in a white shirt smiling back at the camera. She is sitting in a hide from which an elephant can be seen in the distance

Professor Kirsty Park, University of Stirling

Essential empirical data for effective ecological restoration. Human activity can have both positive and negative impacts on biodiversity, often playing out over long timescales. Professor Kirsty Park’s research...
KerryWaylen

Dr Kerry Waylen, James Hutton Institute

Championing joined-up approaches to socio-ecological systems. “Broadly, what I want to do,” says Dr Kerry Waylen when asked to describe her research, “is save the world!” More specifically,...
Ghazoul Jaboury 02

Professor Jaboury Ghazoul, University of Edinburgh and ETH Zürich

Understanding the interplay between landscapes and people. Professor Jaboury Ghazoul is plant ecologist studying the bidirectional impacts of land-use decisions and ecological processes. Previously focused on the tropics...
Image2

Professor Alistair Jump, University of Stirling

Improving understanding of climate change impacts. Global change ecologist, Professor Alistair Jump explores the impacts of climate on ecological systems, our dependence on and our place within them....
Ruth in glen derry

Dr Ruth Mitchell, James Hutton Institute

Revealing the hidden impact of plant pests and pathogens. Plant and soil ecologist Dr Ruth Mitchell studies how human activities – such as land use, grazing pressure and...
AGatsea

Dr Alejandro Gallego, Marine Scotland

Modelling marine ecosystems for conservation and sustainability. As leader of the Oceanography Group within the Marine Scotland Directorate of the Scottish Government, Dr Alejandro Gallego coordinates the observation...
2

Dr Richard Lilley, Project Seagrass

Combining research and community action to secure a future for seagrass. Marine scientist Dr Richard Lilley started his research career studying sustainable supply chain management in small-scale capture...
20220816 140448flipped

Professor Robin Pakeman, James Hutton Institute

Leading large-scale research into grazing impacts on upland biodiversity. Professor Robin Pakeman’s wide-ranging ecological research spans plant functional traits, the diets of Soay sheep, long-term vegetation change and...
IMG 3313

Professor Rob Brooker, James Hutton Institute

Harnessing ecological knowledge for sustainable agriculture. Professor Rob Brooker is a plant ecologist working at sites across Scotland. His research focuses on the interactions between plants, which can...
Davy McCracken SRUC

Professor Davy McCracken, Scotland’s Rural College

Exploring interactions between farming and biodiversity. Professor Davy McCracken is an agricultural ecologist who has spent over 30 years studying farming and biodiversity interactions and advising on agriculture...
Murray Roberts photo loch moidart crop02

Professor Murray Roberts, University of Edinburgh

Advancing understanding of deep water habitats to support long-term management and conservation. Professor Murray Roberts is a marine biologist studying the biology and ecology of deep-sea (cold-water) corals....
AEMat EastSands

Professor Anne Magurran, University of St Andrews

Capturing complexity in measures of biodiversity. “My introduction to measuring biodiversity came during my PhD research at the University of Ulster, when I set out to compare ancient...
Jeanette with leopard snake

Jeanette Hall, NatureScot

Fostering resilience through genetic diversity and co-development. With global environmental change accelerating, resilience is crucial. And genetic diversity is central to species’ resilience. Jeanette Hall pioneers the use...
Field work

Dr Aline Finger, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Combining genetics and ecology to save species from extinction. Dr Aline Finger is a conservation geneticist at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE). Her work focuses on generating...
Chris Cairngorms 2017

Professor Chris Spray, UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Science and Policy, Dundee University

Learning by doing. Professor Chris Spray is a self-confessed nature enthusiast, never happier than when his feet are in a wetland, his binoculars round his neck and with...
AndreaBritton

Dr Andrea Britton, James Hutton Institute

Bringing the underground into the limelight. Dr Andrea Britton is a plant and soil ecologist specialising in alpine ecosystems and the impacts of nitrogen deposition and climate change....
19 0045 20 cropped wip03

Professor Chris Quine, Forest Research

Research supporting the health of UK forests and biodiversity. Professor Chris Quine is Chief Scientist of Forest Research, the research agency of the Forestry Commission and the UK’s...
Ros Bryce photo

Dr Rosalind Bryce, University of the Highlands and Islands

Co-creating cultural narratives for sustainable rural development. Ecologist Dr Rosalind Bryce is Director of the Centre for Mountain Studies at the University of the Highlands and Islands, and...
Picture2

Dr Heidi Burdett, Lyell Centre, Heriot-Watt University

Multidisciplinary research to understand and protect vital marine ecosystems. “I am a marine biologist investigating the photosynthesis and biogeochemistry of coastal marine ecosystems, with the aim of better...
Picture1

Dr Alessandro Gimona, The James Hutton Institute

Understanding the interconnected impacts of climate change and land-use change. Dr Alessandro Gimona is an ecologist and a geographer working at a range of scales, from regional to...
xl Assyn vole 2020

Professor Xavier Lambin, University of Aberdeen

Building the complexity of species interactions into conservation policy and practice. Professor Xavier Lambin’s research uses population ecology to solve pressing applied issues in wildlife management and conservation...
IMG 20220517 151849 1

Dr David O’Brien, NatureScot

Using evidence-based conservation to inform policy. Nature is everywhere While many think of Scotland as a land of mountains, glens and lochs, in fact most of us live...
IMG 20221115 WA0001

Dr Helen Senn, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland

Ensuring the long-term survival of highly threatened species, in Scotland and around the globe. “What gets me out of bed in the morning is the feeling that I...
byahr caloplacac 2016

Dr Rebecca Yahr, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Sharing a love of lichens. “As a biodiversity scientist, I think there are three main themes that must be a part of my focus: diversity, conservation and people....
FB3A4425

Professor Jeremy Wilson, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and University of Stirling

Developing the evidence base for nature conservation. “I have spent over 30 years as a conservation scientist, studying the relationships between land-use change and biodiversity, and focusing mainly...
DeborahLong Norway email 2

Dr Deborah Long, Scottish Environment LINK

Bringing history to bear on contemporary problems. Dr Deborah Long makes connections between specialists and policy makers, prehistoric landscapes and today’s policy. “I bring the long eye of...
RodP Image 1

Professor Rod Page, University of Glasgow

Making biodiversity data accessible and discoverable. With a background in taxonomy, phylogenetics, and biodiversity informatics, Professor Rod Page’s current work focuses on making biodiversity information accessible and discoverable....
IMG 20200522 150430

Professor Jennifer Smart, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

A team effort for waders. From UK wetlands to global grasslands “Species conservation has been at the heart of my whole career,” says Professor Jennifer Smart. My research...
IMG 6005

Dr Janet Fisher, Edinburgh University School of Geosciences

Untangling the motivations for conservation. “The idea of the Anthropocene reminds us how profoundly we are now altering the earth system,” says Dr Janet Fisher. She describes herself...
DSC04855

Professor Euan James, James Hutton Institute

Exploiting plant symbioses is the key to sustainable agriculture. Euan James is a plant and microbial scientist specialising in root-nodulating symbiotic interactions between (mainly) legumes and soil bacteria...
img

Professor Dan Haydon, University of Glasgow

Fusing ecology and evolution with animal health. “Academia was never the intended plan,” says Professor Dan Haydon, but after becoming obsessively interested in ecological stability and its relationship...
Lisa with scythe

Lisa Chilton, National Biodiversity Network Trust

Sharing the data needed for nature’s recovery. As CEO of the National Biodiversity Network Trust (NBN Trust), Lisa Chilton is devoted to the charity’s mission of ‘making data...
IMG 20221201 WA0005

Dr Tom Parker, James Hutton Institute

Using fundamental ecosystem understanding to inform land management. Dr Tom Parker’s research focuses on the role of plant roots and associated fungi in ecosystem processes such as carbon...
DSC2608

Dr Neil Bell, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Defining the fundamental units of bryophyte conservation. “As a phylogenetic taxonomist working on bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts), I feel I have a responsibility to be a tireless...
IMG 4645

Sarah Watts, Corrour Estate and University of Stirling

Research underpinning the conservation and restoration of Scotland’s montane woodlands. “I am a plant ecologist and early career researcher undertaking a part-time PhD at the University of Stirling,...
JC3

Dr Joan Cottrell, Forest Research

Molecular approaches to support forest resilience “Early influences have a profound effect on how our later lives develop,” says Dr Joan Cottrell. “Born to Scottish parents, I was...
Image of Mathew Williams October 2021 cropped

Professor Mathew Williams, Chief Scientific Adviser

As COP15 comes to an end, so does our series profiling just a few of the many innovative and impactful scientists working in Scotland to conserve biodiversity at...
in a rain storm in a garden, a large water blister under a lawn is inspected by one person while three take pictures

Are we ready to weather the water?

On Friday 14 June 2024, RBGE experienced 11mm of rain in the span of 8 minutes. To put into context, a typical rainy day (≥ 1mm precipitation, of...