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WELCOME TO THE

EEC GROUP

OVERVIEW

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WHAT WE DO

The experimental ecology & conservation group focusses on synthesising information from mathematical models, small-scale experimental systems, and long-term wild population data to learn more about the world around us, and in particular help make decisions about how to best preserve biodiversity into the future.

NOVEL TECHNIQUES

A specific focus is on developing new, exciting, and useful techniques to make the experimental systems we work with more realistic reflections of the world around us.

ITS ALL ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE

But our focus is always on how we can learn more about the natural world without having to carry out invasive or damaging experiments in the field.

NEWS

The latest news on papers, grants, and members joining the group!

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For regular news updates follow us on twitter

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CURRENT PROJECTS

EARLY WARNING SIGNALS

Predicting the fate of biological systems is critical in the light of continued global change, especially in the field of conservation biology where at risk populations must be prioritised to make the most of limited resources. A long running interest of this group is developing warning signals of approach population, community, and ecosystem collapse based on temporal patterns in abundance, trait, and spatial data.

EXPERIMENTALLY TESTING CONSERVATION THEORY

Designing optimal conservation strategies is key in the face of limited funding and ever increasing anthropogenic stresses. A central theme to the group is using experimental systems to test and develop conservation theory.

TRACKING BIODIVERSITY CHANGE

Understanding whether biodiversity is changing is critical if we are to understand the impacts humanity is having on ecosystems, and whether management interventions are having the desired effects. Our group is working with Bristol City Council to produce a wildlife index to track biodiversity change in Bristol.

THE EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE STRESSORS

The effects of multiple stressors (e.g. including habitat loss, pollution, over harvesting, climatic change, and the introduction of invasive species) on global biodiversity is a continued concern. We are interested in the possible interactive effects of these stressors, and how this may affect populations and communities.

RESILIENCE AND RECOVERY IN FISHERIES

Fisheries are one of the most economic and ecologically important ecosystems on earth. However the vast majority are in a state of significant degradation. We are interested in how such systems might recovery, and the pathways they might take doing so, and how these pathways affect community structure and function.

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PEOPLE

Meet the Team

ALUMNI

Gone but not forgotten

PUBLICATIONS

IN PRESS

PRE-PRINTS

2023

2022

2021

2020

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2019

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2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

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THESES

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DATA

In line with the principals of open science and data sharing we are striving to make all the data that our lab group generates available via a github repository. This will take some time, but all data going forward will be uploaded to that site, and data from previous experiments (be that laboratory generated or simulation generated) will be made available as soon as possible.

CURRENT GRANTS

EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE STRESSORS ON THE GLOBAL DECLINE OF VERTEBRATE POPULATIONS

2020 - 2022

Leverhulme Trust

RPG-2019-368

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Read More

TIMELINE TO COLLAPSE

2020 - 2023

THE COHERENCE OF ECOLOGICAL STABILITY AMONG ECOSYSTEMS AND ACROSS ECOLOGICAL SCALES

2020 - 2024

JOIN THE GROUP

We are always looking for enthusiastic members to join the group, from masters students to post docs. Funding for these are available through a number of channels, depending on the career stage.

Please feel free to contact me any time to discuss the possibility of apply for one of these schemes and joining our team.

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AVAILABLE POSITIONS 

Adverts for funded positions will appear below

IS REWILDING A FEASIBLE LAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE UK?

Deadline: Friday 17th March 2023.

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About the Project


Conservation and society are intimately linked; conservation cannot work without the support of societies, and societies can’t function without biodiverse ecosystems. However, biodiversity is continuing to decline, and consequently a new approach to conservation is needed. Rewilding (the restoration of degraded ecosystems through the reintroduction of missing species) has both grabbed and polarised the public, with research suggesting a suite of potential benefits: increasing biodiversity, stimulating local economies (e.g. through tourism), facilitating community health and engagement through access to green spaces, and increasing carbon sequestration. Thus, with careful planning of where and how rewilding is carried out, both biodiversity and deprived rural areas stand to benefit. However, to achieve this requires tensions between local stakeholders (e.g. farmers) and conservation proponents (e.g. rewilding charities) to be resolved. Building a roadmap to achieve this is fundamental for conservation to be successful across the UK over the coming decades, necessitating a strong focus on engaged local communities to improve health, wellbeing, and the environment for a sustainable planet.


This project consists of two linked PhD scholarships: one in social sciences (Human Geography) and one in ecology (Biology). These two PhD’s will run in parallel and feed results into one another, combining ecological habitat suitability modelling and a social survey, along with qualitative research, to identify areas of the UK where, and how, rewilding is both societally supported and ecologically possible. Doing so will:


  • Identify what areas of the UK provide the best initial sites for rewilding

  • Identify the best species to reintroduce into a given area to restore missing functions

  • Identify which areas have the greatest potential social and economic impact from rewilding

  • Understand the challenges and opportunities of rewilding, particularly the tensions and trade-offs with agriculture

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Studentship 1 (Ecology, Biological Sciences)


Studentship one will focus on the ecological feasibility of rewilding in the UK. Working primarily with Dr Chris Clements, the student will use species distribution modelling, the student will (1) identify suitable habitat in the UK to reintroduce a range of species covering a range of ecological functions (from predators to ecosystem engineers), (2) identify potential rewilding hotspots – areas where multiple species can be simultaneously reintroduced into the same area, (3) incorporate economic data to identify which of these sites could have the greatest economic benefit to local areas, and (4) integrate the outputs from studentship 2 (social sciences) to give a holistic understanding where rewilding might have positive environmental and social impact.

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Studentship 2 (Human Geography, School of Geographical Sciences)


Studentship Two will focus on the socio-cultural, political, and economic challenges and opportunities of rewilding in the UK. Working under the primary supervision of Dr Lauren Blake (Geographical Sciences), this project will explore the tensions and synergies between rewilding and food production/agriculture, including considering its viability, acceptability, and trade-offs. Policy analysis may also be relevant, as well as current trends towards regenerative and agroecological farming. The research will require primarily qualitative approaches (possibly including participatory/creative methods), but some quantitative methods will also be expected (e.g. survey data). As well as empirical, the PhD project should have strong theoretical grounding. The research will require integrating results from studentship 1 to give a holistic understanding of rewilding’s environmental and social potential and feasibility in the UK.


The project will require the postgraduate researcher to cultivate their autonomy over the project’s focus and trajectory. The successful student’s particular interests, background, experience, and expertise will heavily shape both the project focus and methodology accordingly. Applicants’ experience and ideas for moulding the potential of the research should be outlined in the application proposal.

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Applications

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The deadline to apply is Friday 17th March 2023. Interviews for shortlisted candidates are expected to take place during the weeks of 20th and 27th of March.

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CONTACT US

School of Biological Sciences
University of Bristol
Bristol Life Sciences Building
24 Tyndall Avenue
Bristol

England
BS8 1TQ

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