Biodiversity Solutions

Biodiversity Solutions - Terrestrial

Home ¦ Centre Themes ¦ Meet the Experts ¦ Publications ¦ Projects ¦ Business & Biodiversity ¦ News & Events ¦ Media ¦ Contact us

Explore research activities in the Biodiversity Solutions theme related to terrestrial ecosystems. Names shown indicate authors or co-authors involved from the Centre of Conservation and Restoration Science.

Navigate to more Biodiversity Solutions research activities: All | Freshwater | Marine

Conservation

Conservation refers to the preservation and management of natural habitats and ecosystems, and to the enabling of the survival and evolution of species. More recently, conservation action is also sometimes considered for novel habitats and their inhabitants, such as substrate discarded from mining.

Projects

Conservation of threatened smooth-coated otters in a heavily modified landscape in western India

Publications

Mammalian predators and vegetated nesting habitat drive reduced protected area nesting success of Kentish plovers, Yellow Sea region, China (2023), Ecology and Evolution; (Pagani-Nunez)

Assessment of the accuracy of counting large ungulate species (red deer Cervus elaphus) with UAV mounted thermal infrared cameras during night flights (2023), Wildlife Biology; (White)

Linking agri-environment scheme habitat area, predation and the abundance of chick invertebrate prey to the nesting success of a declining farmland bird (2022), Ecological Solutions and Evidence; (White, Briers)

Trade-offs between economic development and biodiversity conservation on a tropical island (2022), Conservation Biology; (Pagani-Nunez)

Expert range maps of global mammal distributions harmonised to three taxonomic authorities (2022), Journal of Biogeography; (Gilchrist)

Multi-scale habitat selection and spatial analysis reveals a mismatch between the wintering distribution of a threatened population of Taiga Bean Geese Anser fabalis and its protected area (2022), Bird Study; (Briers, White)

Genetic diversity of the Nubian ibex in Oman as revealed by mitochondrial DNA (2021), Royal Society Open Science; (White)

Training future generations to deliver evidence-based conservation and ecosystem management (2021), Ecological Solutions and Evidence; (Dodd)

COVID-19: ban 'orientalism' by critics of wildlife trade (2020), Nature; (Pagani-Nunez)

Restoration/Rehabilitation/Rewilding/Enhancement

Solutions to the biodiversity crisis need to include not only conservation, but also restoration, rehabilitation and/or rewilding of ecosystems, given the magnitude of destruction caused. The term restoration has traditionally been used to describe actions which aimed to return a system to its original state, re-establishing the species that have been lost, and ecosystem functions and services. More recently, it has also been applied to attempts to restore ecosystem functionality and services even when species cannot return (sometimes also called rehabilitation). Rewilding also focuses on key ecological functions but emphasises relinquishment of human control. Ecological enhancement aims to improve the environmental conditions for species, for example, by installing a bird box or a green wall, whilst protecting human health and the environment.

Projects

Easter Beltie Ecological Restoration Monitoring Research

Publications

Rubber plantation ageing controls soil biodiversity after land conversion from cassava (2018), Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment; (Blaud)

Nature-Based Solutions & Grey-Green Solutions, Ecological Engineering, Circular Economy

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are inspired and supported by nature. They aim to provide a harmonised solution to benefit the environment, society and economy, ensuring resilience to future change. An example is to plant mangrove forests to reduce the impact of storm surges. A grey-green solution to the same issue would be the use of artificial structures and mangroves in concert. Ecological engineering has been defined as the imitation or design of ecosystems for the mutual benefit of humans and nature. Circular economy aims to stop the production of waste by a transition to renewable energy and reusable materials.

Projects

Publications

Recent advances and public health implications for environmental exposure to Chlamydia abortus: from enzootic to zoonotic disease (2022), Veterinary Research; (Wheelhouse)

A guide to modeling the geotechnical behavior of soils using the discrete element method (2021), Modeling in geotechnical engineering; (Barreto Gonzales)

Bacterial endophytes of mangrove propagules elicit early establishment of the natural host and promote growth of cereal crops under salt stress (2019), Microbiological Research; (Fusi)

Land use driven change in soil pH affects microbial carbon cycling processes (2018), Nature Communications; (Blaud)

Behavioural or Policy Change

Solutions to the biodiversity crisis will have to involve individual and collective behaviour change that overcomes psychological, cultural, economic, business, and political barriers. Regenerative tourism for example aims at proactively making an area ecologically better, as opposed to just sustaining it, whilst enriching local communities and offering transformative visitor experience. To help communicate science and achieve behavioural and transformative cultural change, the centre is using methods from the social sciences, psychology and the arts and creative industries.