Patrick White
Patrick White

Dr Patrick White FCIEEM FHEA

Associate Professor

 0131 455 2509

  P.White@napier.ac.uk

  

Biography

Within the Centre for Conservation & Restoration Science I do research that has practical applications for conservation of threatened species and for the wider profession of ecology and environmental management. I have a wide range of interests and I apply a variety of research techniques, including observational studies, experimental work and modelling.

I have carried out applied research for a range of avian and mammalian taxa including passerines, grouse, geese, waders, otters, ibex and badgers. I am also interested in use of technologies for wildlife biology, developing evidence-based approaches for their use and inter-disciplinary partnerships to develop novel approaches for ecological monitoring.

In 2023 I was appointed Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (FCIEEM). I am also a member of the IUCN Otter Specialist Group. I am on the Editorial Board for CIEEM’s quarterly publication ‘In Practice’ and a Subject Editor for the Wildlife Biology journal.

I am Programme Leader for Napier's CIEEM-accredited MSc Wildlife Biology & Conservation where my teaching is led by my research, contributing to the areas of statistics and modelling, applied ecology, biodiversity monitoring and analysis, as well as field surveying techniques and technologies. I am the Life Sciences Subject Group Management Team. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and an External Examiner at University of Lincoln.

I was previously a postdoctoral research scientist in Upland Research Group at the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT; 2010-2013) and did my PhD at the Centre for Agri-environmental Research, University of Reading, in conjunction with the GWCT Allerton Project (2005-2009). I have a BSc in Ecological Sciences from the University of Edinburgh (2001-2005). I was inspired to pursue ecological research during summer field/lab-based research assistant posts I did at University of Glasgow (2005) and BBSRC Rothamsted Research's Insect Survey (2003, 2004).

Please contact me if you are interested in doing a PhD project within my lab.

School

Research Groups

Themes

Research Areas

News

Events

Esteem

Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • Invited judge: CIEEM Member of the Year Award
  • Invited working group member: Curlew Recovery Partnership England, Forestry Working Group
  • Invited as panel member to review CIEEM Competency Framework with a focus on academic members
  • School leadership: Member of the Life Sciences Subject Group Management Team at Edinburgh Napier University
  • Organized/ran a workshop of professional ecologists on "Robots in Ecology"
  • Invited referee for a People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) Conservation Insights Grant application
  • Attended University Research Degrees Committee, deputizing for Research Degrees Lead
  • Committee leadership: Deputy Research Degrees Lead, School of Applied Sciences (including attending University Research Degrees Committee)
  • Invited committee member: CIEEM Training, Education and Career Development Committee
  • Elected committee member: CIEEM Academia Special Interest Group Committee
  • Invited expert to Bean Goose Action Group Steering Committee on bean goose research
  • Elected member of CIEEM Scottish Members' Section Committee
  • Invited to Forestry Commission Scotland's Woodland Expansion Group Stakeholder Meeting due to expertise on black grouse and forestry
  • Invited expert to Black Grouse Biodiversity Action Plan Steering Committee on black grouse research

 

Conference Organising Activity

  • Conference Organizing Committee - CIEEM Spring Conference 2021 (“Long -term Ecological Research Projects: Using Evidence to Inform Practice")
  • Session chair and organizing committee: CIEEM Scottish Conference 2018 ("Wildlife Tourism in Scotland")
  • Conference Organizing Committee - CIEEM Autumn Conference 2018 (“Advances in Ecological Restoration and Habitat Creation”)

 

Editorial Activity

  • Member of Editorial Board for In Practice (Bulletin of the Chartered Institute of Ecology & Environmental Management)

 

External Examining/Validations

  • External examiner, University of Greenwich (MSc Environmental Conservation)

 

Fellowships and Awards

  • Fellowship (appointed by Governing Board): Chartered Institute of Ecology & Environmental Management (post-nominals FCIEEM)
  • Edinburgh Napier Students' Association Excellence Award - Best Tutor (Applied Sciences)
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (post-nominals FHEA)

 

Grant Reviewer

  • Invited grant reviewer: NERC SUPER DTP proposals

 

Invited Speaker

  • Invited speaker: Forestry & Land Scotland South Region Staff CPD series (on otter research)
  • Invited speaker at Scottish Ringers' Conference 2019 on black grouse research
  • Conference presentation: Marine Alliance for Science & Technology's 'Annual Science Meeting' (co-author)
  • Invited speaker at Scottish Natural Heritage Lunchtime Seminar Series on agroecology research
  • Conference presentation: CIEEM 'Autumn Conference, Mitigation Monitoring and Effectiveness' (co-author)
  • Invited speaker at Perthshire Black Grouse Study Group Annual Meeting on black grouse research
  • Invited speaker at The Wildlife Information Centre Autumn Conference ‘Why biological recording matters’ (Vogrie Country Park, Scotland) on my programme of research
  • Floor presentation at British Ornithologists’ Union ‘Avian demography in a changing world’ (University of Leicester, England) on agroecology research
  • Floor presentation at University of Uppsala ‘6th International Black Grouse Conference’  (University of Uppsala, Sweden) on black grouse research
  • Invited speaker at Moorland Forum/GWCT ‘Thinking CAP – Upland Research and Management’ (Perth, Scotland) on black grouse research
  • Floor presentation at Society for Conservation Biology ‘3rd European Congress of Conservation Biologists’ (Glasgow, Scotland) on black grouse research
  • Floor presentation at Forestry Commission ‘Future of Scotland’s Woodland Grouse’ (Dunkeld, Scotland) on black grouse research
  • Floor presentation at Oxford University’s Edward Grey Institute ‘Student Conference’ (University of Groningen, Netherlands) on agroecology research

 

Media Activity

  • Featured on front page of The Herald newspaper about agroecology research
  • Featured on BBC radio’s ‘Out of Doors’ to discuss black grouse research
  • Featured on BBC television’s ‘Landward’ to discuss black grouse research
  • Featured in Shooting Times magazine to discuss black grouse research

 

Membership of Professional Body

  • Member - IUCN Grouse Specialist Group
  • Member - IUCN Otter Specialist Group
  • Professional membership: Chartered Institute of Ecology & Environmental Management (post-nominals MCIEEM 2013-2023 and FCIEEM 2023 onwards)

 

Reviewing

  • Reviewer: Ecological Solutions & Evidence (Wiley) journal
  • Reviewer: Ibis (Wiley) journal
  • Invited to review: Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (Springer) journal
  • Invited to review - Ecology & Evolution (Wiley)
  • Reviewer - Ecosphere (Wiley)
  • Reviewer - Movement Ecology (Springer)
  • Reviewer - Journal of Wildlife Management (Wiley)
  • Reviewer - European Journal of Wildlife Research (Springer)
  • Reviewer - Heliyon (Elsevier)
  • Reviewer - Ibis (British Ornithologists' Union)
  • Reviewer- Ecological Modelling (Elsevier)
  • Reviewer - Ibis (British Ornithologists' Union)
  • Reviewer-Journal of Applied Ecology (Wiley)

 

Filter by

Date


30 results

Rattus management is essential for population persistence in a critically endangered passerine: combining small-scale field experiments and population modelling.

Journal Article
Maggs, G., Nicoll, M., Zuël, N., White, P. J. C., Winfield, E., Poongavanan, S., …Norris, K. (2015)
Rattus management is essential for population persistence in a critically endangered passerine: combining small-scale field experiments and population modelling. Biological Conservation, 191, 274-281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2015.06.039
Invasive species are a major threat for island biodiversity, causing species decline and extinction globally. Of all invasive mammals rats are one of the most detrimental and ...

Habitat use by Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix in a mixed moorland-forest landscape in Scotland and implications for a national afforestation strategy

Journal Article
White, P. J. C., Warren, P., & Baines, D. (2015)
Habitat use by Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix in a mixed moorland-forest landscape in Scotland and implications for a national afforestation strategy. Bird Study, 62(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2014.1000261
Capsule Long-term conservation of Black Grouse in Scotland may rely upon the retention of sufficiently large and well-connected patches of moorland and a diversity of adjacent...

Predator reduction with habitat management can improve songbird nest success: Predator Reduction and Songbird Nest Success

Journal Article
White, P. J. C., Stoate, C., Szczur, J., & Norris, K. (2014)
Predator reduction with habitat management can improve songbird nest success: Predator Reduction and Songbird Nest Success. The journal of wildlife management, 78(3), 402-412. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.687
Predation pressure on many threatened species, including European farmland songbirds, may have increased over recent decades. Predator reduction to protect declining bird popu...

A method for deriving time-variable avian re-nesting probability functions for use in seasonal productivity models

Conference Proceeding
White, P. (2014)
A method for deriving time-variable avian re-nesting probability functions for use in seasonal productivity models. In Proceedings of the BOU’s 2013 Annual Conference - From populations to policy impact: avian demography in a changing world
The demographic parameters productivity, survival and migration ultimately determine local avian population trends. Their measurement is essential in bird conservation, for di...

Black Grouse Conservation In Southern Scotland

Report
Warren, P., Atterton, F., Baines, D., & White, P. J. C. (2013)
Black Grouse Conservation In Southern Scotland. Inverness, Scotland: Scottish Natural Heritage
Black grouse in southern Scotland have declined in both numbers and range, with the Scottish Black Grouse Biodiversity Action Plan Steering Group identifying this area as a pr...

Forest expansion in Scotland and its potential effects on black grouse Tetrao tetrix conservation

Journal Article
White, P. J. C., Warren, P., & Baines, D. (2013)
Forest expansion in Scotland and its potential effects on black grouse Tetrao tetrix conservation. Forest Ecology and Management, 308, 145-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.07.038
Increasing forest cover has been the policy of various countries in recent decades. The Scottish government aims to increase national forest cover from 18% to 25% by 2050. Mid...

Variations in Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix winter survival in a year with prolonged snow cover

Journal Article
Warren, P., White, P. J. C., Baines, D., Atterton, F., & Brown, M. J. (2013)
Variations in Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix winter survival in a year with prolonged snow cover. Bird Study, 60(2), 257-263. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2013.778225
Capsule Low Black Grouse survival rate in northern England during a severe winter with prolonged snow was attributed to limited availability and proximity of woodland. Aims T...

Spatial and structural habitat requirements of black grouse in Scottish forests

Report
White, P., Warren, P., & Baines, D. (2013)
Spatial and structural habitat requirements of black grouse in Scottish forests. Inverness: Scottish Natural Heritage
Background Sympathetic management and placement of forests to provide/protect suitable habitat is a key focus of Scottish black grouse conservation. More information about how...

Song characteristics vary clinally across an active colonization zone in Eurasian Nuthatches Sitta europaea

Journal Article
White, P. J. C. (2012)
Song characteristics vary clinally across an active colonization zone in Eurasian Nuthatches Sitta europaea. Bird Study, 59(3), 296-302. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2012.672399
Capsule Eurasian Nuthatches have experienced a northward range expansion in Britain. Younger, more isolated, populations have smaller song meme-pool size, diversity and indivi...

Investigating the effects of predator removal and habitat management on nest success and breeding population size of a farmland passerine: a case study

Journal Article
White, P. J. C., Stoate, C., Szczur, J., & Norris, K. (2008)
Investigating the effects of predator removal and habitat management on nest success and breeding population size of a farmland passerine: a case study. Ibis, 150, 178-190. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919X.2008.00858.x
Passerines are especially vulnerable to predation at the pre-independence stage. Although the role of nest success in British farmland passerine declines is contentious, impro...

Current Post Grad projects

Previous Post Grad projects

Non-Napier PhD or MSc by Research supervisions

  • Formal mentor for a SUPER DTP PhD student based at University of Stirling
  • PhD supervisor on a SUPER DTP studentship based at University of Aberdeen