The Applied Ecologist community

Exploring regenerationprojects in South Wales

A Case Study By Doha, Cassidy, Cara, Katya and Annya – Students from the University of Surrey’s BSc Programme Introduction The coal-fields that span the geography of South Wales are considered ‘valleys’; whilst the history behind what is now dispersed soil tips, is considered to have started mid-19th century, its history can be traced back to the iron-ore extraction industry, where British exportation made its … Continue reading Exploring regenerationprojects in South Wales

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Research summaries

Can we count elephants from space? Towards a remote alternative to aerial surveys for large land mammals

Wilks et al. share their experience investigating the potential use of satellite surveys to identify elephants in the heterogeneous terrain of Botswana, Africa. A small Cessna plane flies low across the vast expanse of the Okavango Delta in Botswana, with all eyes abord peeled to detect and record elephants as part of the country-wide aerial survey every 4 years. The survey will fly over 20,000 … Continue reading Can we count elephants from space? Towards a remote alternative to aerial surveys for large land mammals

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The Applied Ecologist community

From Coalfield to Community: How Pentref Tyleri Is Regenerating South Wales

Case Study of Pentref Tyleri written by students of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Surrey By Aiyushi, Oliver, Anaya, Konnie, and Jasmine A Community Rebuilding After Coal As part of the Environment and Sustainability course at the University of Surrey, we have had the opportunity to visit South Wales to explore community and environmental regeneration after the closure of local coal mines. During … Continue reading From Coalfield to Community: How Pentref Tyleri Is Regenerating South Wales

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Research summaries

Going the extra mile: environmental data collected by citizen scientists help shape new models of UK pollinating insect trends

Authors: Francesca Mancini, Claire Carvell and the PoMS partnership Our new paper “Modelling pollinator trends using multi-scale environmental data from the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme”, recently published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence, represents an important milestone for the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS). Established in 2017, PoMS was designed to fill a critical evidence gap by collecting standardised data on bees, hoverflies and other flower-visiting … Continue reading Going the extra mile: environmental data collected by citizen scientists help shape new models of UK pollinating insect trends

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The Applied Ecologist community

Restoring the valleys & regenerating communities

From Industrial Legacy to Ecological Recovery: Tracking the Revival of the Afon Ebbw Fach By Ahmed, Olivia, Moritz, and Sophie from the Centre for Environment and Sustainability, University of Surrey The Legacy of Coal As Environment and Sustainability students, we recognise that aquatic biodiversity is imperative to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Rivers are complex systems; polluting one creates a positive feedback loop with … Continue reading Restoring the valleys & regenerating communities

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Plain language summaries, Research summaries

Climate-Driven Changes in Habitat Suitability of two keystone species in Dry Afromontane forests of Ethiopia

Mountain forests provide many benefits, including storing carbon, protecting water supplies, reducing soil erosion, and supporting biodiversity. In Ethiopia’s Dry Evergreen Afromontane forests, two tree species – African pencil cedar (Juniperus procera) and African wild olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) – play particularly important ecological and cultural roles. However, rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns can alter where these species can survive in the future. … Continue reading Climate-Driven Changes in Habitat Suitability of two keystone species in Dry Afromontane forests of Ethiopia

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Research summaries, Restoration

When does a soft-release actually work? The importance of time in the enclosure in carnivore reintroductions

Reintroducing a carnivore into the wild is never simple. Years of planning, significant resources, and a great deal of careful coordination go into each release. Yet despite all this effort, reintroduced animals do not always settle where we want them to, and understanding why is critical for improving future reintroductions. One of the key decisions managers face when planning a reintroduction is how to release … Continue reading When does a soft-release actually work? The importance of time in the enclosure in carnivore reintroductions

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Research summaries

Out of the weeds: Building on lessons learned for better collaboration on aquatic plant management

Authors: Erin Smith and Sarah Rijkenberg Collaborative research approaches with local practitioners and community members are creating more meaningful environmental research. This process is often called ‘knowledge coproduction’, and it’s been shown to increase uptake of scientific findings, build interpersonal trust, and strengthen relationships between researchers and practitioners. Co-production is, however, not easy. We are still figuring out the best practices to make it work … Continue reading Out of the weeds: Building on lessons learned for better collaboration on aquatic plant management

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Forests, Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Why forest cover around your coffee farm matters? Scaling up bird conservation in Colombia

Whenever you walk through a shade-grown coffee farm in the Colombian Andes, it is easy to feel optimistic about biodiversity. Tall trees form a canopy above the coffee shrubs, birds call from every direction, and the system looks far more “natural” than a monoculture field. For years, this kind of agroforestry has been promoted as a win–win solution for farmers and biodiversity. But how much … Continue reading Why forest cover around your coffee farm matters? Scaling up bird conservation in Colombia

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Monitoring and methods, Pathogens and disease, Research summaries

Emerging gastric parasite risks in mountain gorillas: What we found and why it matters

Mountain gorillas are often celebrated as a conservation success story. Their numbers have increased thanks to long-term protection from conservation organisations, park authorities and local communities. However, the remaining two populations live in small, environmentally constrained habitats and recent veterinary records have documented cases of severe gastritis associated with strongylid nematodes in Virunga Massif. This raised an important question for us: are there changes in … Continue reading Emerging gastric parasite risks in mountain gorillas: What we found and why it matters

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