Lead Supervisor: Prof Jane Hill (Department of Biology)
Co-Supervisors: Prof Piran White (Department of Environment & Geography), Dr Nathalie Pettorelli (Zoological Society of London), and Dr Hanna Pettersson (LCAB)
The student will be registered with the Department of Biology
Rewilding is receiving considerable attention but may not always deliver on promised nature benefits, and there may be inequalities in who feels connected to unfamiliar ‘wild’ landscapes. Bringing diverse voices into debates is important, helping to understand inequalities in benefits from rewilding practices to help mould a biodiverse and equitable future. You will evaluate the take-up of different rewilding practices, explore perceptions, connectedness and inequalities, and how different ecological mechanisms and ecosystem engineers underpin rewilding to support positive outcomes for biodiversity and people.
You will be based in the Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity (LCAB) at the University of York, supervised by Prof Jane Hill, Prof Piran White, Dr Nathalie Pettorelli (IOZ/Zoological Society of London), and Dr Hanna Pettersson (LCAB). Your project will:
- Review rewilding practices and how the implementation of rewilding programs affects stakeholder support
- Examine stakeholder perceptions of biodiversity outcomes and people’s connectedness with novel rewilded landscapes
- Determine biodiversity benefits/disbenefits of rewilding practices and links with ecological mechanisms and functioning, comparing habitat-based versus species-based approaches
You will have proven ability to work across disciplines and a background in ecology, environmental or social sciences, with previous experience of ecological fieldwork. You will require quantitative and qualitative skills and an ability to critically analyse evidence for biodiversity benefits of rewilding to provide knowledge for stakeholder surveys. You will carry out systematic reviews as well as applying socio-economic approaches to explore associations between rewilding practices, outcomes and inequalities. You will conduct fieldwork testing ways in which rewilding practices enhance different components of biodiversity.
LCAB provides opportunities to interact with students and researchers across departments and institutions, and will offer additional training as required.
There are several studentships available with LCAB - take a look at our others, including the option to submit your own research proposal under the theme of Moulding Biodiverse Futures.
Entry Requirements: Students with, or expecting to gain, at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree, or equivalent, are invited to apply. The interdisciplinary nature of this research project means that we welcome applications from students with backgrounds in any relevant subject that provides the necessary skills, knowledge and experience for the project.
Programme: PhD in Biology (4 years)
Start Date: 1st October 2023
Interviews: February 2023 (date tbc)
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