Improving the planning of restoration for long-term functioning of habitat networks

In the developed world, many species may be living in networks of habitat that are too small and fragmented for them to survive in the long term. Habitat fragmentation may also prevent species from moving to keep up with climate change. Habitat restoration is a big part of the solution to reverse the fortunes of species before they are irreversibly lost from large areas. Therefore restoration is an increasing conservation priority globally, with ambitious national and international targets to restore degraded ecosystems. However, it is often very challenging to decide where to restore, especially when the aim is to allow multiple sites to function as a connected network. We lack research on how restoration affects the properties of a network, rather than the properties of the restored site itself.

This project will study the impact of restoration on ecological networks, in terms of species’ resistance to extinction and long-distance connectivity. We will use England’s Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs) as exemplar systems, where a step-change in habitat restoration was implemented in 2012-2015. We will evaluate the success of NIAs so far, and then use scenario modelling to demonstrate how smarter network planning could yield even greater benefits from a small amount of extra habitat. Our methods will be based on Jenny Hodgson’s conservation planning software Condatis, and on metapopulation modelling. Modelling -parameterised with real landscape and species data – allows us to foresee the ultimate conservation outcomes (resilient ecological networks) that may take decades to emerge as species and ecosystems recover. The project partners Natural England are keen to use the results to inform their work at various levels, from on the ground action to strategic advice to government.

The supervisory team will offer the student an excellent, broad training spanning theoretical and applied conservation biology. They have collaborated previously on the Condatis software and its underlying theory, and on how habitat availability is affecting British species͛ responses to climate change. The student will spend some time working within Natural England’s Chief Scientist’s Directorate with a dedicated and interdisciplinary team of environmental specialists, and will have the opportunity to contribute to their projects and publications. You will thus develop a highly desirable skillset for the field of conservation in the 21st-century, to analyse complex systems and handle "big data", and to engage with the people and organisations through which landscapes can be changed.

For further details on Dr Hodgson’s research see www.jennyhodgson.com and www.condatis.org.uk, and for informal enquiries contact [Email Address Removed]

To apply for this project please provide the following: CV, letter of application explaining your suitability for the project, names and contact details of 2 referees. You must have the equivalent of at least a 2:1 honours degree in a relevant subject. To increase your chances of being shortlisted, please give details of your aptitude in IT and data analysis, as well as your interest in ecology and conservation. Experience in GIS and/or population modelling would be an advantage. Please note - the enquiry form at the bottom of the page only allows a single attachment - therefore if you would like to send several documents please put them in a ZIP folder.