About the Project
To read full details of this project, please visit: http://kess2.ac.uk/21089-2/
Here is an exciting opportunity to study an ecological system, which could lead to entirely new approaches in upland landscape management.
This is a funded MRes, including a generous stipend and tuition fees, with well-resourced circumstances for a successful scholarship.
The selected candidate will apply their ecological and spatial analysis skills and ambition to investigate the feasibility of reintroducing a species of conservation concern to a landscape that faces an uncertain economic future. This MRes project will allow the student to develop transferable knowledge and skills in this most exciting and active field of rewilding and landscape restoration research.
This Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS) project will be held in the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science at the University of South Wales. KESS is a programme funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) awarded by the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) in the Welsh Government. The MRes will be associated with the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority. The project will focus on assessing the habitat suitability for reintroducing a key bird species to the uplands of South Wales, since there is a need to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functionality in the region under the Land Use Climate Change Report (2010) commissioned by the Welsh Assembly. Specifically, proposed woodland and moorland management scenarios that increase carbon storage provide the opportunity for research-informed guidance on forestry practices in the Welsh uplands, and how this may benefit biodiversity, including re-establishing ‘missing’ species, and ecosystem goods and services for wider societal benefits.
The project is backed by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, who aim to achieve widespread understanding and support for the Brecon Beacons National Park as a protected landscape, which will be recognised as a valued local, national and international asset. The Park Authority’s vision is that this landscape is managed sustainably with widespread appreciation of its special qualities and where local communities benefit from its designation. Full details of this are available at http://www.beacons-npa.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/oldsite/the-authority/who-we-are/our-vision/future-directions/future-directions-english.pdf
To read full details of this project, including the Programme of Research, please visit: http://kess2.ac.uk/21089-2/
Studentship:
The studentship will cover the fees for a 1-year full-time MRes programme and pay a stipend of circa £11 k p.a. There is also around £3k project support costs available for consumables, travel, minor equipment, training (including the KESS Grad School) and conference attendance.
The position is available from 1st April 2018.
Eligibility of Student:
To be eligible to hold a KESS studentship, you must:
• have a home address in the Convergence area (details below)* at the time of registration.
• have the right to take up paid work in the Convergence area* on completion of the scholarship.
• be classified by the University as ‘home’ or ‘EU’ for tuition fees purposes according to the University’s guidelines.
• satisfy University of South Wales’s admissions criteria: see below, qualifications and experience and application process
*The Convergence area covers West Wales and the Valleys, and is made up of the following 15 local authorities: Isle of Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen.
Qualifications and experience:
Eligible applicants will:
• Have a degree (2i or higher) in an appropriate biological discipline;
• Possess a good understanding of upland ecology, conservation and management, habitat survey techniques and remote sensing;
• Be highly self-motivated, with capacity to learn and develop spatial mapping and habitat suitability predictive modelling techniques;
• Have well-developed and positively collaborative interpersonal skills;
• Have an ability to deliver technical reports and communicate findings; and
• Be willing to travel and work in industrial and multi-stakeholder settings.
Application Process:
To download an application package, please visit: http://gro.southwales.ac.uk/studentships/KESSII/participant/
For any queries on eligibility, please contact: KESS Team at Research and Innovation Services, University of South Wales: [Email Address Removed] Tel: 01443 482578
For informal enquiries or further programme information, please contact: Dr. David Lee ([Email Address Removed]).
Further information at: http://staff.southwales.ac.uk/users/5096-dlee
Closing date for applications: midnight Wednesday 21st February 2018
(Interviews will be held w/c 26th February 2018)