Researchers at the University of Exeter have been awarded £10 million to investigate and address biodiversity loss in the UK through partnerships and community action.
The Renewing Biodiversity Through People and Nature (RENEW) project will work with landowners, businesses and communities to restore woodland, wetlands and farmland in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The project will put people at the centre of action to renew biodiversity and build expertise across different sectors and communities to address environmental and climate crises.
pollination
University of Exeter and national trust Funded through grants Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
Professor Kevin Gaston from the University of Exeter and founding director of the Cornwall Institute for Environment and Sustainability is the project leader.
He said: “We are delighted to receive such a significant investment from the Natural Environment Research Council, which will give an important boost to nature in the UK.
“The UK is currently one of the world’s most resource-poor countries, with 40 per cent of monitored species declining significantly in recent decades.
“We depend on the biodiversity of Earth’s ecosystems for oxygen, plant pollination, food and more, so this is a critical time for action.
critical
He added: “We will combine our extensive research and collaborative expertise with environmental and community intelligence to create the sustainable solutions needed.
“The UK government has committed to reversing the decline in UK biodiversity by 2030 with legally binding species abundance targets, and the RENEW project will play an important role in achieving this.
RENEW will focus on several challenges, including:
- How to leverage community support for biodiversity renewal
- How people who are disconnected, disadvantaged, or disconnected from nature can benefit from participating in solution development
- How different land managers and interest groups design and deliver renewal campaigns
- How biodiversity renewal can be most effectively integrated into financial and business activities
Professor Rosie Hails, Director of Science and Nature at the National Trust, is co-leader of the project.
“This is a huge opportunity to try solutions to renew biodiversity at the scale of the landscape by co-designing approaches with communities and land managers,” she said.
“The next five to ten years will be critical in making the steps needed to address the natural crisis and change the current trajectory of biodiversity loss.”
net zero
The £10m from NERC represents a quarter of its £40m investment in finding solutions to environmental problems caused by climate change.
NERC Executive Chairman Professor Sir Duncan Wingham said: “As COP26 has demonstrated, we must invest in world-leading science to find solutions to combat climate change and restore our natural environment.
“This investment by NERC will enable an ambitious step in how the best science from different disciplines can work together to address the key environmental challenges facing the UK and support the transition to a net zero and naturally positive future.”
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Brendan Montague is the editor of The Ecologist. This article is based on a press release from the University of Exeter.
