Ecosystem Services
From September 2010 through to 2016 I was the Director of the UK’s Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation programme (ESPA). By the end of this period, the programme had funded over 100 projects in 53 countries with well over 1000 researchers.
The academic output and impact of the programme were considerable as can be seen in the synthesis produced at the end of the programme in 2018 . There is also a programme highlights document available on the ESPA website.
Linked Publications
- Elucidating the pathways between climate change, ecosystem services and poverty alleviation.
- Restoring the natural foundation to sustain a green economy. A Century-long journey for ecosystem management.
Forest Ecology and Management
Forest ecology and management has been a core research theme since my PhD studies in New Zealand on the environmental physiology of regenerating Nothofagus seedlings .
In 1997 I was awarded a research contract from the Forestry Research Programme of the Department for International Development. “Growth and yield modelling frameworks to determine ecological and economic sustainability of tropical moist forest systems“. A significant output from this project was the SYMFOR, growth and yield modelling framework . The growth model in SYMFOR was based on analysis of permanent sample plot data using functional groups . This model applied in Indonesia to produce and ecological and financial analysis of forest management options in Indonesia .
Subsequent work saw this approach extended for use in the Amazon Basin and extended to link with a model of forest genetics .
Practical applications of this research were made through development projects implemented in Indonesia, Brazil, Guyana, and Ghana. There was also an extension to Malaysia through a d PhD studentship funded by the Government of Malaysia .
Plants, Wind and Leaf Surfaces
My first period of independent research following my PhD was as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh funded by the Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC). The topic of the project related to abrasive damage of plant leaf surfaces by wind.
As part of the project a new methodology was developed for Low-Temperature Scanning-Electron Microscopy of leaf surfaces in the field which was then applied for studying wind dame to Stika Spruce, (Picea sitchensis) . The methodology was also applied to measure variation in stomatal aperture .
The project also produced a review paper on the topic of plants and wind in 1991 and led to a book chapter on plant surfaces (cuticles) “under challenge” .
Land-use Management and Agricultural Systems
Research on land-management and agricultural systems has featured throughout my research career starting with my PhD studies on native Beech forests in New Zealand.
This work continued when I moved to Scotland and the University of Edinburgh, working both in the United Kingdom and internationally. A common theme was the application of plant physiology to agriculture and land management . Within the context of East Africa was involved with two PhD projects which explored the difficult trade-offs between conservation and local livelihoods .
Plant Canopy Structure
Plant canopies and their structure play important roles in determining the rates of growth and water use by vegetation and ecosystems. I was involved in a number of projects that used indirect measurements of plant canopy structure to understand links with growth and water use.
I developed a new analytical technique that provided improved estimates of canopy cover and structured when foliage was clumped as is often observed in forest canopies . When applied in Indonesia during a major forest fire event in 1997 this method was evaluated and found to provide improved results compared to methods that assumed foliage is randomly distributed . At the same location in Central Kalimantan Indonesia, a study considered the impact of logging on rainfall interception and on seeling regeneration .
Similar techniques were applied in southern Spain to consider water use of semi-arid grasses .
Climate and Environmental Change
Climate and environmental change has been a theme that has been topical throught most of my career. In New Zealand when working for the Minstry of Agriculture and Food I was asked to review the contribution of agriculture to the national production of greenhouse gases . This work in turn contributed a book on the topic and four related book chapters
Climate change was also an important theme in many ESPA projects and publications as can also be seen from the extract of publications relevant to climate change impacts and mitigation.
Global Sustainability and Sustainable Development
Global Sustainability has been a theme emerging from much of my research. My appointment at the University of Leicester in 2017 as Deputy-Pro-Vice-Chancellor, International and Development Research was focused on growing Leicester’s research on global challenges and sustainability.
In addition to leading the growth of Leicester’s global research, I led a major interdisciplinary proposal on resilient, inclusive and sustainable cities and co-led a proposal on plastics in Africa. Research on both topics is continuing.