Does protected area status prevent biodiversity decline in plant communities?

Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth and is important to most aspects of our lives. We value biodiversity both for what it provides to humans, such as food, fuel, shelter, medicine, pollination, seed dispersal, climate regulation, water purification, nutrient cycling, and control of agricultural pests, and for the value it has in its own right. Biodiversity also holds value for potential benefits not yet recognized, such as new medicines and other possible unknown services.

SEFARI Fellowship: Bridging Science Tech and Policy for Environmental Impact

Embarking on the journey

Let’s go back to where Zisis’s story began. Zisis Gagkas recalls that his journey started with a spark of curiosity - “The advertisement grabbed my attention”. Therefore, he decided to talk to previous fellows about their experience, who recommended applying. Zisis learned from them how the fellowship scheme works, its structure, and what support is available. Meanwhile, Zisis also thought about what he could bring to this fellowship.

Everyday Circularity: Researching behaviours and business practices in the transition to a Circular Economy

In 2018, the UK generated over 222 million tonnes of waste when including household, commercial and industrial waste. This waste was not only made up of typically ‘disposable’ items, but also included items and materials that are reusable, repairable or could have been disassembled to save components for repurposing.

Botanics and Bioinformatics

Having visited the beautiful, serene landscapes of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh (RBGE) many times as a visitor, I jumped at the chance to see ‘behind the scenes’, meeting some of the researchers who are carving their path in plant science research. I have to confess that my PhD is not at all related to plants – I am studying zoonotic bacterial pathogens and antibiotic resistance in wildlife and livestock at a neighbouring SEFARI partner, the Moredun Research Institute.

Using serious gaming to communicate challenging concepts in water and land management

The highly interconnected nature of the many factors influencing land and water management can make communicating management options a challenge. Balance is key, managing economic, health, social, and environmental requirements within the limitations of land and water availability. Furthermore, the “out of sight, out of mind” nature of groundwater can exacerbate challenges in exploring and communicating management options.

‘Pick-a-Mix’ helps you find the sweet spot for growing crop mixtures

Intercropping - where two or more crop species are grown simultaneously on the same piece of land – could provide one solution: intercrops increase diversity at the scale of entire fields and have the potential to boost production with fewer inputs. There are many ways in which intercropping can be practiced, ranging from mixtures harvested together for use as ‘whole crops’ or for separation post-harvest, to relay intercrops grown together but harvested on separate dates, through to unharvested companion crops supporting the growth of the main cash crop.