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Professor Robin Pakeman

Robin is a plant ecologist based at the James Hutton Institute. His research focuses on the management and functioning of biodiversity in a range of Scottish Ecosystems and he currently leads a workpackage, Functioning of Species, Habitats and Ecosystems, as part of the Scottish Government funded research programme on Environment - Land Use and Rural Stewardship. His current research covers the following areas: The role of plant functional traits in ecosystem function, Long-term land use and biodiversity change on the Machair, Prioritisation of species and habitats for conservation, Upland

Socioeconomic and biodiversity impacts of driven grouse moors in Scotland

In May 2017, the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform announced commissioning of “research into the costs and benefits of large shooting estates to Scotland’s economy and biodiversity” 1. The focus of the Cabinet Secretary’s announcement was ‘driven grouse shooting’. A Programme for Government (2017-2018) commitment, September 2017, also states research will be commissioned to “examine the impact of large shooting estates on Scotland’s economy and biodiversity.” This work addressed this commission, bringing together evidence to consider the socio-economic and

Protecting Britain’s iconic oak trees and their biodiversity

"We hope our work will be useful to woodland managers as they work to conserve oak-associated biodiversity" Britain’s iconic oak trees have a reputation for supporting biodiversity, but a changing climate is making them increasingly susceptible to threats from pests and diseases. A research collaboration featuring James Hutton Institute scientists is examining ways of alleviating the risks to UK native oak populations, as well as assessing the biodiversity supported by oak trees. More information from: Bernardo Rodriguez-Salcedo, Media Manager, Tel: +44 (0)1224 395089 (direct line), +44 (0)344

Dr Keith Matthews

Dr Matthews is a senior research scientist with 19 years experience of working in and leading, inter-disciplinary research across social, natural and computational sciences. He is Work Package Coordinator for Rural Industries. His work for SEFARI also includes how rural economies can adapt to external drivers, and the environmental sustainability and circularity of the rural economy. He is also leading a team undertaking scenario analysis of option for reform of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Single Farm Payment in collaboration with Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services

Discussing extreme climate change scenarios – continued
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The events were well attended (over 50 people participated), with groups discussing different scenarios of extreme climate change in Scotland and this blog outlines many of the key points raised in the workshop discussions. Six scenarios, each telling a different ‘future history’ about the effects of extreme climate change in Scotland were presented to participants. The scenarios were set between 2030 and 2080 and covered a wide range of potential impacts. For each one, I tried to make them both interesting and realistic, and to provide a story that would engage the attendees and make them

Valuing our Life Support Systems 2019 summit: registrations open

"Natural capital is our ‘stock’ of geology, soil, air, water and all living organisms, providing fundamental life-support functions and underpinning the global economy" Registrations are open for the Valuing our Life Support Systems 2019 summit, an independent and inclusive platform for science, policy and business communities to discuss and debate innovative natural capital solutions, which will be held on 21-22 May 2019 in London. The event is organised by the Natural Capital Initiative, a James Hutton Institute-supported partnership which promotes the sustainable management of our natural

Scotland’s agriculture needs to improve its resilience, Hutton climate change researcher says

“The 21st century will be a period of considerable change and the next two decades are critical: either we achieve a ‘managed’ transition to sustainability, or we run the risk of an ‘event driven’ transition, which could be highly negative” Scotland’s agricultural landscape will need to adapt to new levels of variation in climate, policy and local and global markets if it is to successfully tackle the growing trend of climate change; that was one of the key messages of Dr Mike Rivington, a James Hutton Institute climate change researcher, at this year’s Farming Scotland conference in