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THE BULLETIN A-Level Summer School - 30 students from low-income, InFOCUS BAME and first-in-family backgrounds joined us for a week of ecology, research and inspiration. Many thanks to everyone who offered their time and funding to SUMMER ‘18 support the school! Watch out for our next issue CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2018 where we will report on our two summer schools – the Undergraduate Summer School Want to contribute to the Bulletin? and the A-level Summer School. We welcome all ideas. REGULARS For details contact Welcome ...... 4 [email protected] President’s Piece ...... 5 British Ecological Society Latest research ...... 6 Charles Darwin House Lifting the bonnet of the BES | Ali Birkett ...... 30 12 Roger Street, London WC1N 2JU Helping all members shape our society – introducing electronic voting Tel: +44 0207 685 2500. Hazel Norman ...... 31 [email protected] Sharing the excitement and importance of ecology through pubilc enagagment www.britishecologicalsociety.org Chris Jeffs ...... 32 EDITOR Kate Harrison [email protected]

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Lauren Ratcliffe [email protected] Policy update ...... 34 Reflections from our first policy fellows | Bethan O’Leary & Deepa Senapathi ...... 36 BOOK REVIEWS ECT: long-term ecological experiments forever! | Ben Sykes ...... 38 ‘I’ve always wanted to Books to be considered for review do biology but I didn’t should be sent to the Bulletin Editor Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management | Sally Haynes ...... 39 know what in biology at the address above. Special Interest Groups ...... 41 I would pursue. Being here has shown me I For advertising information contact Attending the Annual Meeting with a BES travel grant – an interview with want to do conservation, [email protected] Sangeetha Varma | Siri McDonnell ...... 46 I want to do ecology Member stories ...... 47 and fieldwork. Now I The Bulletin is published four times Obituaries ...... 48 have more to talk to my a year in March, June, September parents about, they’re and December. Accessibility Network - mental health in academia | Lesley Batty & Chanida Fung ....51 very “iffy” on biology Widening participation - women in environmental science | Cecilia Medupin ...... 54 and now I feel like I can Views expressed in the Bulletin are confidently say this is Voluntourism – its ethics and efficacy | Choon Fuller ...... 56 not necessarily those of the British what I want to do, this Careers Q&A with Lowri Watkins ...... 57 is why I want to do it Ecological Society. and there’s loads of Southern Correspondent | Richard Hobbs...... 58 The Bulletin is sent to members opportunities’ – Saniya of the British Ecological Society. To become a member or update your An arthropod disco – Prof. Simon Leather and Dr Francisca Sconce demonstrated how fluorescent powders and UV subscription details contact lights can be used to investigate invertebrate dispersal [email protected] Letters ...... 60 © 2018 British Ecological Society ...... 62 and authors Book reviews Accounts ...... 67 Design: madenoise.com Print and distribution: FEATURES H2 Associates (Cambridge) Ltd Nature conservation for future generations – seizing the moment in Manchester Clive Mitchell et al...... 12

Fishing for sound – an interview with Chris Watson | Rory Gibb ...... 16 How can museum collections better support ecological research, and conservation? | Henry McGhie ...... 22 People and nature – the time has come for a journal of relational thinking Emilie Aimé ...... 26 Printed on Amadeus 100 white offset, made from 100% recycled The ugly duckling of the ocean – sunfish ecology | Lauren Ratcliffe ...... 28 ® Undergraduate Summer School - 50 undergraduates spent a week with waste and fully FSC certified. Printed with vegetable-based ink. us at Malham Tarn FSC centre in the Yorkshire Dales. Our students got hands-on experience of many ecological career directions: from aquatic surveys to cave-system conservation! BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018

WELCOME PRESIDENT’S PIECE LISTEN UP! THIS HAS BEEN QUITE A SUMMER

Kate Harrison | Editor | [email protected] Richard Bardgett | President of the British Ecological Society | [email protected]

Bulletins aren’t generally themed, but as the copy starts BULLETIN MCBULLETINFACE – rolling in, common strands start to appear. Listening has As I write, the United Kingdom, like many parts of northern , is in emerged as a thread in this issue. What can we learn if READERSHIP SURVEY OUTCOMES we spend more time listening to the environment and to one of the longest periods of drought for decades. Fields are parched, each other? Thank you to everyone who participated in our readership survey – we have listened! Here is some Chris Watson, one of the world’s leading recorders of what’s happening: are shedding , reservoirs are dried up, is baked dry, and of wildlife and natural phenomena, is interviewed by Rory Gibb on p16. They discuss changing soundscapes • #plasticfree – we’ve finally ditched the plastic. Your and the importance of listening as an act of bearing Bulletins are now sent in paper envelopes. a hosepipe ban has just been issued in the northwest of England, which is witness to changes in the natural world. • Opt out of receiving paper copies – this will soon be an Dara McAnulty, a 14-year-old conservationist from Northern option. We need to make changes to our membership usually one of the wettest parts of the country. Ireland, raised the roof at our symposium in Manchester database which is fiddley and time-consuming so (p12), talking about the work and passion of young people, bear with us. PDF versions are already available in the which is overlooked by most of us – if we listened more members’ area, and issues older than 12 months are and gave agency to these voices, what could we achieve? publicly available on our website. While the prolonged high temperatures Prolonged summer drought Listening is key, both to breaking down the power relations • Lighter paper – from the December issue onwards we will and blue skies have been a joy for in Inner Mongolia is causing which underlie conservation conflicts, and to engaging print on lighter paper. This will reduce its environmental many, they have also put ecology in major economic losses for everyone with nature. impact and make it easier to lie the magazine flat so you focus: extreme events, such as heat waves and droughts, are herders through its impact Two members from the Accessibility Network have shared can read hands-free. expected to become more frequent on grasslands and livestock their personal experiences of mental health issues at work • More consistency, but flexibility in covering diverse and intense in the future, and present (p51) and our LGBT Network has now been launched – © Richard Bardgett topics – we are creating a more consistent page layout a major threat to the biodiversity and personal stories from the community are published on our so you’ll know exactly where to turn in each issue for functioning of . website. As a bi women who has been diagnosed with e.g. policy briefings, or event reports. We will carry on and anxiety, I know from experience how publishing summaries of latest research and on topics There are many unknowns about important it is to create space for these discussions, and unique to our community which don’t have a space in how climate extremes impact I look forward to publishing more in future issues. When traditional journals. terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. people are generous with sharing their personal stories, But evidence is mounting that effects we can reciprocate by being generous in listening. • No more financial reports – this is the last issue with can be severe and long lasting. For accounts printed in full! To commemorate – the first example, recurring droughts are So I hope this issue inspires you to take some time out and person to email me with the correct answer to the listen – to the sounds of the environment around you, or to causing declines in growth following question wins a prize: By how much did the BES’ and increases in tree mortality in your friend or colleague who needs a kind ear. Who knows depreciation expenditure change between 2016 and 2017? what you’ll learn. many regions of the world, with • More member stories – see p47. consequences for forest biodiversity and the global carbon cycle. Heat • Bring back Bogbean Bennett – no. But we have a fantastic waves can trigger dramatic transitions new comic by Holly McKelvey, see p61. (To our more in reef communities, fundamentally recent members, Bogbean Bennett was a regular cartoon altering ocean ecological processes, You only need to look at recent how organisms, communities and back in the 80s!) Kate Harrison and belowground, effects of extreme issues of the BES journals to see how ecosystems respond to global change, • The name – at the time of going to press no decision has drought on soil organisms can be ecological science can contribute to including changing weather patterns been reached. A lot of you like ‘The Bulletin’ but as we severe and prolonged. Drought also our understanding of the impacts of (e.g. Griffin-Nolanet al. 2018). And grow as an organisation and become more outward-facing, has enormous economic costs. I visited climate extremes and their mitigation. in Journal of Ecology, we recently the current name doesn’t say much to someone who sees Inner Mongolia earlier this summer, The latest issue of Functional Ecology published a series of papers looking at a copy in their staff room or round their friend’s house. where a prolonged drought, on top (32:7, 2018), for example, has a different aspects of climate extremes, The Bulletin has potential to be a tool for outreach and we of one the previous year, is causing Special Feature on global change including impacts on species need a name which hints at what people are going to learn major economic losses for herders ecology (Fox et al. 2018), which coexistence (Matias et al. 2018) and when they look inside. through its impact on livestock. includes a series of fascinating papers a critical synthesis on the stabilising exploring the mechanisms underlying effects of plant diversity on ecosystem

4 5 BES Bulletin VOL 49:3 | September 2018

function under climate extremes consider the influence of drought (De Boeck et al. 2018). on plant performance via altered REFERENCES multitrophic interactions, involving The topic of climate variability is and their natural Amorim F, Jorge I, Beja P, Rebelo H. Following also considered in Journal of Animal enemies; and Amorim et al. (2018) the ? Landscape-scale temporal Ecol changes in bat spatial distribution in relation ogy, with a recent paper by Linton highlight the critical importance of to Mediterranean summer drought. Ecol and McDonald (2018) showing that permanently flowing watercourses Evol. 2018;8:5801–5814. changing spring weather conditions for bat conservation in Mediterranean Balachowski JA, Volaire FA. Implications of influence the breeding phenology and landscapes, and the risk imposed by plant functional traits and drought survival reproductive success in sympatric bat their degradation through prolonged strategies for ecological restoration. J Appl Ecol. 2018;55:631–640. populations. Based on this finding, drought and water abstraction. the authors argue that improved De Boeck HJ, Bloor JMG, Kreyling J, et al. Patterns and drivers of biodiversity– understanding of the impact of climate These are just a few of many studies stability relationships under climate extremes during critical periods that illustrate the importance of extremes. J Ecol. 2018;106:890–902. (e.g. spring for reproductive bats) is ecology for understanding impacts of Fox CW. Towards a mechanistic crucial for improving predictions of climate extremes and the development understanding of global change the likely impact of climate change on of strategies to protect organisms and ecology. Funct Ecol. 2018;32:1648–1651. the stability and conservation of wild ecosystems against them. But they Griffin-Nolan RJ, Bushey JA, populations. In the same journal, a also illustrate that all of our journals Carroll CJW, et al. Trait selection fascinating paper by Moore et al. (2018) are at the forefront of addressing and community weighting are key to understanding ecosystem responses to demonstrates the crucial importance major global environmental challenges changing precipitation regimes. Funct for of underground through the publication of the highest Ecol. 2018;32:1746–1756. burrow systems for buffering current quality ecological science. The Guyer A, Hibbard BE, Holzkämper A, and future extremes of temperate capacity of ecosystems to resist and Erb M, Robert CAM. Influence of drought and desiccation, which is also of recover from climate extremes is also on plant performance through changes in belowground tritrophic interactions. Ecol importance for the management of of fundamental importance for society, Evol. 2018;8:6756–6765. these endangered species. which strongly relies on their ability Linton DM, Macdonald DW. Spring weather to supply ecosystem services; as such, conditions influence breeding phenology The issue of drought also featured in I suspect papers on climate extremes and reproductive success in sympatric bat recent issues of Journal of Applied will also populate the pages of our populations. J Anim Ecol. 2018;87:1080–1090. Ecology. A study by Selwood et new journal People and Nature. Luque, S. , Pettorelli, N. , Vihervaara, P. , al. (2018) demonstrated that Wegmann, M. and Vamosi, J. Improving assemblages in locations with high The current drought will end at some biodiversity monitoring using satellite remote sensing to provide solutions towards productivity (measured point. But its ecological and societal the 2020 conservation targets. Methods Ecol using remotely sensed vegetation impacts could be long-lasting. As Evol, 2018; 9: 1784-1786 greenness) are more resistant to mentioned above, climate scientists Matías L, Godoy O, Gómez-Aparicio L, Pérez- severe drought. This suggests that predict that climate extremes will Ramos IM. An experimental extreme drought prioritising conservation efforts on become more frequent and severe. reduces the likelihood of species to coexist despite increasing intransitivity in competitive high productivity vegetation could be Given this, ecologists need to put networks. J Ecol. 2018;106:826–837. an effective strategy for protecting more focus on understanding the Moore D, Stow A, Kearney MR. Under the bird assemblages against extreme risks of climate extremes, including weather? The direct effects of climate drought. But also it demonstrates the why some organisms and ecosystems warming on a threatened desert are effectiveness of using remotely sensed are more vulnerable than others, and mediated by their activity phase and burrow vegetation greenness as a means to use this knowledge to develop system. J Anim Ecol. 2018;87:660–671. to identify drought refuges for strategies to protect them. Selwood KE, McGeoch MA, Clarke RH, Mac Nally R. High฀productivity vegetation and possibly other biota. In the same is important for lessening bird declines issue, Balachowski and Volaire (2018) during prolonged drought. J Appl also consider drought, exploring trade- Ecol. 2018;55:641–650. offs associated with drought tolerance in populations of the perennial grass Elymus glaucus, which they argue need to be considered in future grassland restoration programmes.

The most recent issue of Methods in Ecology and Evolution (9:8) also includes papers of relevance to climate Drought shelters in the Yorkshire extremes as part of a Special Feature on improving biodiversity monitoring Dales, northern England, being used to explore impacts using satellite remote sensing (Luque of prolonged drought on soil et al. 2018). And finally, recent papers organisms and processes in Ecology and Evolution also focus on drought: Guyer et al. (2018) © Richard Bardgett

6 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018 All articles can be accessed from besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com LATEST RESEARCH

The set of papers in this special of papers, collated by Matthew WATCHING CYCLING RACES INVASIVE GREY SQUIRRELS feature provide operational concrete Struebig and Cristina Banks-Leite TO STUDY CLIMATE CHANGE CAUSES INCREASED CHRONIC examples of management-relevant, showcases recent research into satellite-based methodologies that ecosystem services, communities and Analysing nearly four decades of STRESS IN NATIVE RED SQUIRRELS are technically feasible, economically species across the world’s tropical archive footage from the Tour of viable and sustainable in time. regions. Read the issue here: Flanders, researchers from Ghent Researchers from Italy, Austria and bit.ly/TropicalBiodiversity University have been able to detect the US found that grey squirrels climate change impacts on trees. cause an increase in the levels of STATISTICAL ECOLOGY The research team, led by Prof. glucocorticoid stress hormones in ONLINE-ONLY IN 2019 native Eurasian red squirrels. For Statistical and quantitative methods Pieter De Frenne found that the within ecology have increased From January 2019, Journal of Applied trees had advanced the timing of red squirrels, the natural situation is to be the only diurnal tree-dwelling substantially in recent years. This Ecology and Journal of Animal leafing and flowering in response rise can be attributed both to the Ecology are moving online-only. to recent temperature changes. mammal in woodlands however when the grey squirrel, colonises these EMINENT ECOLOGIST 2018 growing need to address global Like our sister journals, Functional Television footage of cycling races environmental change issues, as well Ecology and Methods in Ecology and GREEN SEA DIGGING lends itself well to research as these habitats, it acts as a true environmental The Journal of Ecology editors have as the increase in data sources to Evolution, we’ll be publishing up-to- have relatively fixed routes and are stressor. Overall lower food intake and ITS OWN WATERY GRAVE chronically increased concentrations of announced that this year David address these challenges. In a new date research more regularly as we organised around the globe, providing cross-journal Virtual Issue, Laura increase to 12 online issues per year. A seagrass species from the Red Sea an opportunity to study a diverse glucocorticoids caused by the presence Wardle will be honoured in the of grey squirrels produce a reduction in journal’s continuing Eminent Ecologist Graham and Susan Jarvis compiled is outcompeting the native seagrass range of species and locations that are a set of papers encompass the wide species in the Caribbean, where the currently understudied. (Methods in body growth and reduce reproduction series. You can read about David’s THE SIDNIE MANTON AWARD among the red squirrels. In the end, range of ecological disciplines that green sea turtle lives. These iconic Ecology and Evolution, doi.org/crsz) career and work on the Journal of smaller size, lower fertility, and reduced have benefited from new statistical The Journal of Animal Ecology Sidnie are seeing their grazing areas Ecology blog and in a special virtual recruitment of juvenile red squirrels will methods including movement ecology, Manton Award is open for proposals. decline because they have little issue on the journal website. lead to the of the population disease ecology, spatial ecology, The award aims to inspire early interest in the foreign seagrass. in few years’ time. (Journal of Animal quantitative genetics and more. career researchers working on any Ecology, doi.org/csfq) BIOTIC CONTROLS OF besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ aspect of animal ecology to publish The invasive seagrass Halophila hub/statisticalecology2018 review or synthesis papers that either stipulacea, once isolated in the PLANT COEXISTENCE summarize their dissertation work, Red Sea, made its way to the Issue 106:5 of Journal of Ecology OPEN CALL FOR PAPERS: SPECIAL provide new insights into classic areas Mediterranean after the opening of of animal ecology, or shed light on the Suez Canal in 1892. The seagrass includes a Special Feature edited by Ignasi Bartomeus and Oscar FEATURE ON BIOLOGGING emerging fields. To enter, submit an reached the eastern Caribbean by abstract of your proposed paper by ship in 2002, where it turned out to Godoy titled ‘Biotic controls of Do you study animal movement and plant coexistence’. The studies Friday 7 September. be dominant over the native seagrass, behaviour with biologgers or tags? bit.ly/2018SidnieManton. Thalassia testudinum. The foreign presented provide a solid base Journal of Animal Ecology has a new to explore how mutualistic and seagrass spread quickly across the © Stephanie Jenouvrier, Woods Hole Open Call for papers for a Special antagonistic interactions act upon eastern Caribbean and formed thick Oceanographic Institution Feature on Biologging. We are looking meadows in the foraging areas the determinants of plant species for submissions using: competition. The advances made of green sea turtles. Researchers • Positional loggers RISING SEA TEMPERATURES in these papers will serve to pave from the Netherlands conducted (GPS, GLS, Satellite) the road for a better theoretical and field observations, experiments in THREATEN SURVIVAL OF • Animal-mounted video cameras underwater cages, and gathered empirical understanding of how biotic satellite images of grazing areas from JUVENILE interactions control biodiversity. • In-vivo physiology the last 40 years in order to compare Changes in sea surface temperature • Accelerometer data the size and boundaries of the seagrass affect the survival of albatross during Ambrogio Molinari, University IMPROVING BIODIVERSITY • Proximity data loggers fields with their current condition. their first year at sea, resulting in of Insubria Their findings provide the first proof a reduced population growth rate MONITORING FOR CONSERVATION • Machine learning and big data that large herbivores play a significant when temperatures are warmer Issue 9:3 of Methods in Ecology Visit bit.ly/biologging or email role in the expansion of invasive plant than the current average, a new ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF and Evolution includes a special [email protected]. species in aquatic ecosystems. (Journal study published in the Journal of UNDERWATER NOISE feature titled ‘Improving biodiversity Deadline 20 September 2018. of Ecology, doi.org/csfr) Animal Ecology has revealed. ‘Sea monitoring for conservation,‘ edited surface temperature is widely used With activity increasing, ocean by Sandra Luque, Nathalie Pettorelli, as an indicator of food availability for noise is affecting more wildlife, big Petteri Vihervaara and Martin SHOWCASING THE BEST marine predators because warmer and small. In their recent Journal Wegmann. The special feature focuses RESEARCH IN TROPICAL temperatures usually result in lower of Applied Ecology Practitioner’s on three key conservation challenges: primary productivity in marine Perspective, Rebecca Faulkner and BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT ecosystems, ultimately reducing the colleagues present a framework of key 1. Monitoring biodiversity availability of prey’, said Dr Stéphanie principles for assessing the impacts of 2. Developing an improved Focusing on policy recommendations Jenouvrier, a seabird ecologist underwater noise. Read more about understanding of biodiversity and guidelines, Journal of Applied at Woods Hole Oceanographic the team’s practical solutions for patterns Ecology brings together a Virtual Institution. (Journal of Animal Ecology tackling this growing marine concern Photo provided by Elizabeth Clifford 3. Assessing biodiversity’s Issue dedicated to the management doi.org/gdrwhg) for free: doi.org/csfn. vulnerability to climate change. of tropical biodiversity. This selection

8 9 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018

LATEST RESEARCH FUNDRAISING NEWS

effects of climate change and SuCi is a multidisciplinary project formed that developed over the urbanization. Earthwatch’s investigating the benefits of strategic reefstone. Locals up and down the ESA SIGNS UP FOR #BES2018 Sustainable (SuCi) project in management of urban wooded areas of Belize seek out the nutrient- International participation in the Europe is a multidisciplinary and in the context of climate change rich soil from these areas for their Annual Meeting continues to grow. innovative citizen science research adaptation and urban planning. gardens. ESA have confirmed that they will be project supported by leading exhibiting for the first time in 20 years. researchers, private and public This research is ongoing in six The team working on the project to stakeholders. The project focuses different urban settings in Paris, date comprises archaeologists, soil ‘The Ecological Society of America on better understanding how we London and Birmingham where scientists (a soil micromorphologist, and the British Ecological Society can manage urban green spaces to data on soil carbon and hydrology, soil microbiologist, and pedologist), have always had strong links, and PAINTED LADY’S ROUNDTRIP improve ecosystem services and local microclimate, tree health botanists, petrographers, a geologist, recent joint online publishing ventures MIGRATORY FLIGHT IS LONGEST reduce the effects of climate change and productivity is obtained using an environmental engineer, a have served to further strengthen the and urbanisation. citizen scientists. Physical samples palaeolimnologist, faunal analysts and relationship. ESA is delighted to be RECORDED IN BUTTERFLIES are also collected from the field macrobotanists. exhibiting at the BES Annual Meeting The impact of climate change and to undergo laboratory analysis by this year. See you in Birmingham!’ Previously known to migrate from increasing urbanisation in modern partner academic institutions, while What’s missing? An ecologist—a Europe to the Afrotropics during the cities has led to a rise in -water tree health and productivity data is researcher who is interested in the Sue Silver, Editor-in-Chief, Frontiers in autumn, the fate of this butterfly flooding, nutrient pollution and heat obtained from the study trees with flora and fauna as part of a larger Ecology and the Environment species and its offspring remained effect, requiring urgent and state-of-the-art automatic micro- picture of change. began to unknown. A British Ecological Society long-term sustainable solutions. dendrometers. trigger change at about 500 BC or funded study found that painted lady Nature-based green infrastructure even earlier. The build-up of the land ECO-FRIENDLY BES MERCHANDISE butterflies return from the Afrotropical are powerful resources already This research is providing new insights surface created an environment that COMING SOON region to recolonise the Mediterranean available in our cities that if managed into the ecosystem services provided was more inviting to various species in early spring, travelling an annual strategically, have the potential to by urban trees, and key information to than had been the case when the We are working with The Sourcing distance of 12,000 km across the mitigate these impacts. support the best practices for nature- land was largely submerged. The Team to create a range of sustainable Desert. While the Palearctic- based solutions that can mitigate massive accumulation of conch shells merchandise including; notebooks African migratory circuit is typically the effects of climate change and from fishing, for example, provided— made from apple peel, stainless steel urbanisation. In addition to increasing and still provides—a whole range of associated with birds, scientists from #BES2018 GOES WILD(LIFE) coffee flasks, 100% organic cotton public awareness, this project creates housing for hermit crabs (Coenobita Spain, found that the Painted Lady T-shirts and biodegradable pens. A corporate engagement and fosters clypeatus). The land crabs (Cardisoma Wildlife Acoustics, who are exhibiting (Vanessa cardui), endures annual range of BES branded products will human health and wellbeing for guanhumi) dig numerous burrows— at #BES2018, have come forward to trans-Saharan circuits too. be available in time for the Annual resilient and sustainable cities. bad for archaeology but good for the help us fulfil a long term ambition of This butterfly species travels 12,000 soil. Birds seem to be attracted to the including a bio-acoustic soundscape Meeting. We are also looking at km and crosses the Sahara Desert To learn more about the project young hermits that hide under the as part of the Annual Meeting. We options for an online shop in time for twice to seasonally exploit resources contact Macarena Cardenas litter. The birds excrete seeds will be working with them to provide Christmas. Search, ‘Sourcing Team and favourable climates on both [email protected] from fruit trees they have visited on an engaging, scientifically relevant Highly Accredited’ for information sides of the desert. Few species are the mainland. It is fascinating. Yet and non-intrusive soundscape in part on our new supplier’s sustainability known to perform annual long-range ARCHAEOLOGIST SEEKS it is difficult to find researchers who of the venue. So don’t worry, no bat policies, ethical credentials and supply trans-Saharan circuits, and that of the are interested in the larger process clicks over lunch or whale song when chain compliance. painted lady is the longest migratory ECOLOGIST – CALL FOR of change that admittedly involves you are preparing your presentation. flight known in butterflies to date. humans and their bad practices There will be plenty of quiet areas. SHOP FOR ECOLOGY (Biology Letters, doi.org/csft) COLLABORATION IN BELIZE but nevertheless seems to lead to Wildlife Acoustics, based in Professor Elizabeth Graham (UCL diversity and nutrient-rich soils. We have just launched on Smile The findings published in Biology Massachusetts are a leading Institute of Archaeology) is leading a Amazon UK, the online retailer’s new Letters are part of a wider project If you are interested in learning more provider of bioacoustics monitoring long-term archaeological field project platform that promotes charitable aimed at studying the Painted Lady’s about the project, please contact systems for researchers, scientists, at a Maya site in Belize – the Marco giving. 0.5% of nearly every purchase migratory behaviour and routes. With Prof Graham at [email protected] conservationists and government Gonzalez Project on Ambergris Caye. you make will go to the BES at no cost that goal in mind, a global citizen agencies worldwide. They also have to you. science project called The Worldwide Situated in swamp on a UK-based staff in the Peak District Painted Lady Migration has just been who recently worked on . Whilst there is already a good coral island which is part of a barrier If you would like to know more launched. Its objective is to gather understanding of the benefits reef, the site represents over 1,500 Nicole Wright of Wildlife Acoustics about BES fundraising initiatives observations of the Painted Lady of trees on urban hydrology and years of occupation—sometimes as said, ‘We’re very excited to bring an please contact Paul Bower Migration. More information on this microclimate, the mutual relationship a village, other times as a town and immersive experience to the 2018 [email protected] project is available at: of the health and productivity of major trading depot. Prof Graham’s BES Annual Meeting. We believe that www.butterflymigration.org urban trees on carbon cycles, soil focus has been quantifying the soundscape ecology tells a unique hydrology, local cooling is poorly contribution of the archaeological story and the sounds of wildlife are understood. As a result, trade-offs deposits (rubbish, collapsed houses, SUSTAINABLE CITIES USING to be cherished and preserved. We and synergies between ecosystem burials, kitchen middens, processing are privileged to work with and for GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE services provided by trees are debris, salt-making, etc.) to soil ecologists who are capturing these often ignored and there is a lack formation processes. The modern Cities are becoming increasingly sounds and happy to share them with of understanding of the effect that surface and sub-surface soils formed populated and overwhelmingly you all.’ different land management practices by human activity are relatively difficult to manage, an issue have on the ecosystem services. nutrient-rich compared to the naturally exacerbated by the rapid detrimental wildlifeacoustics.com

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SYMPOSIUM REPORT NATURE CONSERVATION

Juliette Young, NERC Centre FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS for Ecology and Hydrology SEIZING THE MOMENT IN MANCHESTER

Clive Mitchel, Scottish Natural Heritage | Peter Brotherton, Natural England | Ruth , Natural Resources Wales Catherine Duigan, Natural Resources Wales | Sara McGuckin, Northern Ireland Environment Agency Helen Baker, Joint Nature Conservancy Council | Des Thompson, Scottish Natural Heritage “We are not lost, we just have not been found yet!”

Dara McAnulty (14 years old from Northern Ireland) Helen Craig, Black2Nature A passionate plea for his generation

Securing Nature for Future Generations We devised some draft principles to Although there are many good was the theme and on 23-24 May guide how nature might be secured examples of species management, 2018 more than 220 policy advisers, for future generations, and here we these can often polarise views, practitioners, students, natural and use the headings to summarize the and should be viewed in a broader social scientists, and agency, NGO and tone of discussions. landscape. This larger scale requires business staff gathered in Manchester us to address issues such as climate Metropolitan University for this first UNDERSTANDING HOW change, land use and natural resource conference jointly organized by the management. agencies and BES. NATURE WORKS Baroness Barbara Young We need better measures of healthy, We had a lively mix of 20 minute In nature, change is the only resilient and functioning ecosystems talks, panel Q&A sessions, three constant. People and nature always that allow reporting at local and Louise Macdonald, minute speedy presentations, one interact. Change is not the same as national scales – a particular science CEO of Young (yes, one) minute policy and practice ‘loss’. We cannot re-create the past. challenge. We need new ways of Scot, and Chair pitches, workshops, posters and Nature was not in a perfect and final working in planning and evaluation, of the Scottish networking. Fun, taxing, challenging state before people encountered it. including integrated approaches to Government’s and tremendous were words uttered People, at least at sea, are part of the natural resource management and Advisory Council on repeatedly. predatory system. A vital function of natural capital accounting. Women and Girls conservation is to maintain flexibility, Former President and conservation including genes and species diversity Contrary to popular belief, the deep guru, Sir John Lawton, set the scene as the building blocks and potential oceans are rich in life, but these for us fantastically. What, cried John, for change. It is essential that are highly vulnerable due to slow will become of nature reserves and conservation takes a global approach processes, and contaminants and protected areas – initially set in a to inform priorities for the UK, and plastics show that dilution is not the countryside that was more benign to repeatedly we asked what is the UK solution to pollution. Factoring this nature in the early 20th Century but globally important for? into choices about using deep sea increasingly hostile to it in post-war resources raises questions for each Britain? ‘The Lawton Report’ (2010), Questions of scale for both space and one of us in our lifestyle choices – from Making Space for Nature, called for time need to be given more attention plastic straws to TV screens; Blue ‘bigger, better, more, joined’ protected in conservation. Nature and natural Planet II revealed this brilliantly. areas as a necessary but not sufficient processes are usually well defined at response. What this happened since a local scale, but we need to recognize We need to provide the evidence then? This set the tone for much of the relevant social and economic which will help us make decisions to our discussion on nature conservation, scales (typically regional or global) change how we live. with the sustainable use of resources to identify relevant stakeholders and an essential part of our approach. interests, essential for solutions and monitoring progress. Dara McAnulty and Sir John Lawton

12 BES Bulletin VOL 49:3 | September 2018

INVOLVING PEOPLE to support the cause of conserving with practitioners. In remote areas, nature. We need to add the political especially at sea and in the uplands, #BES2018 Who is conservation for? Dara case for restoring nature, namely its this helps to reduce the otherwise McAnulty stole the show for many role in our health, wealth and security. spiraling transaction costs of delegates with a splendid view from Natural capital is a powerful way to monitoring and implementation. the younger generation. He called for communicate that, but we must use fewer doom-and-gloom stereotyping a language that excites rather than SUMMING UP TAKE A STAND of young people, and instead urged bores people. us to celebrate the work of dedicated Baroness Barbara Young wonderfully Investing in nature is essential for young naturalists and organisations highlighted the fantastic stories management, carbon storage, fostering a national coalition of young from our four nations and the power water security, food security, climate people for nature. in coming together to exchange adaptation and coastal realignment. It knowledge and experience. She FOR ECOLOGY Young people are citizens now and came across clearly that investing in highlighted the roles for dialogue, have a right to be part of decision nature is investing in us. listening, different viewpoints, making, with the organization Young interdisciplinary working and valuing Support mechanisms for natural Scot, and its partnership project resource management (e.g. CAP – many forms of knowledge. with Scottish Natural Heritage, ‘Re- potentially soon to leave us) have Route’ as an example of co-design prioritised social and productivity to understand problems and devise CONFERENCE KEY MESSAGES goals over the environment. New solutions. This needs to be a journey, mechanisms need to put environment not a ‘tick-box’ exercise. Young people • Brexit is both an opportunity to the fore. Ecological and cultural are not a problem to be solved, but a and a threat; values appreciate over time in YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF EUROPE’S force to be unleashed. many ecological systems, especially • Protected areas, habitats and species remain important but Conservation conflicts result from woodlands, and we must not lose need to be considered in the not tackling the underlying conflicts sight of this. LARGEST GATHERING OF ECOLOGISTS. context of ecological resilience and power relations between people. Several speakers aired the theme of and landscapes; Making progress relies on supporting integration, across: true integration across disciplines, • We need different ways of EXHIBITION PRICES £650 – £2,450* sectors and communities. We need to • nature, inequalities and deprivation; measuring the environment and acknowledge that ecological science • nature and culture (e.g. art, poetry, working with others, especially provides only one form of knowledge. literature); young people; Conflicts can offer an opportunity to For more information on stands, sponsorship and advertising discuss differing world views – but we • the shared responsibilities in the • Communication and language tend to ignore them or wish them away value chains for food, not falsely is very important; visit www.britishecologicalsociety.org/exhibition dividing industry from society or express them in terms of ecological • Don’t forget the marine from nature; or contact Paul Bower [email protected] or +44(0)20 7685 2500 impacts and imposed solutions. environment; • the need to include the costs of poor VALUING THE BENEFITS public and animal health and climate • Governments need to make it for better management of natural easy to change behaviour; FROM NATURE resources for people and nature, and; • Young people value nature and The benefits from nature are still • food security, and the need to need to be empowered. to be clearly expressed, especially address demand-side issues, when we use the language of ‘natural including consumption, waste capital’ to communicate what people and diets. derive from nature. Many delegates NEXT STEPS We heard that current farming is not felt we needed to know more about We will develop the principles aired at the relationships between ecosystem sustainable, overall requiring 10 calories of fuels for every the conference for further discussion, functions and services before using 1 calorie consumed. In Wales, every hopefully at a BES forum, and respond natural capital - to avoid what they saw to Dara’s challenge of fostering a ANNUAL MEETING major public body is required to work as the unintended consequences of together to deliver a set of goals national coalition of young people commodification and commercialization underpinning the visionary Well-being for nature. Fundamentally, we want of nature and corroding its intrinsic of Future Generations Act to make to position the BES as a clear voice worth. A lot of us value nature because better decisions for people and nature for nature, making it more secure, of its diversity, tangible beauty and in the long term, and generally improve enjoyed and fundamentally important even its alluring complexity – not to everyone. 16-19 DECEMBER 2018 because we can attach a monetary the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales. value to its functions. We intend to run a follow-up event in Managing natural resources is far 2020, focusing on post-2020 targets We already use scientific, aesthetic, and the challenge of landscape-scale intrinsic and spiritual arguments more effective if policy and practice are co-designed and co-produced approaches. ICC BIRMINGHAM UK

14 * All prices include conference registration. Rory Gibb Rory AN INTERVIEWWITH CHRISWATSON FISHING FORSOUND

| [email protected] [email protected] | @roryjgibb

© Jo Stevens acoustic monitoring,andwhatwe canlearnfrom listeningmore. and natural phenomena. Chris Watson isoneoftheworld’s leadingsoundrecordersofwildlife From thestudioofCabaretVoltaire totheinsidesofazebra carcass. Here he talks to Rory Gibbaboutsoundscapes, Here hetalkstoRory

© Jason Roberts albums toimmersivepublic sound over theyears,fromnarrative-driven central toWatson’s creative output of creaturesandplaces,has been deeply engagewiththeintimate lives This aim,ofencouragingpeople to is listenmore.” music intheworld,allweneedtodo with me:thatthere’salreadyenough something that’salwaysresonated composer JohnCage,“[who]said the studio.Hecites20thcentury than themusictheywerecreatingin the soundshewashearingoutdoors became moredeeplyengagedby and soundmanipulation,hegradually creative potentialoftaperecorders As hebecamefascinatedbythe studio sessionswithCabaretVoltaire. industrial urbanenvironmentand of freshair,” asherecalls,fromthe the naturalworld.“Literally,abreath District offered Watson alifelineto the nearbymoorsandhillsofPeak Growing upinSheffieldthe1970s, and ecosystems. effects ofhumanpressuresonspecies using soundrecordingtomonitorthe growing communityofecologists shares astrongkinshipwiththe wide-ranging audiorecordingpractice radio works,Watson’s intricateand with aricharchiveofalbumsand Unitforwildlifeprogramming, History regular collaborator of the BBC Natural environmental soundrecordists.A world’s highest-profilewildlifeand into hisongoingworkasoneofthe in SheffieldbandCabaret Voltaire, sound manipulatorandtaperecordist roleas exploration, fromhisformer and full ofsuchmomentsrupture recordist andmusicianhasbeen four-decade careerasasound that isalsoinrapiddecline.Watson’s consider vastandinanimate,one inner lifeofanentitythatwetypically ofthe works: anintimateportrait resonant ofWatson’s manysound emotionally affectingandecologically . Thepieceisoneofthemost groans ofthousandstonsmoving the listenerintosighsandslow temporality,plunging otherworldly album Vatnajökull glacier, fromhis2003 minute audiorecordingofIceland’s Chris Watson’s astonishingeighteen- FEATURE britishecologicalsociety.org Weather Report , evokesan Katy Payne’s[1970album] And ofcoursethingslikeRogerand faster throughseawaterthanair. planet, soundtravelsalmostfivetimes most sound-richenvironmentonthe talking bollocks.[Theocean]isthe and realisedthatCousteauwasjust teens when I discovered hydrophones, [that theoceanissilent]untilmylate World quite afamousfilmcalled biologist. Hewroteabookandmade Cousteau, thefamousFrenchmarine can justaboutrememberJacques teenager, andI’mofanagethatI programmes ontelevisionasa grew upwatchingnaturalhistory It’s beenwithmealongtime.I you backthere? over theyears.Whatkeepsdrawing asathemeinyourwork resurfacing The soundsoftheoceanhavekept the soundofoceanunderneath.” these birds,tojustafewpigeonsand fromamassiveroarofall the morning; in night inthere,andthendeparting intheevening,spending arriving of theemptyballroom.Thebirds recording dayandnighttheenvelope “I spentawholeweekendthere, music andsound,”heremembers. of thousandsstarlingsandtheir people, andwasnowfilledwithtens ago usedtobefullofmusicand the ballroom,thisplacethatdecades fifteen yearsago. “They’doccupied West Pier, recordedbyWatson around starlings onthecity’sburned-out Brighton beach,withthesoundsof to Antarctic.Thepiecebeginson soundscapesfromArctic underwater voyagethrough surround-sound No Man’sLand day forthelatestoftheseinstallations, Attenborough Centreontheopening installations. ImethiminBrighton’s that hasever lived, theblue whale. or thesongsof largestandloudestanimal a pondingarden withaquaticinvertebrates, I take myhydrophones everywhere, whether it’s , andIboughtintothatidea , a forty-minute long , aforty-minute The Silent Songs Of ever heard. most hauntinglybeautifulmusicI’ve really go:tomyears,it’ssomeofthe environment whereyoucouldnever undersea area,thisincrediblyhostile in soundsfromoverthisvast the hydrophone.You’re drawing be twentykilometresawayfrom of thesemalebeardedsealscould of mineandwassayingthatsome Institute, listenedtothesetracks Lydersen, Polar fromtheNorwegian to it.Iwasworkingatthetimeon hall],there’saclarity this [concert almost likeyou’reinaspace there’s nowaveaction,andit’s wasfrozensolid, The seasurface of Svalbard,thesesirenvoices. recorded undertheiceoncoast Man’s Land The finalanimalsongsin[ perspective. terrestrial in thewayyoumightconsiderfroma whatever you’rehearingisnotlocal idea oflocalitybecomesscrambled: meansalsothatthe underwater The longtraveldistanceofsound discover what’sdownthere. read thescript,soit’sinterestingto and animals,theydon’talways and, althoughyoucantargetareas sound. You dipyourhydrophonesin idea, too,thatit’slikefishingfor ever lived,thebluewhale.Ilike largest andloudestanimalthathas orthesongsof invertebrates, it’s apondingardenwithaquatic whether hydrophones everywhere, fascinated meeversince.Itakemy of theoceans,andit’scontinually the triggerformeexploresounds Thatwas engaging andentertaining. of makingscienceaccessibleand andscience, that crossoverofart The HumpbackWhale ] arebeardedseals andProfessorChristian , Ireallyliked No No 19 BES Bulletin VOL 49:3 | September 2018 You realise particularly that freshwater ice isn’t this inert, silent world — it has this heartbeat, almost. And its timespan Some of my favourite wildlife sound There’s also the possibility of going recording. You can’t listen to it on recordings are of Weddell seals under places with a microphone that you headphones, it’s like having your skull is outside of our understanding. the Antarctic ice. couldn’t with your own ears. For pecked out. example, ‘Cracking Viscera’, where Yeah, it’s like 1950s electronic music, you recorded the sounds of vultures So we went out to the Maasai Mara, it sounds synthesised, it’s amazing. from inside a carcass. found this zebra carcass, ran the cable We know so little about how they back fifty metres and waited for the produce those sounds, and it’s a That was a moment for me. I’d been vultures to descend. After several dangerous occupation, because working on a BBC series called Big hours, these lappet-faced vultures when they do that — we imagine to Cat Diary and I’d been frustrated, descended and tore this thing apart, retain their harem of females — they as one of the camerawomen I was and I got a recording from the inside, draw attention to themselves. These working with, with her £50,000 it was amazing. I played it to the enormous pods of orcas come up the Canon telephoto lens, could fill the production team and they found it ice seas, and what they’re listening frame with a leopard’s head from really hard to use, because it’s so for is a nice tasty Weddell seal, which seventy metres away. There’s no powerful that for a change you don’t they eat like cocktail sausages. So audio equivalent to that — there’s no need an image, you only need to listen you’ve got to sing to keep your harem telephoto or zoom-lens microphones. to it. That’s the beauty of it, it fires together, but there’s a price. I thought it’d be really interesting to your imagination. hear what vultures eating a carcass Recordings like these often feel actually sounds like in that space, One growing theme in the acoustic incredibly intimate. I’d be curious to rather than distantly or remotely. ecological monitoring field right hear you talk about the possibilities So the Christmas beforehand, the now involves quantifying how the that sound offers for telling stories day after Boxing Day we staked the natural soundscape is changing about, and providing a window remains of the turkey carcass in the under human pressures. You’ve been into, the lives of other creatures and back garden with tentpegs. I put recording environments for years — places. two personal microphones inside the I’m curious how much you feel these carcass, ran the cables back into the soundscapes have transformed or Recordings give us the opportunity to house, we all waited, and the starlings diminished over time. listen — because we don’t. That was descended and I got this astonishing the continual frustration of working in I had a really interesting personal natural history television. Everything’s demonstration of that. Years ago, covered in this dreadful inappropriate when my sons were eighteen months music, or you’re lectured to and told old, I got a whole summer’s worth what you can see. This is one reason of recordings with a microphone in © Kate Humble why I love doing these installations. the back garden. I didn’t use it for There are no pictures, no other music, much [until] six or seven years ago I you just tune in and listen. Watson’s got asked to do a radio programme recording over time. Even in cities, when a nautical icebreaker ship was glacier — the more likely you are to 1998 album (Outside The Circle Of about my garden. I listened back to something as mundane as regularly seventeen miles from my hydrophone, care what’s happening to it. Being Fire) was a celebration of listening to those recordings from twenty-odd recording the sounds in your street because the noise was deafening able to hear these things, and realise the detail of animal sounds, and not years before, and they were full of and archiving them somewhere like underwater. You couldn’t see this that they’re out of our realm but veiled in anything else like in most house sparrows. I went out into my the British Library National Sound icebreaker, it was a speck on the they’re part of the ecosystems of broadcast mediums. You can engage back garden and, from there being Archive, can be incredibly valuable horizon, but the noise was horrific. the planet. You can see pictures of with it in quite a unique way, and dozens [in the past], there were — because in 100 or 500 years’ time, For an animal that lives in a world the diminished glacier: it’s reduced when you listen to these sounds, very few, there was just one male there’ll be endless images of those of sound and vibration, we literally over the years, it’s gone further up whether it’s a wren singing outside singing on our garage roof. This year places, and vanishingly few sound cannot imagine what it’s like, it must the beach exposing the lava. But to or a , you realise it’s there’s dozens, they’re back again. I recordings. In my experience, what be totally disorienting. I’m sure that hear it, you engage with it in a very infinitely more engaging than any don’t know why it’s changed: have [long-term monitoring] mostly turns being bombarded like that must be different way. You realise particularly other artificial music you could lay the sparrows recovered, or is it a up, unfortunately, is the aspect of connected with the increasing number that freshwater ice isn’t this inert, over it. cyclical thing? This really eloquently noise pollution. of whale strandings. silent world — it has this heartbeat, described [to me] the importance of almost. And its timespan is outside Something which is becoming a There are clearly broader social and © Bill Oddie of our understanding. The morning I rising problem in the oceans in political implications to your work, made those recordings, I was staying particular. then. Listening is a form of bearing on top of the glacier and using my witness to what’s happening to hydrophones in a crevasse like big We just don’t understand what we’re the environment, for example your contact microphones, so you get doing to the oceans with noise. One I put two personal microphones inside the carcass, ran the recording of the Vatnajökull glacier, this fractional shift of the ice. The great example for me was when which is declining over time. How do scientist I was with said that the we were in the Antarctic for Frozen you orient your work in relation to its that fell here last night will take Planet cables back into the house, we all waited, and the starlings , as the sea ice starts to break political agency in the world? ten thousand years to reach the sea. up, filming as the seals move in and That was a really sobering moment, the orcas follow them. I was stood Publishing the material, and giving and that’s what inspired me to make descended and I got this astonishing recording. You can’t listen with my hydrophones on the surface people the opportunity to hear it. that piece: to imagine that journey of the frozen ocean, listening to these The more you know about something of a piece of ice, and condense it to to it on headphones, it’s like having your skull pecked out. orcas, and I had to stop recording —whether the oceans, a whale or a eighteen minutes.

20 21 BES Bulletin VOL 49:3 | September 2018

FEATURE HOW CAN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS BETTER SUPPORT ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND NATURE CONSERVATION?

Henry McGhie | Manchester Museum, University of Manchester | [email protected] UK museums hold 140 million natural history specimens – a vast and underused source of information for ecologists. Henry McGhie from Manchester Museum explores how ecologists and museums can work together to tackle some of the biggest research questions around biodiversity and climate change.

UK museums contain roughly 140 plants and geology), Kelvingrove information on the occurrence of million natural history specimens, Museum and Art Gallery (Glasgow), species in remote areas, although including mammal and bird study Hunterian Museum (University of rapid environmental change may skins, taxidermy mounts, bones, Glasgow), Perth Museum and Art mean that they reveal where species pinned , dried molluscs and Gallery, Elgin Museum, and Bell once were, rather than where they other invertebrates, dried plants, Pettigrew Museum (University of St. still occur. Specimens enable former lichens and fungi, specimens on Andrews) are recognised for their assessments of distribution and microscope slides and preserved in national importance by the UK and identification to be reassessed, notably alcohol/formalin, , rocks and Scottish governments. A number of in light of taxonomic changes. Museum minerals. There are roughly 80 million English university museums receive specimens are a major contributor specimens in the Natural History funding from Research England as a to IUCN Red List assessments, and Museum (London), and 60 million research infrastructure, and a similar are an essential tool for work on the in other museums. Collections have scheme runs in Scotland (run by the Convention on Biological Diversity, been built up since the 19th century. Scottish Funding Council). and for national and local biodiversity Large museums have encyclopaedic, assessments. Collections reveal global collections. Regional museums Museum collections are often environmental change, the most often contain the best collections associated with taxonomy, and they famous example probably being Derek for their region, and even relatively certainly support taxonomic research; Ratcliffe’s work linking the decline in small museums can be home to very there is plenty of work to do, with birds of prey in the UK in the mid-20th important collections. an estimated 86% of land species century to egg-shell thinning as a and 91% of marine species awaiting result of DDT poisoning. Collections In addition to these, the Hunterian description (Tittensor et al. 2011). of eggs, plants and insects reveal Museum (Royal College of Surgeons, However, museum collections support changes in phenology. For example, London), Lapworth Museum of the exploration of a much wider Brooks et al. 2014 found strong Geology (University of Birmingham), range of ecological and environmental relationships between the flying Leeds Museums and Galleries, topics. Specimen labels provide time of British butterflies and spring Encyclopaedic collections built Sunderland Museum, Great North basic information on what species temperature, based on specimen data up over many years mean Museum: Hancock (Newcastle upon occur where, or at least where they from museum collections. Specimens Tyne), Yorkshire Museum (York), once occurred. Even today, historical are sampled for DNA to explore collections are 4 dimensional, University of Aberdeen (zoology, collections are a basic source of relationships within and between with a time dimension.

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UK museums with more than a million natural sciences specimens It is important that collections continue to be useful and used by Museum collections of eggshells Number of specimens researchers, policy makers, and played an important role in those working directly with site identifying the environmental Natural History Museum 80 million and species conservation. Just as impact of DDT in the 20th century. National Museums of Scotland 10 million environmental science has been Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 8.5 million transforming rapidly, there should be new ways of working that draw more Oxford University Museum of Natural History 5.65 million effectively on museum collections. Manchester Museum, University of Manchester 4.5 million Also, in a time of reduced resources, British Geological Survey 4 million it is important to understand how collections can support global Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh 3 million biodiversity in strategic ways. World Museum Liverpool 1.6 million A project is underway, funded by the National Museum of Wales 1.3 million BES, that seeks to develop better links Cambridge University Museum of Zoology 2.75 million and better understanding between ecologists and other environmental Bristol Museum 1.1 million researchers, and museum workers, of Cambridge University, Sedgwick Museum 1 million the current and unrealized potential of Sciences of museum collections. This is Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery 1 million framed around the ‘100 questions of importance for the conservation of global biodiversity’ (Sutherland et al. 2009). Online surveys are species, informing decisions on or accessible as they could be: faced completed by experts (researchers, reintroductions. DNA sampling also with enormous numbers of specimens, practitioners, policy workers) and, helps explore population dynamics, the the task of digitising and networking separately, by museum workers timing of bottlenecks, and changes in collections is monumental. Secondly, (curators, collections managers, etc.), gene frequency over time. Changes in museum funding cuts mean that on their perceptions of the current and levels of environmental pollutants over there are less natural-history-trained potential usefulness of UK museum time can be revealed from samples curators in museums than there used collections in addressing 12 research of animal and plant tissues (such as to be. Thirdly, there is relatively little areas: ecosystem function and mercury in the feathers of seabirds). contact between researchers and services, impact of climate change Analysis of stable isotopes reveals museums, or a strategic relationship on biodiversity and ecosystems, a whole range of details on diet and between museum collections and impacts of technological change on trophic levels, and even migration research agendas. Fourthly, collections biodiversity, protected areas and of animals. need to continue to be developed to Responses have been received from People working in museum curation, biodiversity, ecosystem management people working within some of the management and policy are invited to ensure that time series studies can and restoration, terrestrial ecosystems, The ongoing usefulness of collections UK statutory nature conservation complete a similar (but not identical) be made, and that specimens are marine ecosystems, freshwater is threatened for four main reasons. agencies, Kew, Royal Botanic Gardens survey at this link: https://www. preserved and information curated so ecosystems, species management, Firstly, collections are not as visible that they are useful. Edinburgh, Institute of Zoology, surveymonkey.co.uk/r/N3N8QG8. nature conservation organizational Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, systems and processes, impacts many universities, environmental of societal change on biodiversity, records centres and international and impacts of nature conservation agencies including IUCN. Responses REFERENCES interventions. This helps identify have come from many of the national both the research potential and any focal points for the various groups Brooks, S. J., A. Self, F. Toloni and T. Sparks perception gaps between experts and working in support of the Convention (2014). Natural history museum collections museum workers, and helps build a on Biological Diversity. The project is provide information on phenological Specimen labels are an important better, shared understanding of the change in British butterflies since the late- source of data, as on this label from looking to get many more responses nineteenth century. International Journal of potential, and limitations, of museum (this is you!), and will be open until Biometeorology 58(8):1749-58. a herbarium sheet of Assam Tea, collections. Some generic questions January 2019. Mora, C., D. P. Tittensor, S. Adl, A. G. B. from 1876. help identify how and where Simpson and B. Worm (2011). How many researchers, practitioners and policy People working in ecological/ species are there on Earth and in the ocean? workers would discover information environmental/nature conservation PLoS Biol 9(8): e1001127. doi:10.1371/ INTERESTED IN EXPLORING journal.pbio.1001127. Also discussed in on museum collections. research, policy and wildlife/habitat/ May, R. M. (2011)Why worry about how UK NATURAL SCIENCES environmental management are many species and their loss? PLoS Biol 9(8): The project will make invited to complete the survey at this e1001130. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001130. COLLECTIONS? recommendations to the museum link: https://www.surveymonkey. Sutherland, W.J., W. M. Adams, R. B. sector, BES, funders and research co.uk/r/552RG3V Aronson, R. Aveling, T. M. Blackburn, Find natural sciences The timing of Corncrake agencies/councils. Already, the S. Broad, G. Ceballos, I. M. Cote, R. M. collections in UK museums surveys show that researchers, policy Cowling, G. A. B. Da Fonseca and E. population collapse was explored natsca.org/NHNearYou workers, site and species managers Dinerstein (2009). One hundred questions by studying the proportion of of importance to the conservation of global adult and immature Corncrake can see tremendous potential for biological diversity. Conservation Biology Search collections in UK museums specimens collected over time. museum collections to support the 23(3): 557–67. fenscore.natsca.org conservation of biological diversity.

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PEOPLE AND NATURE between humans and nature. Much emerged most are quite narrow in bounded thinking towards more of this research addresses issues of some respect. More than ever we need transformative paradigms. vital importance. a deeply interdisciplinary journal that THE TIME HAS COME spans the natural and social sciences, RH – This journal will be the home for We look forward to receiving your embracing a wide diversity of high quality interdisciplinary papers, submissions. methods, perspectives and ideological highly regarded across the natural and positions. People and Nature offers social sciences, and the humanities. Kevin Gaston – Editor-in-Chief People FOR A JOURNAL OF just that, with a genuine open-access It will occupy a unique place in this and Nature model from an eminent professional emerging field. We asked our Lead Editors Kai Chan, society. Robert , Rosemary Hails and WHAT KINDS OF PAPERS WOULD RELATIONAL THINKING Rob Fish – The study of interactions Cecily Maller to tell us why this new between people and nature has been YOU LIKE TO SEE SUBMITTED? journal is timely and give us their through many cycles of theoretical thoughts on the papers they would and empirical innovation, and each RH – I would like to see papers that like to see submitted. Emilie Aimé | Managing Editor | [email protected] of these has its own version and are genuinely accessible to academics style of interdisciplinarity. Across the across the disciplines, which represent WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR environmental social sciences we are significant new ideas, concepts, entering, I think, a highly dynamic approaches and evidence. This will Here at the BES we’re dedicated to ensuring we publish across the full FIELD THAT MAKES THIS NEW cycle of innovation centred on notions require clarity in communication, JOURNAL IMPORTANT? of ‘co-dependency’, ‘co-construction’ moving away from the discipline breadth of ecology. The discipline is evolving all the time and is reaching and ‘co-determinacy’. The Journal specific language that often creates Cecily Maller – There is increasing will be an important venue in which a barrier to understanding for those beyond its traditional boundaries, interplaying with many other fields of interest in finding transdisciplinary this social science perspective is put outside the immediate field; yet at ways of understanding some of into conversation with the theory and the same time maintaining academic the complex challenges of rapid practice of ecological science. rigour and novelty. research, often themselves more directly focussed on people. urbanisation and biodiversity loss and moving beyond traditional, RF – I am interested in the western or human centred WHY SHOULD PEOPLE SUBMIT TO submissions of papers that look to approaches. This journal’s focus THE JOURNAL? challenge and re-think prevailing on encouraging debate to expand wisdoms about the relationship Our five established journals, expectations and we look forward to good bit of material drawn from one the types of approaches, concepts, RF – The Journal inherits the Society’s between people and nature. I Functional Ecology, Journal of Animal publishing our first issue with great or more other disciplines – it could theories and methods applied to long-standing interest in promoting personally welcome contributions Ecology, Journal of Applied Ecology, fanfare early next year. be economics, geography, history, human-nature relationships will conservations and experimentation and interventions that inspire Journal of Ecology and Methods in law, literature, medicine, philosophy, provide an important new outlet for across disciplinary boundaries, and interdisciplinary scholars to assemble Ecology and Evolution are world- Get in touch if you have an idea for politics, psychology, or sociology, to this work. With its interest in multiple publishing the very best of current around new conceptual framings renowned and publish outstanding a paper you’d like to submit. We’re name just a few possibilities. But it methods it will also provide a home thinking. The interest of the Journal of these relationships, and develop research in their fields. However, particularly interested in submissions is not a mainstream paper for one of for rich, in-depth qualitative research is to elaborate a new and ambitious new approaches to their empirical over a year or so of investigation and that whilst coming from disciplines those disciplines either. So, where will that is often challenging to publish field of relational scholarship, one that elaboration. debate it became clear that there outside of ecology have ecological you submit your latest contribution? in existing sustainability and straddles the need for both analytical KC – I would like to see papers that I was space for a new addition to the relevance, as well as ones coming You will want a journal that not just environment journals. and interpretative perspectives on haven’t seen anywhere before, and portfolio. from inside of ecology but drawing considers outputs from this kind of people-nature interactions, and papers that seek to break out of the on such other disciplines. We don’t cross/multi/interdisciplinary work, but Rosie Hails – Our understanding bringing these perspectives together. moulds of traditional disciplinary With a stellar editorial board led want to be too prescriptive but some really values them. You will want one of the relationship between people thinking while maintaining a high by Editor-in-Chief Kevin Gaston examples might be work on human that understands both the importance and nature has itself evolved, from KC – Scholars and scientists should degree of scholarly rigour. We and Lead Editors Kai Chan, Robert health and ecology, industry or of your paper being promptly and one of impact and exploitation, to a submit their work to get timely, want to see bold, thoughtful, Fish, Rosemary Hails and Cecily business and ecology, international fairly handled by people who are more dynamic one of management reflective feedback from editors and innovative research, from all kinds of Maller, People and Nature opened development and ecology, history and knowledgeable about the topic, and to secure benefits. Increasingly we reviewers, and to benefit from the perspectives. for submissions in June, to an ecology… more examples from our that takes seriously the challenges that recognise humans as part of the broad reach of an open-minded high- overwhelmingly supportive reception editors below. profile journal. can arise when reviewing work that ecosystem, not separate from it. Our CM – I would like to see work from ecologists and non-ecologists crosses disciplinary specialisms. You future academic development of this submitted that challenges disciplinary alike. The scope of the journal is broad We look forward to seeing your field therefore requires drawing on CM – Scholars who are interested in will want one backed by a respected boundaries and offers up news ways – we’re open access and publish work submissions soon! the advances that have been made engaging beyond their discipline, and organisation, with a track record of of understanding human-nature from across research areas exploring in many of the natural science, social outside of academia, should submit publishing high quality journals. relationships. For example, this work relationships between humans and science and humanities disciplines, their work to this open-access journal MESSAGE FROM THE may draw on indigenous and first nature. We want to reach beyond Welcome to People and Nature – a creating a new more deeply rooted to connect with like-minded others nations perspectives, multispecies the traditional BES audience to EDITOR-IN-CHIEF journal of relational thinking. interdisciplinary community. and to help consolidate research that or more-than-human approaches. bring in researchers from all sorts of is often out of reach or dispersed So, you have a great idea for a new I also encourage experimentation disciplines that interact with ecology. The British Ecological Society Kai Chan – There is increasing across a number of disciplinary paper. It looks at some aspect of the is launching this new journal in recognition of the crucial importance specific journals. The journal will with new methods and approaches The submissions so far and the interactions between people and recognition of the rapid growth in of interdisciplinary studies addressing represent the cutting edge of research that decentre traditional scientific level of excitement the journal nature. It will have some ecological inter-, multi-, and transdisciplinary the intersection of people and nature, on human-nature relationships and knowledge and offer more democratic has generated have surpassed our relevance, but may not be a pure research concerning the relationships but among the journals that have will help shift current disciplinary- ways of making data and knowledge. ecology paper. It will also have a

26 27 BES Bulletin VOL 49:3 | September 2018 CAN YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR MOST RECENT RESEARCH?

My most recent research, funded SERPENT Project. We found that north coast of Ireland. The anatomy by the Fisheries Society of British sunfish are in the top 10% of species of these fish hasn’t been explored RESEARCH Isles, is all about global sightings. that has the greatest distribution since the 1950s! This revealed some We used public data from citizens over the world. Different populations intriguing insights. It is well known which is an incredible resource far are subject to different drivers in that the sunfishes have a strange thick beyond the scope of any research their distribution. It is interesting to jelly-like layer under the skin, thought budget. We could use sightings from find that there is no one-size-fits-all to play a role in buoyancy regulation. THE UGLY DUCKLING OF THE OCEAN the 1700s and across the world as solution to this. As always, we just Our research found out that it also well as from the oil and gas industry need to do more research. functions as an exoskeleton! that have cameras throughout the oceans – every time they encounter We have also recently done a For more information about Natasha’s SUNFISH ECOLOGY a strange marine creature it is collaborative dissection on a sunfish research, check out her blog: uploaded to a website called the that sadly washed up dead on the sunfishresearch.wordpress.com

Lauren Ratcliffe | Bulletin Associate Editor | [email protected]

Sunfish are strange creatures. We want to catch them, it’s a waste of What outreach work have you done? know very little about them and their time. So managing the species many assume they are simply bycatch works on every level, from I have a blog, which shows that a lot anomalies of the ocean. Natasha conservation to financial. of people are asking questions. I want Phillips, however, believes to be able to reach more people to there is more to them than that Where is your research based? answer these questions. and is pushing to improve our understanding of their ecology. We have permission to work in a I received one question from a mother marine protected area in Italy. There is and daughter in the States asking What drew you to study the sunfish? a small traditional fishery, which whether sunfish communicate. This gets huge numbers of sunfish bycatch. got me thinking… when I take mucus The sunfish is a beautiful ugly It is in a marine protected area so samples from their tissues, they grunt duckling of the ocean. The more you the nets are pulled up by hand. The and make so much noise. They really read about it, more questions arise fish get clustered in the end of the don’t like being brushed – it’s gentle, and you realise we really know very nets and are lifted out one by one, but they really don’t like it. It wasn’t little about its ecology. completely unharmed, and released something that I had really thought back into the ocean. Providing me about until they mentioned it, and Normally when you look at a marine with a perfect dependable supply of when they did I realized they are species, like a tuna or shark, you can fish to take data from. actually very noisy. see it is streamline and beautiful – built for strength and speed. Then Unfortunately, this kind of Social media is a powerful tool for when you look at the sunfish, you management solution is only really helping you connect with other wonder ‘what on earth is that!?’ possible on the small scale. On the researchers and the public. One of large industrial fishing ships they have the opening talks at the American Why is finding out more about the huge trawl nets where everything Fisheries Society conference I went to species’ ecology important? gets crushed at the bottom. in 2016 was about social media and how to communicate research. The bycatch of sunfish is off the Who do you work with scale and there is no management on your research? What advice would you give in place. We don’t know how many other researchers about using of them there are in the population, We received a grant from the Daiwa social media? what age they reproduce at, what Foundation. This enabled us to they eat, their distribution… we know organise a seven-day symposium Always include pictures. Especially very little, which makes it hard to put in to meet and share ideas with something like sunfish, which management strategies in place. with researchers there who are also can be hard to visualize. Keep your working with sunfish. text short and sweet. You can always Although they are pan-globally have links to more information distributed, we know they are I have also worked with the Monterey on. Have channels where people can significantly clustered in certain Bay Aquarium, which is the only one ask you questions – on my blog there regions around the world. These in the world to keep sunfish. So I could is a link to my email address and clusters are very vulnerable to being ask them questions about how to keep Twitter. The opportunities that come removed accidentally. them in captivity – their diet and how up if you put yourself out there can to feed them. be very satisfying, especially when Creating baseline information of you’re in the lab all day tapping away the species ecology is the first step Sunfish research is so small and niche at your keyboard. For someone on the before developing policy. It’s of – everyone knows everyone. They are other side of the world to go ‘oh that’s no-one’s interest to wipe out the all really helpful and enjoy sharing interesting’ can be very motivating. species accidentally. Fisheries don’t their knowledge and research.

28 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018

SOCIETY NEWS SOCIETY NEWS LIFTING THE HELPING ALL MEMBERS BONNET OF THE BES SHAPE OUR SOCIETY INTRODUCING ELECTRONIC VOTING

Ali Birkett | BES Board of Trustees – Early Career Rep | [email protected] Hazel Norman | Chief Executive | [email protected]

Last year, Ali Birkett was elected to the Board of However, over just a few years, I’ve seen the AGM At the BES AGM in December a new set of Articles, the Trustees as our early career representative. Here she attendance gradually decline, especially among our early rules that govern the Society, was agreed. One of the The ERSvotes website security starts with physical explains why ECRs should engage more with the career members. Is that the old imposter syndrome making really important changes was the adoption of online security of the datacentre hosting the website. ERS’s Society at a strategic level. members mistakenly think they don’t have the right to have voting for Board of Trustee members which means that equipment is co-located at a Tier 4 (the highest level) their say? Worrying either way. all members of the Society, and not just those attending datacentre which also happens to be used to host the From the outside, a car is a relative simple thing that most the AGM, can choose who represents them. The Board GSi (Government Secure Intranet) network. people can understand. A metal box with wheels and of Trustees sets the strategic direction of the BES and ESSENTIAL ENGINE ERS’s servers and other equipment are setup following mirrors, windows and doors. But even when you’re on the decides on how resources are spent. Centre for Internet Security (CIS) standards. CIS inside many people wouldn’t really know about systems If the AGM is the dashboard display of the BES, the Board standards are detailed instructions for building server that make it work. of Trustees and the six committees (Grants; Member Providing a safe, secure and accessible platform for operating systems, disabling unnecessary services and Services; Education, Training & Careers; Meetings; Policy; online voting is very important and the BES is pleased Most large organisations are exactly the same. configuring every component with the optimal settings and Publications) that feed into it are the engine. This is to announce that it has appointed Electoral Reform Services Ltd (ERS) (electoralreform.co.uk) to provide that for security. We also have a policy of applying any At the British Ecological Society however, we’re working to where the work goes on that is reported on the dashboard. for us. Each year thousands of organisations trust ERS to security upgrades and patches released by Microsoft, lift the bonnet, as it were, and equip our members with a These groups meet quarterly to make and enact decisions manage their ballot, election, vote, survey or referendum. Cisco and other vendors as soon as possible after they manual, toolbox and the confidence to get involved! about the day-to-day running and long term thinking of Established in 1884, ERS has ca 200 employees delivering are released (following testing on internal servers). the Society. This engine is not however the closed box that a wide range of election services, from design and print to The security of the platform is then tested with regular FUELLING THE SOCIETY it might seem. Any BES member is able to stand to be an digital democracy and vote verification. Their diverse client vulnerability scans. Vulnerability scans are usually “ordinary member” on the Board, or to offer their services base includes professional bodies, mutuals, trade unions, automated or semi-automated scans of the publicly The fuel of the BES is the ideas, enthusiasm and hard work healthcare providers, charities and voluntary organisations, to one of these committees or the more specific Working accessible IP addresses using tools such as Nessus. of its members. We provide the power to keep the Society Groups. companies, the public sector and political parties, moving forward, and transfer that energy to the moving broadcasters and housing associations. ERS commissions a quarterly vulnerability scan from parts of the system: the BES’ excellent staff. Without an And believe me, this isn’t as scary as it sounds! an independent PCI-DSS ASV (Approved Scanning active membership we wouldn’t get out of the garage! The open call for candidates for the Board of Trustees Vendor), and also carries out more frequent internal At last December’s AGM I stood for and was elected to happened in the summer and online voting will be open scans whenever there are configuration changes to the DASHBOARD DISPLAY be early career representative on the Board, and therefore from 15 November to 12:00 GMT 14 December. The environment. Chair the Early Career Working Group. I stood for the post results of the vote will be announced at the AGM taking Finally, the security of the application itself is tested In a car, the dashboard is the first way of interacting because I’ve gained so much from the BES that I felt it was place on 17 December at the BES Annual Meeting in with regular penetration tests (aka web application with the inner workings. It gives updates from the main time to give something back. Birmingham, UK. security tests). Penetration tests are skilled manual systems, an idea of what might be needed in the future, tests to identify if the application itself might be and particularly a gauge of that all important fuel. I’m pleased to report that I have been welcomed into the You will receive an email from ERS in November notifying meetings with great warmth and encouragement, for which you that voting is open and explaining how to cast your vulnerable to exploits such as SQL Injection or Cross- For the BES, the dashboard is that section of the December I’m very grateful! vote. You’ll get a reminder email on 21 November and Site Scripting (XSS). ERS commissions an independent Annual Meeting programme that may have seemed like a we’ll also promoting online voting via the BES social media penetration test from a specialist web application mystery: the AGM or Annual General Meeting. At the election however, I was painfully aware how few channels at the same time. If you have any questions security testing company before each major release of of those voting at the AGM were actually from the group please get in touch. the software, and also carries out internal pen testing I remember being impressed by the AGM when I first that I was standing to represent. I’ve therefore made one for minor releases or customisations. joined the BES eight years ago. I thought it was great how of my aims of my time in post to be to help lift the bonnet We hope that all BES members will take up this chance to the Society kept everyone informed of progress and gauged of the BES and reengage other members with the inner be more engaged with your Society and remember – every the opinions of its members on its future actions – actions mechanics… vote counts! that it would ultimately make in their name. Questions were asked from the floor, votes were taken… this was a …so I can count on seeing you at the AGM in Birmingham Society run by its members, for its members, with a great this December, right? deal of openness.

30 31 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018

PUBLIC ENGAGAMENT Left: Chris handing over a cockroach to an eager youngster during National Week. SHARING THE EXCITEMENT © Ekaterina Shatalova AND IMPORTANCE OF ECOLOGY

Chris Jeffs | Engagement Officer | [email protected] A cliché to start: I feel like I have started my dream job as Below: A packed Nature of Food stall at the BBC Good Food Show Engagement Officer at the BES. I’m an enthusiastic person, get at the Birmingham NEC. easily caught up in the excitement of the natural world, and I find © Chris Jeffs joy in developing interesting ways to enthuse people about science. FUTURE ACTIVITIES AT THE BES Building on the suite of successful events attended by the BES in recent years (namely Chelsea encounter with a picture of parasitoid Show, Glastonbury, and WHY IS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT wasp on a desk in my first term. Once EVENTS THIS YEAR AT THE BES the BBC Good Food Show) I wish IMPORTANT? I learnt about parasitoids’ incredible Since joining in May it’s been great to reach new audiences and lifecycles I was hooked (who wouldn’t getting stuck into engagement involve a wide representation Public engagement is a vital love something that eats its host activities at the BES N4FG symposium of the BES membership in 2019 component of research and can be alive from the inside before bursting in Manchester, Bath Festival of and 2020. I encourage anyone to extremely enjoyable and rewarding. out!?). As my fascination with insects Nature, and the BES undergraduate contact me with ideas for regional Ultimately it helps justify how we use grew through my masters and PhD Summer School in Malham Tarn, and national events BES members public money to those who provide I realised how lucky I had been, and Yorkshire. think the society should be it, and it helps to demonstrate the thought that so many people might represented at. impact of our work. It aids others never encounter the thing they find Biggest of all I led our ‘Nature of In addition, I hope to increase make informed decisions on how most fascinating unless we give them Food’ stall at the BBC Good Food their behaviour may impact the the number of members that can the opportunity to see it. Show where, in collaboration with environment, and can inspire the develop their skills through a researchers at the N8 Agrifood I began organising engagement suite of training workshops and next generation of ecologists. Greater research partnership (led by Lancaster public understanding and appreciation materials for National Insect Week online resources led by science University) and BES volunteers, we (the Royal Entomological Society’s communication and public of our subject areas can attract the directly engaged with over 1000 financial and political support we need biannual summer celebration engagement experts. If there is a visitors. We had a great range of to continue and implement that work sharing the wonder and importance specific area you want training in, interactive activities to communicate of insects). This included podcast, please get in touch! (just look at the effect of Blue Planet the important role ecological II for a demonstration of the power of video, and blog series, a children’s science plays in providing the food science communication). magazine, and most recently a I’m excited by the status and on your plate, and its vital role in museum exhibition and programme of level of support the BES gives futureproofing your food in the face events. Seeing the change in people’s public engagement, and I’m really HOW I STARTED IN of environmental challenges. You reactions to insects from a disgusted looking forwarding to developing can see more about our activities at ‘eww’ to curious ‘ooh!’ and interacting exciting plans for future activities PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT natureoffood.org. with students thinking of becoming with BES members. With over My route towards a career in public entomologists brought me such great 6000 members in 130 countries engagement was a gradual process joy and showed me the real value of and six journals of cutting-edge that rapidly gained momentum. public engagement. I knew this was research at the BES, there is so Insects are my particular passion, but I the career path I wanted to take. much more for me to learn and had no specific interest in them when become enthused about myself. I started university until a chance

32 33 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018

POLICY UPDATE SCOTLAND ROUNDUP BUILDING POLICY MOMENTUM IN WALES Sara Brouillette Brendan Costello | Policy Officer | Policy Manager Maggie Keegan [email protected] [email protected] Policy Officer in Scotland William P. Kay | BES Wales Policy Group | @willpkay [email protected] Responses to Government consultations and Having started my career The BES Wales Policy Group (WPG) was established in 2017 to bring togeth- Parliamentary committee inquiries, the inaugural Joint in land-use planning, I The BES Scottish Policy Group (SPG) er academics and policymakers to discuss environmental policy issues in Policy Group meeting for devolved nations and Ireland, decided to put myself has held a number of successful Wales. Following a successful inaugural event in November, the WPG have through a second Masters been working hard behind the scenes establish a programme of activity. and a welcome to Brendan Costelloe, our new Policy events including a ‘Pie and A Pint’ Manager (maternity cover). – this time in Conservation (PAAP) in Inverness which posed the Science – so that I could On the 6 and 7 June 2018 representatives of WPG met with representatives question “What does biodiversity Our policy responses have looked at a range of pursue a career helping to of the Scottish Policy Group (SPG), the Northern Ireland Policy Group (NIPG) environmental issues from the Changing to Future success in 2020 look like?” and a and the Irish Ecological Association (IEA) for the first annual BES Joint safeguard one of my great policy training day for University Farming policy. Members of the BES and members of the passions in life: nature. Policy Group (JPOG) meeting. This meeting was a fantastic opportunity for of Edinburgh Environmental MSc representatives from each of the groups to get to know each other, learn Policy Committee have been instrumental in making our Upon completing the MSc, students. from the successes of the SPG, and identify common challenges and policy consultation and inquiry submissions possible. We would I joined the RSPB as a Senior Policy Officer, leading on a issues across regions and share ideas for how to establish a sound policy like to thank everyone who has been involved, taken the range of subjects, including the NPPF, Defra’s review of Discussions at PAAP highlighted the programme in their country. The meeting was very positive, with everyone time to submit evidence, and informed our responses. We its agencies, biodiversity offsetting, and the interminable need for increased public engagement are now working on a brief for BES members on how to feeling energised and motivated to continue building on the policy work in reviews of the Birds and Habitats Directives. I also bring to in the future biodiversity strategy their regions. give evidence and support our policy outputs. If you like to the role some academic experience. This includes a review and efforts should be sought to bring be kept up to date on the production of this brief, please do of best-practice for implementing the avoidance stage of biodiversity to the forefront of a In Wales, we have exciting plans for an event in September and more to get in touch. the ‘mitigation hierarchy’ for development; and my own range of spheres including education come in 2019, including an adoption of the SPG’s (unsurprisingly) popular research exploring the use of global biodiversity indicators “Pie and a Pint” night, where we will be discussing important ecological To provide BES members with information on how and politics. A key tenant of a future as tools for informing better policy decisions, rather than issues in Wales. We also plan to offer a policy training event in the near ecologists can engage in policy making, we began strategy should be to address habitat simply indicating that previous policy choices have often future. One of the key challenges for the WPG is to attract interest from all publishing a series of Policy Guides in 2017. We recently fragmentation, and any new strategy failed. I join the BES from the National Council for Voluntary over Wales; hence we plan to spread these meetings across the country from published our third Policy Guide: How does science inform needs to be underpinned by robust Organisations (NCVO), where I spent the last 18 months North to South and in between! the UK Government? which is freely available on the independent assessments and leading on its Brexit policy and advocacy. BES website. This guide provides an introduction to the monitoring of past and current land Momentum continues to build for the WPG and we look forward to deliver- management practices. structure of the UK Government, focusing on the various I’ve always loved nature and some of my earliest memories ing an exciting programme of events in the coming months. If you would like bodies within and across departments that use and provide to hear more or get involved, please keep an eye on the BES website. We are of gazing up at azure summer skies through the leaves Reflecting on the policy training day will be promoting the WPG via Twitter (@BESPolicy), newsletters and blogs scientific evidence. It also offers advice on how researchers of trees, listening to the birds as butterflies fluttered on the science/policy interface, Rosie and we will be sending out a promotional email to Wales-based BES mem- can engage government with their expertise. past. This is something I still do, often with same child- Baillie said: ‘As someone with very like wonder and I still find it as relaxing as ever. Sadly, bers soon. WPG representatives will be attending the BES Annual Meeting Finally, we recently held the inaugural Joint Policy Group little knowledge of policymaking, in Birmingham so if you’re there, please do come and find us! however, I don’t see quite as many butterflies or hear as the training day gave me a good (JPOG) meeting in Cardiff which involved policy groups many birds as I did in my childhood. Turning this around from the devolved nations and Ireland. The meeting introduction to the topic and requires the right evidence to make the right the decisions, allowed the policy groups to learn from each other and understanding of the different roles and the BES is uniquely placed to cut through the politics gain ideas for how to grow in the coming years. If you involved in policymaking.’ Chelsea and noise that surrounds conservation, and provide that Fletcher, who helped organise the want to find about how to get involved with your policy evidence to decision-makers. group or hear about upcoming events, please get in touch event said: ‘Learning how to present with anyone from our team! a quick overview of a comprehensive topic and what strategies to utilise to get a viewpoint across was something that everyone can take away for their everyday life – whether or not we end up in politics.”

The next policy training workshop and PAAP will be in Edinburgh on the 13 November 2018. More information can be found on the BES website.

We have also been responding to important consultations in Scotland on proposals for the Brexit transition period in the agricultural sector and the call for evidence at Stage 1 of the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill. Many thanks for all of you who provided comments and evidence which helped inform the SPG responses.

34 35 BES Bulletin VOL 49:3 | September 2018

POLICY REFLECTIONS FROM OUR FIRST POLICY FELLOWS

Bethan O’Leary [email protected] | Deepa Senapathi [email protected]

The BES introduced its Policy environment more broadly and the Fellowship last year. The Fellowship challenges in evaluating complex DEEPA SENAPATHI offers a rare opportunity to support policies and actions. I spent my time as part of the the career development of mid-career Wildlife Evidence team, and working The aim of the 6th National Report to scientists by providing a placement alongside the Nature Strategy team the CBD is to review progress towards opportunity within government and to set up a framework to evaluate the the implementation of the Strategic salary support for this. The aim of Biodiversity 2020 strategy. While the Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Fellowship is to provide a greater full evaluation of the strategy is due to report on measures that are being understanding of the science-policy to be completed in 2019, there were implemented to achieve the Aichi interface for each Fellow to inform many different components to the evidence. Well-communicated, Policy is more reactive Biodiversity Targets. Case studies REFLECTIONS ON career development and promote evaluation and I specifically worked on accessible, and high quality research than academia partnerships between academics are intended to support the progress evaluating the outputs and outcomes OUR FELLOWSHIPS that addresses complex questions Policy responds to a variety of and policymakers at the heart of assessment to provide a more in-depth related to climate change adaptation relevant to policy and recognises the influences (e.g. social, political, government. The 2017/18 Fellowship narrative of action taken and their The time on our Fellowship has flown and resilience. wider social and political context is evidential) meaning that it can offer a is being hosted by the Wildlife and outcomes, evaluate the effectiveness by and we have both now completed required to maximise the policy-value relatively fast-paced and sometimes Ivory team within Defra. of these actions, showcase good our placements. We have put together In order to do this, I first needed to of research. reactive decision-making environment, practice, and document experiences some insights from our experiences produce a logic model framework albeit under structured long-term and The BES Policy Fellowship is from which knowledge gained can so far: Policymakers are really keen to based on Defra guidelines, which then forward-thinking strategies. Aligning awarded through a competitive be, or has already been, transferred to formed the basis for an expert panel engage academics in policy interview process. For its first year future practice. Policymakers and academics academic research with long-term assessment. The panel membership There is a demand for politically, the Fellowship was offered to two think differently strategies and engaging policymakers included individuals from policy, economically, and socially relevant researchers, although typically only To select potential areas for case in research can help to pre-empt delivery agencies, conservation Policymakers often have research in government, and one will be offered each year. Deepa study development I first held a these instances and ensure evidence organisations as well as academics multidisciplinary backgrounds and continued engagement across sectors Senapathi and Bethan O’Leary, our number of discussions with the four responds to policy needs, although and took the form of a two stage their experience in using evidence to provides better access to evidence for 2017 BES Policy Fellows have each countries to identify priority areas unforeseen requirements in evidence evaluation – an online survey followed inform policy means that they think policy teams. Since our Fellowships chosen spend 6 months working in which to identify lessons learnt will always emerge presenting by a one day workshop. about problems in different terms or started we have spoken to a lot of within Defra supported on a part-time in practice. Research within each challenges for both academics and from different angles. They also often different teams and people working in basis and have now both completed of these priority areas was then policymakers. The aim of this evaluation was to have a broad knowledge base of the evidence and policy both within Defra their secondments. We asked them undertaken to identify potential assess the level of progress made local context or previous projects or and the wider network of delivery Keep your message short and sweet to tell us about their experiences in case studies based on availability of towards national and international policies that have been tried that you agencies. One of the things that that role. information for evaluation and these Policymakers are busy people. targets related to climate change may not know about. It also means were presented to the four countries surprised us was just how welcoming Learning to communicate your adaptation. The questions were based that policymakers can ask questions to secure their agreement to proceed. and interested they are to learn about message in one or two pages of BETHAN O’LEARY on measureable outputs outlined in differently and understanding our Fellowships and research, and Case studies were then further the Biodiversity 2020 strategy which accessible text is essential. researched and developed with the what the question actually is that how many ‘knowledge exchange’ or My fellowship was based in the respond to the international Aichi support of key individuals from across is being asked is really important. ‘policy’ fellowships or interns from Staff within government are more Nature Strategy and Wildlife Evidence targets set by the CBD. In addition the Defra family, and covered topics For example, a policymaker may ask academia there are, although mostly transient than in academia teams in Defra but also resulted in me to asking the experts to quantify a as wide ranging as agri-environment what the main threat facing a species at PhD level. The challenge is in working closely alongside colleagues level of progress, the survey was There is movement of staff across schemes, dormice reintroduction and is when they really mean what is matching up funding, timescales and from other parts of Defra, JNCC and designed to identify initiatives that teams and across departments within eradication of invasive non-native the most imminent threat. The BES expectations between the two sectors. Natural England, as well as several had helped contribute to progress but government which may not be that species, amongst others. Policy Fellowship has given us the external organisations. For my also recognise any significant barriers experience of working through a Timelines for delivery vary dissimilar to the trajectory of early to progress. The workshop provided career researchers, but may happen fellowship I was assigned two broad To support the evaluation of thought process to understand what significantly between academia and the opportunity for experts to have at shorter time scales. This does pose tasks: (1) to develop case studies to Biodiversity 2020, I worked with the question being asked actually is. the policy world more in-depth discussions on these a challenge in terms of continuity of support the UK’s 6th National Report the steering group to develop the aspects and also list some suggestion Academics have a longer duration contact but enabling networks such to the Convention on Biological framework and specification of the Policy decisions consider more than for improvement for future nature – usually years to gather evidence as the BES policy team and Policy Diversity (CBD), and (2) to support evaluation process. Lessons learnt just scientific evidence strategies. A report has been produced to answer a particular question. Fellow alumni network should help, the evaluation of the Biodiversity identified within case studies will also Policy decisions have to be consistent for Defra based on the survey and Policymakers have to make decisions as they continue to provide access to 2020 strategy. Both tasks required be used to inform the future strategy with existing policy and they have workshop findings and will be used to based on the evidence available to decision-makers and help bridge the me to step away from my academic for nature that will replace Biodiversity to balance social, economic, and inform the wider evaluation process. them at a particular point in time, gap following the completion of background in marine science and 2020 as it comes to its end. practical considerations as well as within a fairly short duration. a fellowship. to consider different ecosystems, the being informed by the best available

36 37 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018 FRIENDS OF THE SOCIETY CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERIMENTS FOREVER! MANAGEMENT

Sally Hayns CEcol MCIEEM | Chief Executive Officer, CIEEM Ben Sykes | Executive Director, ECT | [email protected] T: 01962 868626 | Email: [email protected]

ECT is currently custodian of 27 active Notable areas of national and Graduate member Helen LTEs across 22 sites in the UK. These international policy work include PietKiewicz, formerly studying at cover habitats ranging from grassland helping to develop and test criteria Nottingham Trent University, won to woodland to upland peat bog, and for listing species on the IUCN’s the Postgraduate Student project experimental treatments ranging Red List of threatened species, prize with her research report on from land management techniques involvement in the Millennium Salinity-induced changes in the to manipulations designed to mimic Ecosystem Assessment, the UK community composition of benthic the effects of changing climate. Our National Ecosystem Assessment and macroinvertebrates at Pasturefields 27th active LTE has just been added the Natural Capital Committee. saltmarsh, Staffordshire, UK whilst to the register this summer – the another graduate member, Clare Peatland-ES-UK project based at the Professor Mace will be presented with Knight of Turnstone Ecology, was the University of York focuses on the the Medal at the Autumn Conference winner of a hotly-contested Promising restoration of blanket bog vegetation in November. Professional category. for biodiversity, carbon sequestration and water regulation. Active for seven 2018 BEST PRACTICE AWARDS This year the judges were able years, it includes three sites in the to award the much-prized Tony north of England. In June we held our annual Bradshaw Award for a project that is considered to be outstanding in any Looking to the future, we are Awards Luncheon at the Merchant of the Best Practice categories. The delighted to announce that the BES Taylors’ Hall in the City of London. award went to Dialogue Matters and The Ecological Continuity Trust (ECT) The Buxton Climate Change Impacts is providing core funding support The Awards Luncheon provides the National Trust which had scooped is celebrating its tenth anniversary this Laboratory (BCCIL), established in for the next three years. This has an excellent opportunity for the 2018 CIEEM MEDAL the Best Practice in Stakeholder year. The landmark will be honoured 1994 on private land near Buxton in been a vital component of our ability profession to recognise and celebrate Engagement prize for its work at with a unique Interactive Thematic Derbyshire, looks at the impact of to secure additional funding from We are delighted to announce that some outstanding examples of Hatfield Forest in Essex. The two Session at BES2018 in December on the various climate change ‘treatments’ third parties and has coincided the 2018 CIEEM Medal has been applied ecological and environmental partners had undertaken an extremely challenges and opportunities faced by on the health and biodiversity of with my appointment as ECT’s new awarded to Dame Georgina Mace management practice. effective public engagement initiative long-term experiments (LTEs) in the calcareous grassland. In 2016, it Executive Director. As a qualified DBE FRS. Professor Mace is, of Among the Best Practice winners was to work with stakeholders, resolving UK, but what has ECT achieved and faced an uncertain future until ECT science communicator and manager course, well known to BES members the Dove Stone Upland Restoration highly contentious issues around where is it going in the next ten years? intervened with a combination of with a 22-year career at the Research as a former President of the Society Project led by the RSPB and United recreation, access and sensitive bridging funds and management Councils under my belt, I am looking and as a highly influential ecologist Utilities which won the Large-scale habitats at this mediaeval hunting The ECT was formed in 2008 as a changes that resulted in the forward to working with many of you who has made an outstanding and Nature Conservation Project Award forest which is also an SSSI and charitable body and not-for-profit experiment securing fresh NERC grant to fulfil this important role. ECT is life-long contribution to ecology and for its significant peatland restoration National Nature Reserve. company, with core funding support funding. Going strong again today, small charity battling to stem the environmental conservation. work. The Environment Agency and from the BES, in direct response BCCIL remains the UK’s longest- of LTE closures with growing external Box Moor Trust’s Bringing Back the to the loss of long-term ecological running climate change experiment. pressures on longer-term research Professor Mace has had a AUTUMN CONFERENCE Bulbourne chalk restoration experiments across the UK. Our funding. I am in no doubt that, without distinguished career that includes initiative won the Small-scale Nature vision was, and continues to be, the The RainDrop experiment is a new the ECT’s efforts over recent years, roles such as Director of Science at Bookings are now open for our Autumn Conservation Project Award. The development of a strategic network of LTE established in 2016 at Wytham the nation’s network of LTEs would be the Institute of Zoology (Zoological Conference on Advances in Ecological Yorkshire Peat Partnership, led LTEs that involve genuine ecosystem in Oxfordshire, with a planned 100- in a far more parlous state than that Society of London) and Director of the Restoration and Habitat Creation, by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, was a manipulations in the real world and year lifetime. Facilitated by ECT, which we find today. NERC Centre of Population Biology at which will be held in Glasgow on true replication for statistical purposes. RainDrop is a collaboration between Imperial College, London. Her current deserving winner of the Innovation 20-21 November. The theme of the That vision includes safeguarding the University of Oxford, the Open role is as Professor of Biodiversity and Award whilst the Knowledge Sharing conference is Effective Ecological existing high-quality experiments, as University and the Patsy Wood Ecosystems and Head of the Centre for Award was won by Manchester Restoration and Habitat Creation. well as facilitating new experiments, Trust investigating how changes in Biodiversity and Environment Research City Council’s Green and Blue and we can point to successful rainfall affect grassland resilience to at University College, London. Infrastructure Strategy. For further information please visit our examples of both. environmental change. website at www.cieem.net.

38 39 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018

EVENTS SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP NEWS

3–4 September, University of Bergen, 19 September, Charles Darwin House, 21 September, Charles Darwin House, Autumn (date TBC), Belfast, UK of spatial data, how to both access Norway London, UK London, UK Combined enthusiasms, pushing and analyse such data in response BES/NØF Symposium: Treelines Integrating knowledge and Annual Meeting - Advances in forward on recording and the role of to parasite transmission is evolving and Beyond approaches across microbiomes: Aquatic Ecology #BESAG2018 the Citizen rapidly. The Parasites and Pathogens from plants to humans and soil to sea Special Interest Group organised an Leading practitioners and scientists Aquatic Ecology SIG This event will focus on practitioners “Introduction to Spatial Statistics” from across Europe explore issues Microbial Ecology SIG and recorders in Northern Ireland workshop in Glasgow as a follow- around the treeline ecotone, with a Registration via Eventbrite and the Republic of Ireland though Given that all multicellular organisms on to the Ecology and Evolution of web-linked panel discussion between as with all our events it is open to support a microbiome, this complex World-leading aquatic ecologists will Infectious Diseases conference (EEID Norway and Scotland. anyone. It will have a particular focus metagenome has the potential to unite discuss their recent findings and 2018). The 1.5-day event covered on the role of technology and how it accessing, exploring and analysing organismal, evolutionary and ecological priorities for future research, which 3–4 September, University of Leeds, UK can support recorders, but also how spatial data using a range of different biologists from traditionally disjunct will, as always, spark interesting 8th Annual Showcase for Innovative organisations supporting citizen approaches. areas of research. As more biologists discussions. Time will be set aside for Field Teaching science need to constantly evolve to become interested in the function and discussion during the meeting and meet the expectations of participants. First, we discussed using Google Teaching and Learning SIG influence of the microbiome, there is there will also be ample opportunity for More details will be announced on our Earth Engine to access, analyse and Run by the Enhancing Fieldwork significant potential for knowledge networking and a social in the evening. mailing list. Sign up to our mailing list download remote sensed imagery, Learning team in collaboration with exchange between researchers working to discover more. Search for including hands on tutorials and Confirmed speakers: Sophie the BES, Water@Leeds and Esri UK. in this area. The aim of this one-day ‘BES-CitizenScience’ at jiscmail.ac.uk. We have been busy in our first full code examples from Andrew Cutts Cauvy-Fraunie (France); Owen The event aims to share ideas and meeting, jointly hosted by the BES, the year and we are pleased to report on of ACGeospatial. We ran through Petchey (Switzerland); Chrystal November, date and location TBC practice with regards to innovative field Microbiology Society and the Society our first symposium which we held in the key features of the popular and Mantyka-Pringle (Canada); Steve teaching and learning with an emphasis for Applied Microbiology, is to discuss Marine and coastal climate change: Birmingham in April. The event – widely used R package, SpatStat, for Ormerod (UK); Sinead Collins (UK); Advancing the synergies between on the use of mobile technologies. approaches and findings from across a setting future priorities for science exploring and identifying spatial point broad suite of environments and hosts. Jasmin Godbold (UK); Kerry communication and building teaching and research –welcomed patterns with Shaun Keegan, a PhD 9–15 September, Lisbon, Portugal Registration deadline: 3 September. Howell (UK); ECR Award Winner 2018 ecological resilience. delegates from around the UK. student at Liverpool University, and Please feel free to contact Rachael if Speakers covered not only examples of continued our statistical exploration Field techniques workshop 12 October, University of Reading, UK Joint event with the Climate Change research-led teaching, but also ways with R-INLA. This meant I took you have any questions: microbial-sig@ Ecology SIG and Marine Climate Plant Environmental Physiology SIG britishecologicalsociety.org Exploring the potential of citizen in which we can include citizen everyone on a whistle stop tour of Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP) science research within education. Our workshop provides a unique science approaches for development Bayesian theory, model specification Professor Jeremy Pritchard gave a opportunity for MSc, PhD students 20 September, Charles Darwin House, of undergraduate research skills Building on 10 years of Marine Climate and visualising spatial correlation via stimulating keynote with his views on and early career researchers to gain London, UK Change Impacts Report Cards, this zombie alerts in Florida and bacterial Joint workshop of the Teaching and TEF and some examples of his hands-on experience and training in workshop will consider challenges infections in Benin. Finally, Simon Early Career Researcher Workshops Learning and Citizen Science SIGs innovative teaching within plant ecophysiology techniques from and opportunities in communicating Hoggett of BES Publishing and Helen #BESAG2018 ecology. Before lunch, Dr Nick leading scientists and manufacturers. This event is specifically looking coastal and marine climate change Eaton of Royal Society Publishing Aquatic Ecology SIG at how citizen science can support issues and help identify priorities. Kettridge and the delegates braved gave some key publishing pointers learning in higher education. There Details will be available at the rather rainy weather to showcase including code and data management. 10–14 September, Belfast, UK Registration via Eventbrite: is an open call for contributions, so britishecologicalsociety.org/climate- Birmingham’s own research-led 9th International Symposium on do come along to be inspired and teaching facilities, visiting the Vegan package in R - Dr Andrew change-ecology. Testate amoebae (ISTA9) learn from each other. Details at: Birmingham Bog and the Ecolab sites Beckerman (University of Sheffield). Peatland Research SIG besteachingandlearning.wordpress. 16–19 December, Birmingham, UK on campus. The symposium closed We will introduce the vegan package com or contact Alice Mauchline with research on how good The BES Peatland Research Group will BES Annual Meeting 2018 in three steps, moving from what your [email protected]. management practises can maximise be present at ISTA9. Please join us at a data will look like and how to organise Join over 1200 international ecologists the links between research and special meeting in the Ulster Museum and visualise it through to two of 30–31 October, Cambridge at #BES2018! teaching-focussed staff to generate to discuss the importance of peatlands the most frequently used methods University, UK real centres of excellence within science and peatland conservation. in ecology: principle components Abstract submission deadline: Climate change adaptation in the HE. You can read a full report of our The Climate Change Ecology group analysis (PCA) and NMDS. 17:00 (BST), Monday 10 September. 17–20 September, High Wycombe, UK natural environment: how can progress meeting on the Functional Ecology has recently updated its mailing list. blog: functionalecologists. and effectiveness be measured? Earlybird registration is open until If you want to join the list, please Movement Ecology, moving forward Leadership skills in academia - Prof com/2018/05/17 17:00 (BST), Friday 19 October. drop us an email at: climate-sig@ your research and career - Early Owen Petchey (University of Zurich). Joint event with the Climate Change britishecologicalsociety.org Career Researcher residential course Ecology SIG and Committee on Do you wonder what it takes to be a 13–16 May 2019, Eden Project, Climate Change Learn how to move forward your great leader? Or question whether you Cornwall, UK You can find us on Facebook, Twitter data analysis skills and your career. have what it takes? Does attending This workshop will bring together and through the SIG webpages on ECR Symposium 2019 Movement ecology workshops, skills leadership and management courses scientists, policy makers and the BES website. We also have a training events, mock interviews make your blood run cold? If you practitioners to develop ways of Plant Environmental Physiology SIG blog. The most recent post at the time of writing is by James Pearce and more – led by Samantha Patrick answer yes to any of these, this evaluating adaptation programmes, Registration opens soon – keep an eye Higgins: School children show how ([email protected]), workshop is for you. The overarching such as the National Adaptation on our Twitter and Facebook pages. dry weather affects soil invertebrates: Garrett Street, Luca Börger aim of the workshop is to pique your Programme, including through Enjoy keynote talks, behind-the-scenes With ever improving access to besclimatechange.wordpress.com ([email protected]). interesting in leadership. You need to the use of indicators. Register tours, full access to the site, networking, remote sensed data and open bring only yourself and an open mind. through the Eventbrite link at research presentations, prizes and Registration deadline: 9 September 2018 source development increasing britishecologicalsociety.org/climate- opportunities to learn about plant the affordability and accessibility change-ecology. physiology careers. Not one to miss!

40 41 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018

poster and best talk were sponsored a fantastic talk on the geography of by Plants, People, Planet – the new speciation, featuring a #discokoala. cross disciplinary Open Access journal from the New Phytologist Trust. The ‘formally informal’ meeting also included a lively poster session, an impromptu show-and-tell on ‘tools for efficient workflows’ and other workshops, while the Earlier this year we welcomed several break-out discussions put some of The Movement Ecology SIG has been busy over the summer, with three events new people onto the committee. This macroecology’s best brains to work on including overseas activities! And in September we will organise our first will help our SIG continue to thrive topics like “where are all the applied Movement Ecology Early Career residential course. Here the details. and encourage excellence in citizen macroecologists?”. It wasn’t all hard science in ecology, by supporting BES work, however, with the first-ever members and professional citizen Our coastal walk with National Trust Guides Since our last Bulletin update, the macroecology ceilidh complete with science practitioners who work in at Blakeney Point, Norfolk Peatland research group SIG has seen macroecology-inspired dances such ecological citizen science. Although a change in lead, with Bjorn Robroek as “The Death Island Reel”. The our focus is on ecological science, we Plant physiologists from Europe (University of Southampton) taking conference was a great success and continue to look for cross-disciplinary (including Czech Republic, Ireland over the group secretary role. Until the the SIG continues to welcome many knowledge exchange and to and Switzerland), the USA and all BES annual meeting in Birmingham, new members from across the globe. encourage innovation and creativity. corners of the UK converged at the Bjorn and Sunitha Pangala (vice- Next year we head to the University The support we provide is primarily YHA in Sheringham for three days of secretary; University of Lancaster) of Exeter’s Penryn Campus for more through our meetings and mailing list. sun, sea and science. The symposium will oversee the activities of the SIG, macroecology and fun. As ever, if you have any suggestions started with a welcome mixer with following a re-launch of the SIG at the for our group, please get in contact. each delegate introducing themselves BES annual meeting. and their research. After dinner, we There continues to be a lot of interest listened to talks from Dr. Gill Malin We have an active group of involved in ‘citizen science’ (whether that is and Professor Andrew Watkinson committee members, but we are Movement Ecology SIG travels Movement Ecology SIG Social Event engagement by the ‘general public’, (UEA) who discussed their research also looking for new energy and to Canada! at ISEC 2018 (St Andrews) expert volunteers or the public as and careers to date. Day two started enthusiasm. Please join us at one stakeholders). For example, some of The BES Movement Ecology SIG The International Statistical Ecology at Blakeney Point National Nature of the socials at the BES meeting the NERC Engaging Environments hosted their first international Conference (ISEC) was held in Reserve. We were met by guides in Birmingham or get in touch for projects are interested in supporting. event! Hosted 18–22 June on the St Andrews, Scotland 2–6 July. who took us on a scenic coastal walk more information (peatlands@ Several of the SIG members are campus of the University of British Movement Ecology, with 6 sessions, along a rare vegetated shingle habitat, britishecologicalsociety.org) involved in those projects and we look followed by the poster session. Due to Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada, was the most popular topic. So we forward to continued collaborations. the intimate nature of the symposium, surrounded by mountains and the organised an evening social event we were able to visit every poster ocean, Luca Börger, Garrett Street, and at the Madras Rugby Club, to bring and discuss the work presented Marie Auger-Méthé led the workshop together researchers from different in a friendly and approachable Animal Movement Analyses: A to subject areas, especially early career , quite different from Z, with lots of R. Through lectures, researchers. Theoni Photopoulou bigger conferences which can be hands-on R tutorials, and a small field and Marie Auger-Méthé organised overwhelming. This was followed trip, participants were introduced to the event, with attendance also by a career session where members a wide range of analyses (e.g. home of SIG members Luca Börger and SIG Secretary Natalie Cooper opens the BES range analysis, step selection function, Jonathan Potts. We had expected We’ve recently had to update our of the PEPG committee shared their @BESMacroecol Macro 2018 Annual meeting (top). Student mailing list following introduction career stories in a frank, open and plenary awardee, Alex Skeels, introduces us to hidden Markov model, biologging). about 30 people and the final count of new data protection laws. If you honest manner, including the failures Annual Meeting. Report #discokoala The 30 participants came either from was over 100(!) researchers from aren’t receiving our emails and would and rejection which are an inevitable by Kevin Healy (postdoc rep) the host university (UBC) or from 14 across all career stages. Over drinks and snacks we listened to Roland like them, or if you just want to join part of everyone’s career but aren’t others universities/organizations from On July 10th, 100+ macroecologists, across North America. Thanks to the us, please email our communications often mentioned. After a long day of Langrock, Stacy deRuiter and Juan secretary Scott Davidson activities everyone participated in the UK and international, descended on support from the BES, Biodiversity Morales, telling how their research St Andrews for the Macroecology ([email protected]) who will now-traditional PEPG quiz, which was Research Centre, Wildlife Computers, and career developed, followed add you to our new list. a great opportunity to relax together. SIG’s annual meeting, held in Scotland Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, by Marie Auger-Méthé, Theoni On the final day we listened to for the first time. The next two days and the Department of Statistics, Photopoulou and eight PhD students ECR Symposium: Norfolk Coast delegate oral presentations, allowing offered a diverse programme with >60 the costs of the workshop, food, and postdocs. Chris Grieves (Methods May 14–16 2018. Report by us to share our research in more lightning talks, mostly from students and accommodation were mostly in Ecology and Evolution) concluded Grace Hoysted and Ashleigh Elliott, detail and practise our presentation and post-docs, which ranged from subsidized. Many participants the presentations before the pizzas University of Leeds skills. Talks covered a range of plant the macroecology of hydrothermal mentioned that this allowed them arrived. The event continued until vents to surveying heathland birds to join, as they generally cannot late, including a lively football game physiology, from the effect of CO2 on arbuscular mycorrhizas, through to using microlight aircraft. There afford the cost of such workshop. on the outside pitch. This has been flowering and fruiting inArabidopsis . was a thought-provoking set of We received great feedback from the our biggest event - thanks for the The poster prize went to Sarah Carroll invited plenaries from established participants, many highlighted that enthusiasm and thanks received! And (University of Sheffield, UK) for her macroecologists, but a highlight— they loved the mixture of teaching a big thanks to funding from the BES, poster on the guard cell wall structure continuing our strong tradition of styles. While we believe this was a Methods in Ecology and Evolution, and the talk prize went to Alison Tidy focusing on early career researchers— success, we will use the feedback to and Journal of Animal Ecology. (University of Nottingham, UK) for her was the student plenary by PhD improve all our future workshops. talk on optimising Brassica crops for student Alex Skeels (Australian the future. The prizes for both the best National University). Alex delivered

42 43 BES Bulletin VOL 49:3 | September 2018 DON’T BES Move 2018 – our Annual Meeting flash talk presentation, and Will Kay and Workshop moves to the beach (Swansea) for the best poster. In in Swansea the afternoon lively and stimulating debates emerged during the workshop For our 2nd Annual Meeting we on linking biologging technology to moved to the University of Swansea. questions and modelling methods The theme was ‘Connecting MISS and working groups were formed and biologging technology to biological will continue the discussion after the questions and data analysis methods’ meeting. After a demonstration of and on 9 July, on a very warm, the Vizualisation Suite for biologging sunny day, 35 attendants convened data at the Swansea Lab for Animal to the Department of Biosciences. Movement (SLAM) and the DDMT We listened to presentations from software developed by Wildbyte OUT seven invited speakers from the Technologies Ltd., we moved to the UK, France and Argentina, followed beach for a BBQ – until late into the by flash talks and posters by 12 night, enjoying the glorious weather! students and postdocs. Two prizes Thanks to funding from BES, Swansea were up for grabs: Tommy Clay University, Centre for Biomathematics, (Liverpool) won one for the best Wildbyte Technologies Ltd. THE LAW HAS CHANGED The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has now come into force and we now need your consent to stay in touch; • Say yes to hear about our grants • Say yes to keep up to date with the latest BES news • Say yes hear about our events, abstract submissions and deadlines • Say yes to hear about our fundraising initiatives to support ecologists

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44 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018

GRANTS MEMBER STORIES

ATTENDING THE ANNUAL MEETING SABRINA TRÄGER ALBERT Tell us about your PESSARRODONA background and why Tell us about your WITH A BES TRAVEL GRANT you joined the BES. background and why you joined AN INTERVIEW WITH SANGEETHA VARMA I specialize in plant the BES. ecology in grassland I am currently a PhD habitats. I did my PhD in student at the University Canada, working on root ecology with study sites of Western Australia where I investigate how Siri McDonnel | Grants and Events Officer | [email protected] in Sweden. Currently, I kelp forest ecosystems am a postdoc focusing can cope with climate on landscape genetic We are pleased to be able to support develop my ideas. The conference in change. I previously analyses, in Estonia. a limited number of students and general discussed a variety of inter- worked in the UK and my The BES allows me to stay connected with the European postgraduate research assistants disciplinary topics, both regionally and natal . I joined the BES to get inspired by ecological community. who are a citizen of, and working in, globally such as climate change, policy ecologists working on similar (and dissimilar) topics. a ‘low-income economy’ or ‘lower- and management in agriculture. What inspires you most about ecology? middle-income economy’ country What inspires you most about ecology? What did you enjoy most about I am fascinated by the complexity of interactions between (according to the World Bank I am fascinated by the complexity of nature. I love the Ecology Across Borders 2017? organisms, specifically plants and their environment. The fact categorization) to attend our Annual feeling when you get excited about a theory to explain a that those interactions act on different scales, from molecular Meeting each December. These grants I enjoyed each session at the process or observation and you cannot sleep at night. to global, makes ecology even more inspiring to me. are awarded on a first come first serve conference, especially the poster basis and applications will open in What experience do you consider to be the most session which gave me a lot of time What experience do you consider to be the most September 2018. I spoke to grant significant in your career or studies to date? to interact with many people from my significant in your career or studies to date? awardee Sangeetha Varma about her area of research. I came away with a The first time I helped out a marine ecologist (my first experience at Ecology Across Borders Having had the opportunity to study and work in different lot of new ideas. If you wish to apply for a Travel supervisor) in the field. I remember thinking: this is really last year in Ghent. places and environments, Asia, Europe and North America, Grant to attend our Annual your job? Going diving and studying what you love? Sign I really appreciate the work of the did not only allow me to get to know interesting people Meeting, please note the same me up! What is your name and where did organizers to make this event run and their work but also taught me to value the possibilities, conditions apply as the standard you travel from? successfully. When you come from knowledge, and abilities I have. BES Training & Travel Grants. In What advice would you give your younger self? My name is Sangeetha Varma, a developing country like , the summary you need to: What advice would you give your younger self? It is OK to be wrong. research scholar from Central opportunity to participate at such an • Be a student/postgraduate University of Kerala, India, and I have international conference is rare – the Be open to different ideas, concepts, cultures, and people. What is your favourite organism and why? been researching biology BES made my dream come true. I have research assistant Stay as focused as you are but don’t be afraid of detours as My favourite organisms are kelps of course! They are the for the last 4 years. been accepted to present at another • Be citizen of and working in they are valuable and can be helpful in discovering what biological powerhouse of many temperate reefs worldwide. international conference in the USA a ‘low-income economy’ or you really want and often widen the view on other aspects What impact did receiving this but due to the unavailability of funds, I ‘lower-middle-income economy’ that you didn’t consider before. grant have on you personally and have had to drop out of my dream half country albertpessarrodona.weebly.com the development of your career in way. I’m really proud and happy that What is your favourite organism and why? • Have a talk or poster [email protected] ecology? the BES awarded me a travel grant so I don’t have a single favourite organism. However, I am presentation accepted at the I could be there at EAB. particularly interested in plants since they seem inactive but @pessa_3 I had the opportunity to attend the meeting have the same levels of interactions like animals, including 2017 BES Annual Meeting, Ecology Do you have any other specific #MarineEcology #ClimateChange #Adaptation • Be a member of the BES movement or communication between individuals. In Across Borders, in Ghent. This was my feedback or comments that you addition, plants are the vital beginning of the food chain. first international scientific meeting would like to make on your award? with 1500 delegates from more than This counts as a standard Training I have one request – the BES should & Travel Grant, therefore the 60 countries. I had a rare opportunity [email protected] to present my research and ideas to hold a future conference in my following applies: no applicant an international audience which has country, India! It would definitely may receive more than two #Conservation #PlantEnvironmentInteraction been very useful for my research in inspire thousands of students and Training & Travel Grants in any #PlantGenetics India. Moreover it has increased my give them a chance to present to an five year period. There must be at confidence to face an international international community. Of course, I least three years between grants. community. will be one of the dedicated volunteers Our members are central to what we do. Our community is made from people who come from a range of backgrounds, to make it happen successfully! Grants of up to £1000 are available. all of whom have incredible achievements and experiences. This is an opportunity for members to share those stories, I presented a poster about species connect with others and reflect on the impact that membership has had on their career. To apply, head to our website: interaction. My presentation received britishecologicalsociety.org/ critical and constructive questions We would love to hear your story in the next Bulletin. Get in touch with Grace to find out how: funding/training-travel-grants from the audience which helped me [email protected]

46 47 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018

OBITUARIES

author in the area of plant ecology and natural resources Research Advisory Group and a joint Parliamentary management.” JENNIFER SHAY reception with the Chartered Institute of Ecology and (1930–2018) Environmental Management. We also worked with David’s research made important contributions to plant the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the James physiology, ecosystem modelling, and the statistical Dr Jennifer Shay, Hutton Institute and the Royal Society of Biology in the analysis of ecological data. In a series of papers entitled who has died at 87 in establishment of the Natural Capital Initiative’ “Objective Methods for the Classification of Vegetation I, East Yorkshire, was II, III and IV”, he published pioneering research that laid a renowned ecologist Our gratitude is extended for the generous funding that the groundwork for the development of numerical methods and field biologist Jennifer and her husband Tom Shay have given to the BES to to analyze vegetation and coined the term ‘‘ordination’’ for who taught at the support the role of Policy Officer – a role which means we can techniques that arrange vegetation samples in a coordinate University of Manitoba promote policy informed by ecology. Dr Jennifer Shay will be space, rather than dividing them into groups. When I was for 34 years and was a missed by family, friends and the ecological community. a young student at the University of Tasmania, Goodall’s dedicated member of papers on quantitative methods influenced me profoundly the British Ecological and stimulated me to undertake a Ph.D. on ordination Society. An Officer methods and pursue a career in vegetation analysis. of the Order of Canada, she taught both in botany and landscape architecture, served on nearly 100 graduate DAVID GOODALL (1914-2018) I first met David in 1988 at a conference of the IAVS committees, and published more than 50 scientific papers. in Vienna. We struck up an instant friendship and he She was a lifelong champion of conservation and spoke My friend and distinguished colleague, David W. Goodall, told me anecdotes about his early work on vegetation on environmental issues through speeches, workshops, passed away on 10 May, 2018, aged 104. David was born analysis. His first application of principal components newspaper articles and media appearances. 4 April, 1914 in Edmonton, England. He received his B.Sc. analysis to the ordination of vegetation was done at the degree in 1935 and a Ph.D. in 1941 from the Imperial University of Melbourne using a mechanical calculator. Born at Sunny Bank in Hull in 1930, she became passionate College of Science and Technology, London. His doctoral The computations took about six months to complete, after about the natural world from an early age. In 1952 she research on assimilation in the tomato plant was performed which he repeated the entire analysis to check his results. gained a BSc in Biology from Bedford College, University at East Malling Research Station in Kent. Though he We remained in touch by correspondence and met up on of London. She then became the first female employee on applied to join the Royal Navy, his research was considered several occasions over the years, most recently at the IAVS the scientific staff at the Field Studies Council, and worked more important for the war effort. conferences in Lyon, France, in 2011 and Perth, Australia, there for five years. in 2014. I found David to be an engaging and outgoing man, BEN COLLEN (1978–2018) In 1948, David accepted a Senior Lecturer position in who enjoyed a good dinner and a few glasses of wine. His She travelled to Canada in 1957, intending to stay for On the 19 May 2018, Ben Collen, a Reader in conservation Botany at the University of Melbourne, Australia and he interests extended beyond science, as an actor and singer one year, but ended up living there for 34. Working as biology at University College London and an active member received a D.Sc. degree from that institution in 1953. His in theatre and musical productions. a research assistant at Manitoba University, she was of the BES Conservation SIG, died aged just 40 from bone career included positions at the University College of the surprised to discover that students were not required to cancer. Ben’s contributions to advancing ecology and Gold Coast, the University of Reading, several divisions In recent years, David’s quality of life had deteriorated undertake any observational or field study. In 1966, she conservation are immense: for example, he developed of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research greatly. He could no longer work in the field, he lost his was able to address this when a timely legacy allowed the the conceptual and analytical basis for the Living Planet Organization (CSIRO) in Australia, the University of senses of taste and smell, and his eyesight became too university to purchase a field station and Dr Shay became Index and the comprehensive data set that informs the California Irvine, and Utah State University. weak to read or communicate via email. When faced with its founding director, a position she kept for 20 years. the reality that he could no longer live independently, he WWF Living Planet Report. Ben also helped develop the David retired from the position of Senior Principal Research made the decision to voluntarily end his life at a clinic in On her return to the UK, she served on the then-called BES sampled approach to the Red List Index, a critical tool Scientist in CSIRO in 1979. He continued to work until 1998 Liestal, Switzerland. For several decades, David had been Public and Policy Committee. Former BES Policy Manager for understanding the extinction risk of lesser known as an Honorary Research Fellow in the CSIRO Division of an advocate for the legalization of voluntary euthanasia in Ceri Margerison gave her account of working with Dr Shay. taxonomic groups. His appointments were many and Wildlife and Ecology and then from 1998 until 2018 as an Australia. Though I am saddened to have lost a friend and ‘Jennifer brought wisdom and insight into the issues being varied, including an honorary research fellow for UNEP, Honorary Research Associate at the Centre for Ecosystem colleague, I am glad that David was able to end his long considered by Policy Committee. Often Jennifer would sit and membership of multiple IUCN Red List committees. But Management at Edith Cowan University. During his career, and productive life with dignity and on his own terms. He quietly and contemplatively, letting others have their say, Ben’s contributions to science go further than producing David supervised four Ph.D. and ten Master’s students. will be missed. before contributing her views in a way which immediately high impact research: Ben was a genuinely caring person He served as Editor-in-Chief of the 30-volume series shone a light on tricky problems. Her appreciation of who was dedicated to progressing the career development “Ecosystems of the World”, completing the final volume Peter Minchin the importance of evidence-based decision-making was of his students and early career colleagues. He was a gifted in 2005. apparent in her generous decision to support the policy communicator, who would always lighten the mood of a function at the Society directly by contributing to fund the meeting and find the fun in even the most tedious tasks. Among the honours and awards received by David were role of a Policy Officer over a number of years’ Ben had a gift for collaboration, and a strong sense of a Doctor of Science Nat. honoris causa from the Università inclusivity: he knew how to bring people together, and get degli Studi di Trieste, Italy in 1990, the Distinguished BES Chief Executive Hazel Norman added her appreciation the best out of them. Ben never took himself too seriously, Statistical Ecologist Award from the International of Dr Shay’s contribution to the work of BES; ‘During and was more in love with life than in love with himself: his Association for Ecology in 1994, the Gold Medal of the Jennifer’s time on the Public and Policy Committee from passion for conservation transpired in everything he did, Australian Ecological Society in 2008, and an Honorary 2008 to 2011 a lot was achieved. Our work with the and he has undoubtedly inspired many students to pursue Membership of the International Association for Vegetation devolved nations increased considerably and the BES a career in conservation science. Ben will be greatly missed Science (IAVS) in 1997. A special issue of the journal Plant Scottish Policy Group was established. We established by his colleagues and friends around the world: not only for Ecology was dedicated to Goodall in 2015 and he was made an annual policy training event for researchers and fed his science, but for his wit, generosity, and warmth. a Member of the Order of Australia in 2016 for “significant into the development of IPBES. We held a joint meeting service to science as an academic, researcher and with Natural England on ‘Climate Change Adaptation and Nathalie Pettorelli Mitigation’, a joint workshop with the UK Biodiversity

48 49 britishecologicalsociety.org

2ND ECOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY NETWORK & EVOLUTION MENTAL HEALTH IRELAND IN ACADEMIA CONFERENCE

Dr Lesley Batty | [email protected] The rate of mental health issues within academia is higher THURS 10TH - SAT 12TH JANUARY 2019 GALWAY than that of the general population. Here, two members from Plenary speakers: different career stages share their experiences and offer Dr. Lynn Dicks some advice on how to get support. University of East Anglia Prof. Richard Thompson University of Plymouth In 2017 Times Higher reported the unrealistic. It is hard to define where perspective. I also have routines in prevalence of mental health issues in the pressure comes from, maybe it place that help me switch off before Prof. Emma Teeling academic staff, with 43% exhibiting is societal, peer pressure or the lack I go home: making a list of tasks for symptoms, two times that of the of boundaries within the typical the next day, clearing my email inbox, University College Dublin general population. I am one of those academic job. For young academics, parking a distance from my building people, finding myself with a long the shortage of posts and the race for so I have to walk, all help me to clear Dr. Tom Reed term mental health disability leading that elusive permanent job, adds to my mind. to a major breakdown in 2015, this issue significantly. University College Cork necessitating a re-evaluation of the Make space in the day for a break way I work. There is no magic bullet here and and get out of the office. If you are each person will need to find the unwell, don’t feel guilty about it, take Whilst work was only one contributing things that work for them, but here the time to get yourself in a better factor, I think many of us are finding are some actions I have taken that place otherwise you are storing up a that the increasing commercialisation have helped me to stabilise my bigger issue. of HE and highly competitive mental health and wellbeing. environment can be detrimental to These may seem obvious and there is mental health, particularly for those The most important thing is to talk a lot more to managing your mental Key Dates: with an existing condition. We need to someone – find a colleague or health than these, but it’s a start Abstract submission & Registration: October 2018 to think about what makes it such professional to share your concerns and the more openly we talk about a pressured environment and to with. It was a significant challenge it, the more inclusive our working Registration closes: November 2018 challenge some of the accepted norms to admit that I was struggling or environment will be. Exact dates will be annouced shortly of working across the whole sector that something had upset me. I have that compromises wellbeing and that managed to avoid some potential For anyone in need of support, the all-important work–life balance. melt-down moments by sharing them Mind website is a great resource with a trusted colleague. (www.mind.org.uk) or if you are Follow us or email us: I think part of the issue we have in immediate distress call the @irish_ecology now is the idea that we should be Make sure you create your own Samaritans on 116 123. accessible 24 hours a day. I’m sure we boundaries that effectively separate [email protected] all have colleagues who seem to be work from home life. I never look at able to survive on a few hours’ sleep emails outside core office hours and I a night and live and breathe their also avoid taking physical work home work which is great if they enjoy that, with me. My home is exactly that, but this has become something of an and I can focus exclusively on other expectation of everybody, which is parts of my life that help me keep

51 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018

ACCESSIBILITY NETWORK passion for your subject, but equally as important is perseverance and I THINK I NEED HELP, WHAT CAN I DO? resilience. Right now I’m on the up, I’VE GOT 99 PROBLEMS and there’ll be plenty more dips and peaks to come. However, I feel a lot more resilient now that I am more emotionally aware of myself. TALK TO YOUR AND PHD IS ONE SUPERVISOR/LINE MANAGER Providing more staff and faculty training as well as more services This can be daunting, but you might dedicated to mental-health can be surprised with what your supervisor help create a safe space to start has to say, and what worries can be those (maybe at first awkward) eleviated by talking to them openly conversations, and start breaking the and honestly. stigmas and prejudice surrounding Chanida Fung | PhD researcher and Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Reading mental health. Because, in order to create a well-rounded functioning ecosystem of research, we firstly need to take care of each of the individuals CONSIDER COUNSELLING What would you think if I told you I had a mental health problem? within it. PRACTISE MINDFULNESS Counsellors listen unjudgementally to your problems and prompt you Mental health is a lot more prevalent process, you’re essentially becoming hard – knowing that I had issues with OTHER RESOURCES: Mindfulness can help you to think in a way that can help than you may think. In the UK, roughly an expert in that one thing you are anxiety was one thing but finding out Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk stay more in the present and fix or eleviate them. They can one in four people experience mental trying to answer. This also means that I was depressed was a whole other be more aware of your thoughts also help liaise with your GP and health problems every year (McManus you know more than your supervisors level. I was in denial and adamant Time to Change: and feelings. supervisors if needed, et al., 2009). In the case of PhD at times, and that’s a scary thought. about not taking medication. It felt https://www.time-to-change.org.uk and is normally free for students students, one third are at risk of being This void of being not quite a student that taking medication was the final at univerisities. affected by a common mental health and not quite an academic can lead to sign that something was truly wrong disorder (Levecque et al., 2017). imposter syndrome; the feeling of being with me. The negative stigma was a fraud and doubting ones abilities. still stuck with me. However, openly REFERENCES The topic is a tough and sensitive talking about it with my friends, family, Levecque, K., Anseel, F., De Beuckelaer, issue, and is only starting to be Work worries however, were just counsellor and GP made me realise that A., Van der Heyden, J. and Gisle, L. (2017) TALK TO A FAMILY MEMBER discussed more openly. In universities one side of a coin. Other personal it was ok, and that sometimes you just ‘Work organization and mental health there has been a recent effort host worries started to pile on; worries need some extra help. problems in PhD students’, Research Policy. OR TRUSTED FRIEND talks and workshops on the topic in about money, personal issues, and North-Holland, 46(4), pp. 868–879. doi: the undergraduate community. The relationships to name a few. I debated Depression can occur at any point in 10.1016/J.RESPOL.2017.02.008. Talking things out and even VISIT YOUR GP next big step now is to push this whether I should seek counselling but a person’s life. Everyone is fighting McManus, S., Meltzer, H., Brugha, T. T., diary writing can help by letting support system to those higher up the my thoughts always ended with ‘man their own battles, but the trick is to Bebbington, P. P. and Jenkins, R. (2009) your emotions out, and stopping The GP may refer you to undergo Adult psychiatric morbidity in England, 2007 treatments such as Cognative academic scale, from postgraduates all up and deal with it’. The pile of worries find a way to process and deal with Results of a household survey, The Health yourself from getting caught up in the way up to professors, and to start became so high that my anxiety these obstacles in a healthy way. and Social Care Information Centre, Social your thoughts. However, if your Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or offer talking more openly about it within the had manifested to the point where I Counselling and Talking Therapies Care Statistics. doi: 10.13140/2.1.1563.5205. worries and thoughts are still a course of medication. workplace. couldn’t handle it any longer. was a big step forward in dealing affecting you, it maybe good to with my issues outside academia, consider the other methods to help As a current PhD student, this is Going to a counsellor was a crucial but the BES mentoring scheme cope in the long term. something that is important and step towards talking openly to my and SPRINT (a career development The BES Accessibility Network is personal to me. I raise my hand to say supervisors about my worries and programme for women in research) open to everyone who feels they that I fall within that 32% of PhDs with also liaising with a doctor about the helped me deal with my complex would find it useful and aims to a mental health problem, and have problems I was facing. My doctor academic worries that I felt that my support anyone who is managing both anxiety and depression. referred me to Talking Therapies to counsellor sometimes didn’t quite any disability, physical or mental CONSIDER COGNITIVE start Cognitive Behavioural Therapy understand. Both programmes allowed health issue, that impacts on Before my PhD, I encountered a few BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY (CBT) (CBT), which helps you manage me to have alternative advice and their professional life. Please do students who opened up about the problems by tackling negative feelings perspectives from researchers outside contact Karen Devine Karen@ Your thoughts, physical sensations, struggles of doing a PhD. Although, and behaviours. The counselling and of my supervisory team. The SPRINT britishecologicalsociety.org if you feelings and behaviour are all quite like breaking a leg, it didn’t occur CBT steadied me for a while, until the PHONE A HELPLINE programme also allowed me to meet would like more details. linked. CBT works by trying to to me how they actually felt until I was second year blues hit; hard and fast. like-minded people going through the improve how you cope with one going through it myself. I had mentally In terms of my work, my research felt The Good Samaritans helpline is same struggles and worries, adding We are immensely grateful to part of this network, which will prepared myself for the workload and like it was on a permanent standstill. free and available anytime if you more cogs to my support network. Lesley and Chanida for sharing help eleviate the rest. They can the challenges of teaching, but the I was completely unmotivated and need someone to talk to. their perspectives. We are always be held as one-to-one sessions, one thing I never thought to prepare was always questioning ‘What was I’m lucky to have two understanding Call: 116 123 seeking Bulletin pieces that inform group session or through using self for was the loneliness. Because, the the point of my PhD?’ and ‘Why was I supervisors who are supporting and share experiences and authors guidance tools such as Silvercloud. truth is, doing a PhD can be a lonely doing it?’ I was lost in a negative spiral. me in navigating my way through are welcome to write anonymously. This service can be self prescribed process. You’re striving to produce these problems so that the quality If you would like to write for us, (although the waiting list can be novel research and to answer a question My visit to the GP confirmed that I of my research is not affected. PhD please do get in touch. long) or referral through your GP. that no one has asked before and, in the had depression. The news hit me and academia is a lot to do with

52 53 BES Bulletin VOL 49:3 | September 2018

WIDENING PARTICIPATION WOMEN IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Cecilia Medupin | University of Manchester, UK | [email protected]

In June the firstWomen in Environmental Science workshop was held, organised by myself and sponsored by the University of Manchester’s Directorate of Social Responsibility. The workshop was significant as well as timely for many reasons following recent events such as International Women’s Day (8 March), World Environment Day (5 June), and World Ocean Day (8 June).

The aim of the workshop was to bring women of different ethnicities and diverse disciplines into one place to promote inclusiveness, widen participation and share ideas. The wider agenda of the workshop fits into the University’s environmental sustainability development goal for inclusiveness. There were seventy participants including students, academics, non-academics and professionals from different interdisciplinary role of environmental especially in defining their work-life organisations. science in providing a nexus between balance and pace scientific research, policy and the • Women and children are more My introductory speech outlined delivery of impact. affected by changes in the the major topics of the meeting and Following the presentations we held environment and the only way highlighted that that women make to approach the problem is to up 12.8% of all people working knowledge exchange and break-out sessions. Delegates were invited to raise awareness in schools and in STEM fields. This is a small communities percentage considering that 40% of sign up for a choice of sub-themes and female undergraduates study science had a chance to ask questions. Topics • Water quality/quantity represents courses. These figures reflect the fact included environmental changes, an important determinant in that women are still underrepresented society, culture, health, water environmental health in this field. resources, integral environmental • Everyone has a role to play for any roles, and, female environmental positive change Talks and knowledge exchange leaders and followers. sessions • In relation to children’s education, Key findings: it is important to discourage gender The presenters at the event came discrimination from within and outside academia • Many organisations need to and covered broad topics including encourage career break discussions • Women are more likely to show leadership, passion, challenges, – making them a norm rather than empathy in their jobs prospects, empowerment an exception • It is important to encourage support opportunities; and specific topics such • Women should focus on what is and empowerment amongst women. as the mixed-energy economy and the really important for themselves

54 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018

CAREERS CAREERS VOLUNTOURISM Q&A WITH LOWRI WATKINS ITS ETHICS AND EFFICACY CONSERVATION PROJECT OFFICER FOR GWENT WILDLIFE TRUST

Choon Fuller | [email protected]

As an undergraduate, one piece the money goes to the volunteer captivity does not solve the main issue. What has your career pathway been members of the public. I have never What kind of professional of advice frequently given is that experience, training, insurance Even if the orangutans in an animal to date? been so immersed in nature before development and support has been provided by your employers? you should gain experience in the etc. without going into specifics or sanctuary are well looked after, with After graduating with a master’s, I and have really felt the positive area you want to work in when you acknowledging that money is put back the loss and degradation of habitat started out as a Digitisation Officer at impacts to my health and well-being! Through my traineeship I was able graduate. There has been an increase into the organisation. being the primary threat for 85% of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 2011, Who have been your role models to attend a wide range of species in the number of people gaining species on the IUCN Red List the root imaging and transcribing information identification and survey training, undergraduate degrees that far The ethics of voluntourism in of the problem is not being addressed. or mentors? developing countries has been called from thousands of Kew’s dried QGIS training and a fantastic FSC exceeds the increase of jobs available. herbarium specimens. I was later In my time at Kew and GWT, I have grasses, sedges and rushes ID course. Simply possessing a bachelor’s degree into question. Some argue that Breeding or rehabilitation programmes had three brilliant line-managers voluntourism reinforces the notion that move from ex-situ to in-situ promoted to Quality Assurance Officer Now that I’m employed, I have a is no longer enough to make you stand and Team Leader and spent four happy who have provided support and set training budget and have been out from other job applicants - it is a that developing countries require the conservation help the ecosystem encouragement, pushing me to gain help of affluent westerners to develop by managing the wild population years with Kew. I decided to leave at encouraged to seek out relevant basic requirement. the end of a contract, taking some time new skills and to apply for roles training opportunities. I have attended (McGloin and Georgeou, 2015). The instead of a captive population. Nature which I doubted I could do. I continue When trying to obtain experience, efficacy has also been challenged. reserves also benefit the ecosystem out to volunteer, build my field skills a MapInfo (GIS) course, lots of internal and hopefully kick-start a career in to learn from really knowledgeable species ID courses and I am working specifically in working with animals, How helpful are these volunteering as the population of animals being ecologists, who have let me sometimes the easiest way is to go opportunities on the communities looked after are still wild and may not practical nature conservation. towards gaining my hazel dormouse participate in surveys and patiently handling license. I also shadow other abroad and engage in voluntourism. or animals you are working for? be isolated. Of course looking after After realising I was still a way off listened to my many questions and Often little to no experience is Volunteering in an animal sanctuary a captive population still has merit, members of staff, to further develop gaining employment in this field, attempts at species identification! I my field ID and survey skills. required for this volunteering - a provides high levels of care to a select but it is a small scale solution to a big I focussed on applying for trainee also feel especially fortunate to have passion for flora and fauna is all you number of captive individuals in need. scale problem. Research assistants placements, which I hoped would worked with some really talented What does the future have in store need. Conservation voluntourism Similarly on nature reserves volunteers will help with ongoing research which provide much-needed skills and women, in positions of leadership for your area of work? often involves paying a substantial do a great job of looking after and is important for furthering scientific experience and a stepping stone to or expertise in their field, who With Britain’s water still in fee to work on the conservation of monitoring animals such as elephants knowledge that may help to improve paid work. In 2016, I was accepted continually inspire me to grow in my some of the globes most charismatic and rhinos which is helpful for that conservation efforts, or provide insight. decline, my work will continue to focus onto a fantastic nine-month ecological own career. on reversing this trend on a local scale. megafauna. The cost normally covers specific nature reserve. Unfortunately, survey traineeship with Gwent Wildlife accommodation, food and training. But simply looking after animals in There are many options for What are the main challenges you Improving our monitoring of species voluntourism available, at a range of Trust (GWT) and gained a wide and habitats is also crucial, allowing how much of your money is actually range of survey skills through this, face in your area of work? used for your volunteer experience, prices. The impact that you are having organisations, government, landowners, allowing me to apply for the position of Working in the charity and and where does the rest go? and the legitimacy of the company funders and others, to make informed should be taken into consideration Assistant Conservation Project Officer conservation sector, we’re facing decisions about conservation priorities, Organisations such as ProjectsAbroad when choosing where you want to at the end of my training. I’ve since unprecedented declines in now and in the future. are seemingly transparent with volunteer. It falls on the volunteer to been promoted to Conservation Project biodiversity, unrelenting and growing where their costs go, allocating 51% do their research to ensure they are Officer and work across a range of pressure from build development, What’s your one top tip for those who of money to direct and indirect costs having the desired impact and that projects, with a focus on ecology and while funding and support continue would like to follow a similar career? particularly water voles. of the volunteer experience which the company is doing what they set to shrink. On a smaller scale, my main Seek out placements and training includes supplies and resources out to do. Most animal voluntourism challenges centre around how best to opportunities, absorb as much What do you love most about conserve and encourage the spread for locals. The other 49% will go options are not inherently bad, but your job? information as you can and don’t be back into the company. Many other they may not be very good either. of water voles in my area, how to afraid to ask for advice from people organisations will not disclose where I love the practical aspects of my approach and advise landowners and working in your chosen field/role. your money goes. Frontier.ac.uk does job – being able to work outdoors, how to engage the public to enjoy and If I could go back in time, I would not have a section of the website to conducting surveys in a range of protect the wildlife and green spaces join my local mammal and botany explain a breakdown of costs, and REFERENCES habitats and species, from otters to that surround them. groups earlier and begin practicing normally does not even provide the meadow plants. I also really enjoy identification and survey skills in my McGloin, C. and Georgeou, N. (2015). working and engaging with a wide name of the organisation to allow for ‘Looks good on your CV’: The sociology of free time. Don’t be disheartened if you further research. Goeco.org provides voluntourism recruitment in higher education. range of people, from volunteers, don’t get that first job, keep trying and a spiel under ‘FAQ’s’ explaining that Journal of Sociology, 52(2), pp.403-417. to landowners, schoolchildren and it will happen!

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FROM OUR SOUTHERN The author Nassim Nicholas Taleb This is just one example of many in used black swans as a metaphor which we’re having to recalibrate for the human propensity to fool our ideas about how species and ourselves into thinking we know more ecosystems respond to changing CORRESPONDENT than we actually do (Taleb, 2007). conditions. This is challenging, He suggested that, “It illustrates a especially in the midst of reduced severe limitation to our learnings from funding for research and fluctuating THE FINAL CHAPTER observations or experience and the political and social interest and fragility of our knowledge. One single engagement. Indeed, we seem to be observation can invalidate a general in an era where dystopian fiction no statement derived from millennia of longer provides a crystal ball into the confirmatory sightings of millions future but more of a mirror reflecting of white swans. All you need is the current situation. However, it’s one single (and I’m told quite ugly) also an incredibly exciting time to be black bird”. an ecologist. And luckily, there are Richard Hobbs | University of Western Australia, Australia plenty of switched-on enthusiastic I, personally, think black swans are young ecologists willing and ready actually rather handsome birds, but to take part in the quest to better Thinking further about swans took me black swans swanning about on visitors from the northern hemisphere understand, manage and conserve the “I GET SO TIRED OF THE back to my childhood hobby of stamp the in Perth (aptly named the still get a huge kick out of seeing world’s species and ecosystems. RAT RACE CHASIN’ MY TAIL collecting and of discovering that a Swan River). They make nice swanny something that is, to them, quite relatively rare and desirable set of noises, but I’ve never heard one sing a weird. Living in Australia, and So, as I say farewell in my last Southern LIKE A HOUND I’LL SING ONE stamps featuring swans originated in beautiful song. particularly the southwest, you grow Correspondent article, I do so with Western Australia in the mid 1800s. accustomed to being confronted a mixture of hope for the future and LAST SONG FOR OLD TIMES’ Growing up in Scotland, I knew little For people living in the northern with biota that don’t conform to the envy for the people who will continue SAKE BEFORE I TAKE MY or nothing about Western Australia hemisphere, the initial discovery norms by which the rest of the world the ecology enterprise. I’ll also miss and was also more than a little of black swans came as something lives. One never, however, loses the regular opportunity to rib my FINAL BOW” puzzled that the swans on the stamps of a shock. All swans were white, the propensity to be surprized and British colleagues regarding the lack were black. At the time I thought this as far as everyone was concerned, amazed by the flora and fauna here of prowess in whatever sport happens Lindi Ortega (2017) must be an artefact of some primitive until 1636 when Antonie Caen, a – or to consider the questions these to be being played at the time. Back printing process, but later discovered sailor on board the Dutch sailing ship organisms pose to how we understand to the swan song. While I hope I’m I mentioned last time that it’s almost that Australian swans are, indeed, the Banda, first sighted black swans the natural world. not going to drop off the perch any exactly 20 years since former Bulletin black. I’m now completely used to near Bernier Island off the south- time soon, I did find the derivation Editor, Peter Thomas, twisted my arm Taleb describes the Black Swan seeing, more or less on a daily basis, western coast of Australia. in Wikipedia oddly relevant. Having to write periodic pieces for the Bulletin phenomenon as representing events been “not so musical” during most from a southern perspective. I have that are outliers, outside the realm of of my lifetime, I picked up a guitar a to confess that I didn’t expect to still regular expectations because no past few years ago, rekindling a desire to be writing southern correspondent experience can hint at its possibility, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo eating play that had lain dormant since my pieces 20 years later. And I’ve reached that have an extreme impact (think fruits of the non-native Cape youth. Whether or not I can turn this the conclusion that 20 years is long 9/11, the 1987 stock market crash, Lilac in Perth, Western Australia ambition into “singing a beautiful enough for any one person to rabbit on Brexit, Scotland beating England in a © Christine Chester song” remains to be seen: however, about stuff. So, this will be my swan one day cricket match). And despite instead of squawking from afar in the song as Southern Correspondent. their inherent unpredictability, pages of the BES Bulletin, I’ll now be humans try to explain their occurrence whether we understand why or putting more time into being a little As often happens, I got distracted post hoc in an attempt to make not. Here in Perth, we’re trying to more musical in the land downunder. by wondering where the saying them explainable and predictable. understand why another locally Many thanks to Peter Thomas and Alan “swan song” came from. According He suggests that events with this iconic black bird, the Red-tailed Black Crowden for putting up with me, to to Wikipedia, “(It) is a metaphorical combination of rarity, extreme Cockatoo, has moved from the forest those who have communicated with phrase for a final gesture, effort, impact and retrospective (though not into the city and is now feasting on the me about my articles over the years, or performance given just prospective) predictability are actually seeds produced by a non-native garden and to the few lost souls who have before death or retirement. The incredibly important in shaping our tree, the Cape Lilac. We’ve pretty regularly read them. So long, thanks phrase refers to an ancient belief world – much more so than most of much documented when the move for all the fish, and watch out for low- that swans (Cygnus spp.) sing a the ordinary things we spend our time started (Johnstone et al., 2017) and flying black swans. beautiful song just before their death, trying to understand. are looking at the relative nutritional having been silent (or alternatively, value of the new food source, foraging not so musical) during most of their The Black Swan idea resonates for me efficiencies and the like. And we may lifetime.” As with many things in with what we’re currently grappling be able to come up with some pretty REFERENCES ecology, there is debate about this. with in trying to understand our local convincing ideas as to why the birds It turns out that there have been Johnstone, R.E., Kirkby, T., & Sarti, K. (2017) and global ecologies in the face of might have moved (although cockatoos The distribution, status, movements and arguments about the saying for a unprecedented environmental and are renowned as particularly tricky and diet of the Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo while, with people pointing out that social changes. Ecologists spend idiosyncratic organisms). However, in the south-west with emphasis on the most swans aren’t silent and few their time trying to develop predictive greater Perth Region, Western Australia. 20 years ago, it wouldn’t have even Western Australian Naturalist, 30, 193-219. have been heard singing beautiful capability, but often end up with crossed anyone’s mind that the red- Taleb, N.N. (2007) The Black Swan: The songs while they kark it. Still, why let the conclusion that the organism or tails would become urbanites. Maybe evidence get in the way of a nice idea? Western Australia 1 penny stamp, 1854 Impact of the Highly Improbable Random ecosystem in question pretty much Taleb should rename his book “The House, New York. does as it damned well pleases, Black Cockatoo”.

58 59 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018

LETTERS

Is there another way? Editor’s response: every year – students can Annual Meeting reach SHOULD WE REALLY Perhaps. Off the top of apply to be Helpers at more people, including We have our Annual ENCOURAGE my head, could the BES that in return for travel undergrads. introduce an initiative Meeting Helper scheme costs being covered. Amy which undergrads can apply UNDERGRADS TO to give a certain number Padfield, our Education for. Helpers work with us ATTEND CONFERENCES? of places at the Annual Manager, can always be Meeting each year to behind the scenes at the contacted for careers advice SEND LETTERS TO: event and in return get their From Callum Macgregor, undergraduates, with all and is happy to look over registration fee reimbursed. York, UK (reasonable) expenses, CVs etc. Undergraduates The Bulletin Editor, including travel and There are 40 Helper spaces are also eligible for our British Ecological Society, at each meeting and last I read with interest accommodation, paid? Small Research Grants of Charles Darwin House, the feature about Perhaps the lucky students year nearly half of them up to £5000. 12 Roger Street, London, undergraduates attending could be selected through went to undergrads. Our WC1N 2JU conferences (June 2018, an essay competition Events Manager, Amy But there is always room Everard, makes sure that all Or emailed to bulletin@ p46). I think it’s fantastic or something similar, in to do better. Our Equality britishecologicalsociety.org that an undergrad was order to allow the most Helpers attend any sessions and Diversity Working able to attend the BES they want. Group and in-house staff deserving students to Include a reference to the Annual Meeting and was work hard to make sure we attend, rather than just article (issue, title) you are able to get so much out Other specific initiatives we remove as many barriers the most privileged. Such have for undergrads include responding to. of the experience – I also a competition would have as possible, to specific think it reflects well on the our Undergraduate Summer events but also to ecology the additional benefit School – free to attend Letters may be edited or community of ecologists of advertising the BES in general. So watch this used in a different format that they were able to feel with travel costs covered if space, there will be more Annual Meeting directly to needed. Our Undergraduate in the magazine. confident and included undergrads. happening to make our in that environment. Careers Conference runs Nevertheless, as I read, 30 YEARS OF FIELDTRIPS I began to feel a growing unease. From Elizabeth Evesham, Bournemouth, UK As an open and progressive I am responding to Steve Tilling’s article ‘The Fieldwork Deficit’ (June 2018, p16) learned society, should in which he states that fieldwork has disappeared from the Biology A-level course we be directly exhorting because there is very little time allocated to it. He also states that perhaps the undergraduates to ecological work should be allocated to the Geography course. Surely, those students attend conferences? As not studying Geography would still be deprived of the valuable ecological element of scientists and as members the Biology course. of academia, we spend a lot of time worrying I just wanted to reassure Steve Tilling that I for one continue with annual fieldtrips about how to even out and have taken students on one in all the 30 or so years of my teaching career. In my the headstarts in life that previous post, my colleagues and I had our specialist areas of ecology and the students some people are given, and did projects, each day, on ant ecology and behaviour, rock pools, and plant others not. Conferences succession. With ecology and the impact of farmland management featuring a large part are very expensive to of the current curriculum, along with statistical analyses and the need for all students attend, with registration, to pass the practical element of the course, I am in my element as an academic and accommodation, travel continuing my own research interests. and food to consider. By openly encouraging In my current post, I am the only Biologist teaching A-level and Foundation courses undergraduates to take and take my students (all international) to a local field studies centre that I have often the step of attending a used in the past and know the tutors well. Together, we tailor the two full residential conference in order to days to meet the needs of the course. I have found that this in fact saves time later network, meet potential on the year since such a lot of the course is covered in a short space of time. I have future supervisors, and encouraged my colleagues, in our other schools around the country, to do the same hear about opportunities for with their students and have been showing them how much they can achieve by just jobs and PhDs, are we not going out into their school grounds. For my international students, who have had increasing the opportunities very little previous practical experience, this has been a wonderful opportunity to see available to those who can living things and how they interact with the environment. They also see birds being afford them, to the detriment ringed and have a chance of catching, seeing and releasing small , crabs, sea of those who cannot? anemones and .

I hope this will encourage other teachers to take part in or to continue with “the fieldtrip.”

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BOOK REVIEWS

I do occasionally guiltily It is scary to think that, crafted. It skilfully such as the conservation The book and accompanying GET INVOLVED love to indulge in narrative within my lifetime, the interweaves botanical of peatlands, shrublands evidence are an incredible books about animals, it’s global lion population information with the role and heathlands, and the achievement, providing vital We would like to sometimes nice to read a has halved. But the book that trees have played in management of captive assessments which would expand the scope of good old science book that concludes with a positive just about everything, from animals. otherwise be impossible for books reviewed in The sticks to the facts. ‘When story of hope on how medicine to mythology, many of the people making Bulletin. If you have the last lion roars’ is just we can help secure this from food to fashion to In each of these areas, decisions in the field. It read an interesting that. species’ future and the furniture, and from art to the analysis reveals the fills a vital gap between book, from any genre, amazing people that are artillery. It can equally management techniques evidence and practice, and that touches on Sara Evans does a masterful dedicating their lives be read as a travel guide, which are most likely to be will prove invaluable for ecological research job of guiding the reader to ensuring that lions where trees play a defining effective and, perhaps even anyone whose mission is to or concepts, then through the fascinating will be around for many part in characterising more importantly, those protect wildlife. write us a review! history of the lion, right generations to come. the landscape, from the which can be ineffective or Email Kate (kate@ from its early predecessor, ornamental cherry in Japan, even harmful. It is sobering Rebecca Nesbit britishecologicalsociety. the prehistoric cave lion, Niki Rust to the Indian banyan, and to read that a variety of org) for details. all the way through to the baobabs of the African conservation interventions the present day. She , or as a history text are likely to be simply an Publishers can send meticulously documents that charts the role of trees ineffective waste of money, Australian Island review copies to: Panthera leo’s stark and alongside human evolution. and some can even have Arks: Conservation, The Bulletin Editor, precipitous decline through If you’re interested in What Works in negative effects. Studies Management and British Ecological the last few centuries and knowing which British Conservation of translocating bats to Opportunities Society, Charles Darwin explains both the causes for predator-free areas, for staple originated in the Edited by Dorian Moro, House, 12 Roger Street, and solutions to this loss. Edited by William J. example, found evidence of mountains of Kazakhstan, Derek Ball & Sally Bryant London, WC1N 2JU which tree enabled our Sutherland, Lynn V. Dicks, homing tendencies, disease Written in an engaging ancestors to cross the Nancy Ockendon, Silviu O. and death. CSIRO Publishing (2018) and accessible manner Pacific, and what was Petrovan and Rebecca K. AU $79.95 and including cutting edge likened to “eating sweet Smith In many cases the research on the species, summaries reveal how little raspberry blancmange in Open Books (2018) So often a review of Evans discusses the we know, with interventions conservation progress is a the lavatory”, you need look Open Access difficulties with monitoring no further (answers below). often being listed as having depressing read with the their population and the limited or no evidence. Even authors happy that nothing range and uncertainty What Works in those which have been Malcom Press Conservation contains has yet gone extinct or of population figures out assessed often have just giving a review of the there. Peppered with Apples, Balsa, Durian an analysis of 1,277 a few studies in different (quoting Anthony Burgess) conservation interventions, Recovering Australian seemingly insurmountable personal accounts of contexts, meaning that challenges still to be faced. observing lions both in along with summaries of users of the book may find Threatened Species: A Around the World the evidence surrounding Which makes the first of the wild and captivity, the evidence doesn’t cover Book of Hope these books – A Book of the author brings to life in 80 Trees them. An expert panel has the habitats they work in. assessed the effectiveness Edited by Stephen Hope – a welcome read this species in beautiful, Jonathan Drori The authors are therefore Garnett, Peter Latch, that gives details of “some page-turning prose. She of each intervention, keen to stress that there Laurence King Publishing David Lindenmayer & John outstanding and inspiring describes in detail the and they are clearly may be side-effects that (2018) categorised to make the Woinarski successes”. It gives some diverse, and sometimes haven’t been identified by 29 or so case studies surprising, ways in which £17.99 (hardback) book easy to use. The current research, and that CSIRO Publishing (2018) result is a practical manual from around Australia, its we have integrated anyone considering one of AU $55.95 and surrounding When Jon Drori first told me for conservation, which Panthera leo into our arts the interventions should oceans where that he was going to write a can be used alongside and culture throughout the read the detailed accounts have been avoided and book about trees, I thought the full information When the Last Lion millennia. of the evidence found on populations increased. that he had set himself a provided at www. Roars: The Rise and Fall the Conservation Evidence This includes whales, Herculean challenge to conservationevidence.com. A number of chapters focus website. rare communities, birds, of the King of the Beasts come up with something on the history of humanity’s reptiles, small amphibians Sarah Evans novel, given the plethora of It covers a broad range propensity for killing the What Works in and diminutive orchids, material that already exists. of topics, including Bloomsbury (2018) king of beasts over the last Conservation is published and such things as the Around the World in 80 global conservation of £16.99 (hardback) few centuries, including – of by Open Book Publishers, successes of breeding Trees is evidence of Jon’s amphibians, bats and course – a brief mention of a Social Enterprise with threatened fauna in zoos. talent and ingenuity and birds, and conservation on The natural history section Cecil the lion. Interviewing the ambition of making Each case study starts with my underappreciation of his European farmland. It also of any bookstore tends to the world’s experts on the research available to an excellent summary of the vision and creativity: the extends into the territory of be overrun with personal species and drawing from readers around the world. problem, the actions taken book is a masterpiece. And ecosystem services, looking memoirs of authors the scientific literature, This means that a PDF to manage the problem, the it’s not only a book about at interventions to enhance reminiscing with rose- she paints a balanced and version is available to markers of success and the trees, it’s a book about biocontrol and soil fertility, tinted glasses about their rational view on the pros download for free from reasons for success. For how trees have shaped our for example. The 2018 privileged lives growing up and cons of hunting lions. the Open Books website, example, the small spiny world, which is beautifully edition has been updated with wildlife. And whilst and the print version is daisy Acanthocladium illustrated and succinctly to include new topics available to purchase. dockeri, doesn’t look like

62 63 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org BOOK REVIEWS VOL 49:3 | September 2018

much and is restricted and aiding the recovery If the numbers suggested never understand enough inhibit local development. what Savory calls “brittle” to just six degraded of threatened species, in this volume are realistic about the animals to Boundaries are often environments; that is roadside populations. But while at the same time – 60 million international implement good practice. contentious, contested and grasslands in which low the interest of the local being sensitive to cultural ecotourists in 2015 rising If this sounds jaundiced breached. There is a chapter rainfall has a dominant effect community was piqued values and partnerships, to 2 billion by 2100 – we then perhaps it is because I on recent environmental upon system ecology. He since it was first collected tourism (especially along have a major problem have seen poorly managed history which reviews past valuably draws attention to in 1860 as part of the Burke the Great barrier Reef) and already well advanced. whale watching, ignorant events which have shaped the very different approach and Wills expedition that the controlling legislation. As ecologists, we need behaviour of tourists the landscape e.g. The needed for management crossed Australia south to If you’re looking for case to be concerned as more and , poorly Indian Forest Act of 1878 of these areas compared to north, in which only one studies on how to put and more of the remaining designed safari lodges which established protected more resilient grasslands in of the eight participants together conservation and reserved areas. This natural sites throughout and overcrowded parks humid parts of the world. He returned alive. The packages in practice, you’ll led to development and the world are increasingly etc. The authors maintain particularly emphasises the community championed the find this book useful. conflict especially re impacted by tourists. that well organised and benefits to biodiversity, yield plant’s survival and helped economic activity such as practically by controlling Peter Thomas There are already many managed ecotourism mining. The development and soils of short periods of weed competition and volumes in print that deal enhances conservation, of renewable energy is a intensive grazing followed transplanting it to new with managing numbers empowers communities and further source of conflict re by time for vegetation sites. A heart-warming and impacts in this field so improves environmental biodiversity conservation as recovery, but cites little success story. And the what is special about this awareness and I am sure it illustrated with reference to experimental research to book is full of them. But volume? Here they have can. In addition, its impacts Conservation and Karnataka, Maharashtra and Holistic Management: support his views. tried to make it animal- are suggested to be less this is not just a touchy- Development in India: Himachal Pradesh where A Common Sense feely book, each case centred, ranging from damaging than mining, local movements have made There are statements I Reimagining Wilderness Revolution to Restore study gives hard numbers, large terrestrial mammals flooding, logging, seizure noted impacts. A different agree with in this book (e.g. talks about where the to marine mammals, of lands and dispossession Edited by Shonil Bhagwat perspective comprises an our Environment (Third stability increases with money is coming from, the and from birds to fish. In etc., which is also Routledge Earthscan (2018) examination of species Edition) increasing complexity), underlying biology of the addition they have tried undoubtedly true. However, and site conservation as ones I might agree with £76 (hardback) Allan Savory with Jody organisms (and the holes in to examine the interaction moving from where we are opposed to large scale park Butterfield if any evidence were knowledge), and how the establishment; cases of given, others I definitely of ecotourism with human now to a more sustainable History shows that Island Press (2016) monitoring is carried out. communities – is it really a system with higher worldwide conservation and conflict and compensation disagree with, and some US $35.00 Even if you never travel to panacea for the developing numbers seems to me development are more often are examined. There are I see as dangerous over Australia, the case studies chapters on elephant simplifications. For example world? unlikely to be achievable. characterised by conflict From the title one might of success are salutatory This book provides a wealth rather than by symbiosis. populations and their Savory posits that in humid lessons that progress can The chapters do a good management, biodiversity think this book about environments all types of of valuable evidence for This is apparent in modern general principles of be made against seemingly job at drawing the wide regulators, managers and India where isolated wildlife in landscapes managed by vegetation can be degraded intractable problems. A environmental management. ranging research together ecotourism companies to parks have been established communities, and the Biligiri down to bare soil and will great resource for final-year Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Most of the focus is upon Ecotourism’s promise which documents the use in training and planning but which may now be restore their full structure undergraduate teaching. Reserve in Karnataka which dry grasslands of the and peril substantial drawbacks that if only they will read it. in competition/conflict and complexity simply this sort of tourism can with developing rural was declared a wildlife and subtropics. Confusingly by being rested. Some of The second book deals It also provides ecologist Edited by Daniel T communities. Such is the sanctuary in 1947. Here the frame of reference shifts what is written made me more with habitat than initiate – from behavioural with a good overview of the Blumstein, Benjamin theme of this book which there are many designated frequently, and without species, specifically those problems to breeding evidence of our interactions splutter into my coffee Geffroy, Diogo S.M. Samia & comprises 10 chapters sacred sites which bring much explanation, to found on the incredible failure, from changes in with charismatic animals. e.g. “I have been unable Eduardo Bessa with 15 contributors. The an added dimension to include humid grasslands, range of islands around food webs to changes in to find any clear evidence introduction highlights the management. Further forests, urban areas, even Australia’s coast from the Springer (2017) diet, never mind increased David Walton for competition in nature” agricultural, ecological and topics include the role of a few paragraphs here and sub-Antarctic to the tropical £29.99 (hardback) road kill, possible disease (p127). technological impacts that international conservation there about freshwaters; Cocos (Keeling) Islands. introductions and the have occurred in the last initiatives e.g. Ramsar although nothing I saw These islands contain Ecotourism has been potential ills of animal Despite frequent use of 200 years, a time of major sites, Biosphere Reserves, about the marine. Often the over 35% of Australia’s variously defined over the habituation. All of the “holistic” in this book population increase and World Heritage sites, as environmental managers threatened species and past few decades as its chapters are written by it fails to mention the climate change, to generate well as national initiatives. others that are declining importance has increased academics so there is no referred to are farmers, way in which improved India’s current landscapes There is also an interesting on the mainland. The in monetary terms. One industry perspective. especially on rangelands, understanding of ecosystem and environmental perspective on the role message of this book is also of the most common but the book is not explicitly services should influence conflicts. The idea of the of market incentives for upbeat, that restoring and There is a list of 24 aimed at farmers. future environmental policy definitions is “Responsible Anthropocene is embraced conservation on private managing these islands Recommendations for Good and practice. travel to natural areas that despite a lack of formal lands e.g. coffee growing is worthwhile and, most Practice and, of course, if all The main thesis of the conserves the environment definition geologically beneath the forest canopy importantly, achievable. ecotourism followed these book is that a “holistic” I deeply mistrust all and improves the wellbeing but because the human in Kodagu. Clearly, there Rather than taking a principles with well-trained approach is required that references to common of local people”. Most influence has been so are no simple or single species level approach, this marries an understanding sense, as so much science often conflated with guides and adequate profound. There are also answers to conservation in book looks at how current of ecological processes with disproves common sense nature tourism, a rather monitoring of impacts there apparent contradictions the diverse nation that is management practices can management practices that conclusions. I would instead older and more general would be much less to in a country where mega India. This book is thought be copied and improved as result in a financially viable like to see more evidence to term, it has grown rapidly, worry about. As it is, there fauna remain ecologically provoking and its principal seen through the eyes of enterprise. In particular there support the advice given. both nationally in many are unscrupulous operators, significant and a source of topics are just as relevant to practitioners, researchers is an emphasis on using developed countries and inadequate regulators and conflict; on the one hand other parts of the world. and policy-makers. This grazing animals to maintain John Hopkins internationally as cheap poorly trained rangers and national parks are a source management involves Antoinette Mannion or restore biodiversity in guides most of whom will of income yet they may controlling invasive species air flights have boomed.

64 65 CONTACT DETAILS ACCOUNTS Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2017 together with the reports of the Board of Trustees Methods in Ecology and Evolution: Edited by BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Rob Freckleton (Executive Editor), Bob O’Hara, OUR STAFF: and auditors Jana Vamosi and Lee Hsiang Liow, with Andrea 1522897 Richard Bardgett (President and Chair) Baier and Chris Grieves. Chief Executive: Hazel Norman Company number: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Charity number: 281213

Sue Hartley (Past President) Biological Flora: Director of Publishing: Catherine Hill [email protected] Anthony Davy, University of East Anglia, UK [email protected] [email protected]. Rosie Hails (Vice President, Grants Committee Senior Managing Editor: Andrea Baier Chair) The Bulletin: [email protected] [email protected] Edited by Kate Harrison Managing Editor: Erika Newton [email protected] Dave Hodgson (Vice President, Member Services [email protected] Committee Chair) Ecological Reviews: Series editor, Phil Warren Managing Editor: Emilie Aimé [email protected] ([email protected]) with Kate Harrison [email protected] Adam Vanbergen (Honorary Secretary) ([email protected]) [email protected] Books and Bulletin Editor: Kate Harrison [email protected] Tom Ezard (Honorary Treasurer) SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS: [email protected] Senior Assistant Editor: Jennifer Meyer [email protected] Agricultural Ecology: Barbara Smith Will Gosling (Education, Training & Careers [email protected] Committee Chair) Senior Assistant Editor: Chris Grieves [email protected] [email protected] Aquatic Ecology: China Hanson and Lee Brown [email protected] Zoe Davies (Meetings Committee Chair) Assistant Editor: Simon Hoggart [email protected] [email protected] Citizen Science: Helen Roy and Michael Pocock [email protected] Juliet Vickery (Policy Committee Chair) Assistant Editor: James Ross [email protected] [email protected] Climate Change Ecology: Mike Morecroft [email protected] Jane Hill (Publications Committee Chair) Assistant Editor: Kirsty Lucas [email protected] [email protected] Conservation Ecology: Nathalie Pettorelli [email protected] Cristina Banks-Leite Head of Society Programmes: Position vacant at time of going to press [email protected] Ecological Genetics: Paul Ashton [email protected] Peter Brotherton Events Manager: Amy Everard [email protected] [email protected] Forest Ecology: Alan Jones [email protected] Ali Birkett Grants and Events Officer: Siri McDonnell [email protected] [email protected] Macroecology: Rich Grenyer [email protected] Nina Hautekeete Events Assistant: Georgina Glaser [email protected] [email protected] Microbial Ecology: Rachael Antwis and Xavier Harrison Helen Roy Membership Manager: Helen Peri [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Movement Ecology: Luca Borger Peter Thomas Membership and Support Assistant: Grace [email protected] [email protected] Foulds grace@ britishecologicalsociety.org Parasite and Pathogen Ecology and Evolution: Lindsay Turnbull Jo Lello [email protected] Fundraising and Development Manager: Paul [email protected] Bower [email protected] Peatland Research: Ian Rotherham PUBLICATIONS: [email protected] Head of External Affairs: Karen Devine [email protected] Journal of Ecology: Edited by David Gibson Plant Environmental Physiology: Katie Field (Executive Editor), Richard Bardgett, Mark Rees [email protected] Education Manager: Amy Padfield and Amy Austin, with Emilie Aimé and [email protected] Plants, Soils, Ecosystems: Ellen Fry James Ross. [email protected] [email protected] Policy Manager: Brendan Costello [email protected] Journal of Animal Ecology: Edited by Quantitative Ecology: Nick Golding Ken Wilson (Executive Editor), Ben Sheldon, quantitative@britishecologicalsociety Policy Manager: Camilla Morrison-Bell Jean-Michel Gaillard and Nate Sanders, with [email protected] Teaching and Learning: Lesley Batty (Currently on maternity leave) Erika Newton and Simon Hoggart. [email protected] admin@journalofanimalecology Policy Officer: Sara Brouillette Tropical Ecology: Lindsay Banin [email protected] Journal of Applied Ecology: Edited by Jos [email protected] Barlow (Executive Editor), Nathalie Pettorelli, Policy Officer in Scotland: Maggie Keegan Phil Stephens, Martin Nuñez and Michael Bode, [email protected] with Erika Newton and Kirsty Lucas. admin@journalofappliedecology OUR OFFICE: Press Officer: Sabrina Weiss [email protected] Functional Ecology: Edited by Charles Fox British Ecological Society, Charles Darwin House, (Executive Editor), Ken Thompson, Alan Knapp, 12 Roger Street, London WC1N 2JU, UK. Engagement Officer: Chris Jeffs Craig White and Lara Ferry, with Emilie Aimé Tel: +44 0207 685 2500. [email protected] and Jennifer Meyer. [email protected] [email protected] www.britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc www.facebook.com/BritishEcolSoc BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018

CONTENTS BOARD OF TRUSTEES’ REPORT For the year ended 31 December 2017

The Trustees present their report and and sponsorship of a wide variety of time of the next contract renewal in line CONTENT PAGE financial statements for the year ended meetings, the funding of numerous with the Society’s strategic planning cycle Report of the Board of Trustees 69 31 December 2017. grant schemes, public engagement, and thus enables a joined-up approach to education work and policy work. The developing the publishing portfolio and Auditors’ report 78 1. OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGY Society has approximately 6,400 members the Society’s activities that the publishing worldwide, and membership is open to income funds to a large part. Statement of financial activities 81 The objects for which the British all with an interest in ecology. There is As in previous years, the five BES journals Ecological Society (BES) is established a small membership fee, with discounts have grown in submissions and published Balance sheet 82 are to advance the education of the public for students and those from low-income content, with over 50 additional papers in the subject of ecology as a branch of countries. Cash flow statement 83 and almost 800 more pages published natural sciences and to advance and in 2017. Our partner journal, Ecology support research in that field, and to Notes to the accounts 84 2. REPORT ON PRINCIPAL and Evolution, has also once again seen disseminate the results of such useful tremendous growth, publishing 250 more research. ACTIVITIES articles than in 2016. The vision of the BES is: The Trustees confirm that they have In line with the BES’ recruitment policy complied with the duty in section 17 of A world inspired, informed and the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard and as part of the Society’s efforts to influenced by ecology to the Charity Commission’s general increase equality and diversity amongst guidance on public benefit. All trustees its membership, staff and volunteers, we Our mission is to: give their time voluntarily and do not ran an open call for Associate Editors from June to September that attracted Generate, communicate and promote receive any private benefit. Details of over 350 applications from interested ecological knowledge and solutions Trustees’ expenses and remuneration are disclosed in notes 5 and 15 respectively. researchers across the globe. All journals In order to achieve this our major goals have expanded their editorial boards are to: The first four of the Society’s strategic and increased geographical diversity as goals stated in section 4 provide clear a result of this initiative and some of the • Generate, synthesise and exchange public benefits, whilst the final one newly recruited board members joined ecological knowledge defines the ways in which the Society the journal teams for board meetings at gains greater leverage from its finite the Annual Meeting in Ghent, Belgium. • Communicate world-leading resources and ensures its long-term ecological science sustainability. In addition to providing publishing talks at the BES Undergraduate Summer School • Share the excitement and relevance The BES portfolio of grants covers all and contributing talks about publishing of ecology of the Society’s aims. It can be divided careers at general career events, we • Inspire, engage and recognise talent into several broad categories; research, delivered publishing related workshops training & travel, outreach and support for to our core ecological audiences, with • Build a sustainable, resilient and ecologists in Africa. The BES funds grants events aimed at Early Career Researchers efficient BES with the aim of promoting ecology as on how to get published, peer review widely as possible and hence individual and promoting published articles held Ecology is the scientific study of the awards are generally of relatively small at Swansea University and during the distribution, abundance and dynamics value, although many awards are made. Annual Meeting. We also reached out to of organisms, their interactions with related audiences, delivering a How to other organisms and with their physical 2.1 Generate, synthesise and Promote Your Research workshop at the environment. At a time when finite exchange ecological knowledge, Evolution conference in the USA and a natural resources are being used at and communicate world-leading workshop for practitioners on ‘New Tools increasing rates, it has never been ecological science to find and share ecological information’ more important for human society to held together with Conservation These major goals are primarily supported understand its impact on ecological Evidence at the CIEEM conference. At the by our work in publishing, meetings and systems (which includes systems INTECOL conference in Beijing, China, grants. intensively managed or impacted we connected with the Chinese ecological on by humans such as arable farms, Publishing - Expenditure = community via the popular How to Get pastures and marine fisheries) and £1.9M (46% of total) Published workshop, which we organized their importance in maintaining human together with the Royal Society, and health. The BES’s many activities include In 2017, we entered into a new publishing promoted our How to Get Published the publication of a range of scientific agreement with our long-time publisher guide, which had been translated literature, including internationally Wiley. The new 7-year term brings the into Simplified Chinese ahead of the renowned journals, the organisation

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conference and is freely available from the Research - Expenditure = Travel budget ring fenced for our Annual and authors of the books (who provide 2017 SUCCESS RATES BES website. £0.3M (8% of total) Meeting. the books for free). In 2017, the BES contributed £1,900 enabling 176 books to GRANT TYPE TOTAL RECEIVED TOTAL NUMBER AWARDED SUCCESS RATE 2017 also saw a new addition to our BES In 2017 the Society received 523 In November 2017, Grants Committee be dispatched to over 61 countries. Guides to Better Science series; the Guide applications for funding across its main and Membership Committee made Large research 77 6 7.8% to Reproducible Code was published in grants portfolio (excluding Training & the decision that all Large Research We provide an annual contribution to early December and like all our other free Travel), and funded 48 projects totalling applicants must be a member of the support scholarships for students from Small Research 190 20 10.5% guides has proved immensely popular £299,210. Society for at least 2 years with a view to European institutions to attend Tropical Outreach 112 14 12.5% both in print and online. incentivising membership retention. From Biology Association courses. In 2017, The majority of our awards went towards January 2018, all applicants who apply our contribution of £10,000 allowed 20 Ecologists in Africa 144 8 5.6% Earlier in the year, we surveyed the funding scientific ecological research for a Large Research Grant have been young biologists from Austria, Belgium, Associate Editors on our journals with the projects. We supported small projects required to have been a member of the Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, aim of ensuring their views inform any with new and innovative ideas, as BES for at least one year leading up to the Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland improvements to our editorial process. the venue. This year we ran 3 full day to follow the activities of the conference, well as larger projects that aim to help application. In 2019 membership will be and the United Kingdom, attend two of paid workshops the day before the widening participation. The survey achieved a response rate early career ecologists to establish an required from at least January 2018. From the month-long TBA courses in Amani of 39%. Overall Associate Editors were conference, which all sold out in advance, independent research career in ecology. 2020 onwards, this will be increased to Nature Reserve, Tanzania and Danum suggesting that these skills development This year also saw the largest commercial content with their workload and reported two years. The new criteria has been split Valley, Borneo. exhibition we have had at an Annual high levels of satisfaction with their activities are worth developing within the We supported ecologists in developing into three stages to ensure there is not a programme. These workshops covered Meeting, with 36 exhibitors from role for the journals and also with the Meetings - Expenditure = countries through the Ecologists in Africa sudden announcement of the two year’s the topics: Individual Based Models, an publishers, equipment companies, clarity of communication from editors and £0.9M (22% of total) grant scheme. This scheme recognises membership to applicants. Ecology Hackathon, and our Early Career training providers and academic editorial offices. The survey, however, institutions. Exhibitors travelled from that ecologists in Africa face unique Our meetings remain a core aspect Development Day. also flagged that we need to provide challenges in carrying out research and In 2013, Grants Committee recognised the the across the globe including; America, of the Society, not only ensuring the clearer guidance around certain journal aims to provide them with support to importance of the Committee’s activities In addition to the core scientific Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Netherland, communication of leading research, but policies and procedures such as handling develop their skills, experience, and being transparent and made the decision programme, we continue to strive Scandinavia, and the UK. This growth also allowing for the exchange of ideas appeals, dealing with conflicts of interest knowledge base, as well as making to make all grant success rates publically to ensure there are opportunities for is evidence that our meetings are an and networking opportunities, giving rise or guiding critiques of published papers connections with ecologists in the available on the BES website. Compared delegates to network, meet old friends attractive opportunity for companies to to cross disciplinary and international through the editorial process, and we are to the 2016 rates, there was a large and build new relationships at the Annual raise their profiles within the ecological developed world. In November 2017 collaborations. working on informing our editorial boards the Grants Committee agreed that from decrease in the success rate for Large Meeting. Nearly all of our Special Interest community and provides essential about these in a more effective way. Research (14% in 2016 to 7.8% in 2017) January 2018, our Ecologists in Africa In 2017 we held a particularly special Groups (SIGs) put on social events at the additional revenue, to ensure we can and Small Research (16% to 10.5%). Both Grant will open twice per year, in line Annual Meeting in partnership with the meeting, linking up with relevant groups maintain competitive registration fees. We continue to support and explore novel Outreach (18.8% in 2016 to 12.5% in 2016) with all other BES grants. The BES Board GfÖ (the ecological society of Germany, from the partner societies. We also ran publishing outputs beyond the traditional and Ecologists in Africa (8 to 5.6%) also In addition to our Annual Meeting, we of Trustees approved an additional Switzerland and Austria), NecoV (the our third Science Slam event, which was article or book chapter. More work has saw a decrease in success rates. Going delivered two successful Symposia. The £40,000 of funding for Ecologists in Africa ecological society of the Netherlands attended by more people this year and gone into investigating the information forward, it will be important for the BES first of these was a joint meeting with for 2018 onwards, which will allow us to and Flanders), and in association with held in centre of Ghent, where the public needs and publishing practices of to consider how to monitor and mitigate NERC’s BESS (Biodiversity and Ecosystem fund a further 4/5 high standard projects the European Ecological Federation. had an opportunity to attend. practitioners in 2017 and Methods in the impact of decreasing application Service Sustainability) programme each year and start to address the This is the first time these societies Ecology and Evolution has developed success rates in the longer term. Grants At the heart our events, we want our entitled ‘Advances in Biodiversity & ongoing problem we have had with very have held a conference together and it a policy for publishing code, which Committee agreed that a case should be delegates to feel welcomed, included and Ecosystem Services’. This took place low success rates for this scheme. provided us with a great opportunity increasingly constitutes an integral part made in 2018 to increase overall funding represented. We continued to run our in April at Cardiff University and was to build closer ties with our vibrant of a researcher’s work. A modified version for all grants applications. successful LGBT+ evening mixer and a organised by Dave Raffaelli (BESS) Finally, funding has also contributed to ecological communities across Europe and of this policy is to be adopted by the other Christian morning mixer, both of which and Isabelle Durance (Water Research Outreach grants, which support projects worldwide. BES journals in 2018. This journal has also promoting the public engagement of We have awarded a number of prizes to were well attended and well received. Institute). This attracted 170 delegates, entered into a code reviewing partnership outstanding individuals in recognition of ecology and/or improving skills in science The conference, held in December In addition, this year we held the first with good representation from both with rOpenSci, whereby authors can have their contribution towards the science of communication. 2017, attracted 1,500 delegates, our Accessibility Network meeting, creating academics and practitioners. their code checked to ensure that it has ecology, including our annual student talk largest conference to date, from over 48 a forum for those with disabilities to no obvious bugs and as future proof as prize and Best Poster Prize at our Annual Our second Symposium ‘Macroecology Training & Travel Grants contributed just countries. There were 600 talks spread meet and discuss barriers to research, possible. Substantial research has also Meeting. In addition to these, a People’s of Alien Species: Patterns, Drivers and over £46,000 to enable 81 PhD students over 13 parallel sessions twice a day, career progression and help to develop been carried out towards launching a new Choice Award was created for this Joint Consequences of Global Biotic Exchange’ or postgraduate research assistants to 13 diverse thematic topic sessions, 13 a stronger support network within the interdisciplinary journal that is to explore Annual Meeting, for the poster, voted by was held at Durham University in July present their research at meetings across interactive workshops, and 550 posters community. Looking forward we will the social dimensions of ecological topics. delegates, which showed the best use of and attracted 100 delegates. This was the world or take part in specialist field over two separate poster sessions. At be encouraging our delegates to submit inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches organised by Wayne Dawson (Durham training. This included supporting nine the core of our conference were four ideas for socials around particular Finally, the BES publications have seen in their work. University). Our Press Officer was able students from countries that are classed internationally renowned speakers to community groups that need support. increased press coverage both via press to secure a press briefing for this event as lower or middle-lower income, to present our plenary lectures: Sue Hartley releases issued by the new in-house press We continue to support the Gratis Book Twitter continued to be the main social held in conjunction with the Science attend and present their work at Ecology (BES President), Carlos Herrera (EEF officer and as a result of institutional Scheme, the aim of which is to provide media platform during the Annual Media Centre in London. This allowed Across Borders, our Joint Annual Meeting Ernst Haeckel Prize winner), Louise Vet press releases on which we continue to ecology and conservation books for free to Meeting. Twitter was used to accept speakers to introduce their work and give in Ghent, Belgium. In addition to this (12 Months in Ecology lecture) and Iain support our authors. Outlets covering individuals from outside Western Europe, questions for our plenary speakers, journalists the opportunity ask questions we supported fourteen students from Couzin (Closing Lecture) articles published in our journals included North America, Japan, Australia, and New network and widen participation outside and check evidence. This was the first the BBC, Metro, CNN, Wired, New countries classed as lower or middle- Zealand who would otherwise be unable Workshops are a staple of our Annual of the meeting venue. Its popularity at of these events we have done in recent Scientist, Science and ABC Australian lower income to attend INTECOL 2017 to obtain them. The purpose of this Meeting programme and always highly our Annual Meetings grows year on year, years and is something that would be radio. Several press releases were also in Beijing, China. We recognise the scheme is to spread ecological knowledge attended. We retained the extended with the meeting hashtag #EAB2017 great to consider for future events to picked up by German, Canadian and importance of supporting students from as widely as possible. This scheme is lunchtime slots for 13 community- trending in Belgium and further afield increase BES exposure. Spanish national news agencies and developing countries to attend these a collaboration between the BES (who generated workshops over the two throughout the meeting. This is not only subsequently covered by local media. international meetings, and with this pay for the postage), the NHBS online Our SIGs provide us with a valuable main days; those who did not attend a great way for delegates to interact at in mind, the BES Board of Trustees has bookstore (who co-ordinate and organise opportunity to reach new audiences and workshops were able to use the extra the meeting, but it is also an opportunity agreed to add £10,000 to the Training & the distribution), and the publishers encourage cross disciplinary working time to network in social spaces around for those that could not attend in person

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within the community. We currently policy staff member comes at such a vital Finally, a large focus of the policy team’s The Society delivered two national public The Equality and Diversity Working During 2017, the BES successfully have 17 established groups, with 2 more time and will allow the policy team to work has been on gathering evidence engagement events. The RHS Chelsea Group supported members to launch completed a quality assurance programme launching in 2018: Paleoecology and grow its outputs. and information from our members to Flower Show exhibit focussed on how to a network for disabled researchers called PQASSO, which has been Invasion Science. The SIGs organised inform two key pieces of work the Brexit manage shady spaces with urban areas, providing them with opportunities to specifically developed for the voluntary around 30 events in 2017, which range A huge achievement for the policy team Policy Working Group are producing the estimated foot fall through this exhibit meet, share experiences and identify sector. The self-assessment process from skills workshops, annual meetings, was the launch of the Policy Fellowship on Sustainable Land Management and was 22,000. Attendance at Glastonbury where the Society is best placed to was being carried out by a working early career development, and outreach in 2017. This took nearly two years of Marine Conservation. The impressive was a member led initiative that took a support them. We have implemented group comprising trustees and staff, events. As we now have a larger number preparation. Defra agreed to be the collection of evidence and member series of activities to music festival-goers. a communications plan that raises the and covered a wide range of activities of SIGs, the process of budgeting has first host government organisation and insights will be instrumental to the policy The estimated footfall through this event profile of disability within the researcher from HR and finance to governance and been improved ensuring events are identified key projects the Fellow could team’s work during 2018. was just over 1,000. community on an ongoing basis and seeks external communications. The work cost effective and reducing the risk of be involved with. Applicants shaped to train supervisors and mentors in how has ensured that the Society meets the their applications around the suggested cancelled events. 2.3 Inspire, engage and recognise talent The Society hosted its third Summer best to support disabled colleagues. standards of good practice across all its projects. Defra were so impressed with School, a residential school for 1st activities. 2.2 Share the excitement and relevance the abilities of the candidates they agreed This major goal is primarily supported by and 2nd year undergraduates from 2.4 Build a sustainable, resilient and of ecology to fund an additional Policy Fellow. our work in education. across the UK, including students from efficient Society 2017 also saw a major review of the Therefore, the BES was able two appoint Northern Ireland and Ireland. A total Expenditure = £0.4M (11% of total) governance of the BES which had not This major goal is primarily supported by two Policy Fellows in the first year of the of 49 Undergraduate students from 39 We have a duty to ensure the long-term been updated for some time despite our work in policy. programme. The Society supports the ecological universities attended the school, which viability of the Society. During 2009, the Society growing significantly in education of people of all ages and aims was free to attend and travel bursaries the BES Board of Trustees co-invested complexity and size. The Board of Expenditure = £0.2M (6% of total) After a concerted effort in 2016 to to support ecologists at each stage were offered. Once more we worked in Charles Darwin House to provide Trustees agreed to reduce its size over a encourage the BES SIGs to, where The policy team’s work with our members of their career development through with In2ScienceUK and hosted 10 A-level new office space for the Society, shared number of years from 22 to 13, meet more possible, include policy topics in their in Wales, Scotland and Ireland shone providing free resources, careers advice students from black and other minority with several other organisations with frequently, delegate greater authority events programme, the policy team were through as a highlight for 2017. The and a combination of free or subsidised ethnicities or low income families as complimentary aims (i.e. the Society to Committees and staff, introduce involved in three SIG events during 2017. Scottish Policy Group (SPG) delivered training opportunities for professional part of the above summer school. All for Experimental Biology). A second online voting at the AGM for trustee The first was held with the Plants, Soils another impressive programme of work development. The BES supports our school, travel, and some clothing costs building close by was purchased in 2013 appointments and revise the Articles of and Ecosystems SIG where the policy including two highly in demand ‘Pie and members in the development of education were covered for students attending. and the two buildings together diversify Memorandum and Association. The new needs of addressing atmospheric nitrogen a Pint’ events, a policy training workshop and public engagement activities related Students were fully integrated into the income to increase the financial Articles were accepted unanimously deposition were discussed. At least 50% in Stirling and a two-day biodiversity to their research. science programme and provided with resilience of the BES. at the AGM in December and the of the attendees were civil servants. conference that was run in conjunction in-depth support and careers mentoring governance changes will be implemented A workshop report was published and In 2017, we continued to develop and with the Royal Society of Edinburgh. They Collaborating with the Field Studies throughout. These students then went during 2018 onwards. disseminated to key policymakers. A support the BES Journals to further also organised a breakfast event during Council we are developing teaching onto a celebratory event with students second event was held in conjunction enhance their standing so that they Scotland’s Environment week, and with resources on the use of maths and from a broader In2Science programme. 2.4.1 Financial Management and Control with the Climate Change Ecology SIG to remain a sustainable and significant the help of the RSPB, convinced MSPs to statistics in ecology. A fold out chart The success of this project has led to identify the latest evidence with which to income stream for the Society in the During the year, the BES Committees wear GPS tags for a week. The data was aimed at 16 – 18 years is in development an expansion and commitment to a inform to review of the Climate Change near future, despite uncertainties over undertook a wide range of activities mapped and presented at the breakfast that will be sent to all schools, as well as dedicated summer school for 30 A-level National Adaptation Programme. Finally, the impact of open access and economic in pursuit of the Society’s charitable event which providing an opportunity to additional booklets and online resources students and their teachers in 2018. just before the Annual Meeting, the challenges across the world. objectives. It is therefore necessary to discuss the kind of ecological research our available to download for free from the Agricultural Ecology SIG ran an event to The Society continued to collaborate have budgets and clearly written policies members are carrying out in Scotland. website. Online resources are intended The 2015-19 Strategic Plan included an discuss ‘Finding the Common Ground: with a wide range of societies to deliver about what activities will be funded and to be usable for 16 – 18 years and objective to diversity the Society’s income BREXIT and the Future for Agriculture, careers advice and mentoring for women how, and to communicate these clearly to 2017 was also an exciting year for the undergraduate level. as a way of increasing the resilience Ecology and Food’. The workshop report in science. 60 members were paired up all involved. Wales Policy Group (WPG) who held of the organisation. Half way through from this event, (and that of the SPG Pie In 2017, we collaborated with the into mentoring relationships from across their first event in Cardiff. The event 2016 a Fundraising and Development The Finance Board considers quarterly And A Pint event that discussed agri- Physiological Society and Society for the UK and overseas. Mentoring and quickly sold out and was attended Manager was appointed following management accounts at its meetings environment schemes in Scotland post Experimental Biology to host a conference careers advice is provided through a by an impressive mix of academics, the implementation the sustainable through the year, with a narrative Brexit) have been used to inform the BES for Higher Education careers advisors range of free or heavily subsidised events policymakers and practitioners. The fundraising strategy accepted by the provided by the Honorary Treasurer Brexit Policy Working Group’s Sustainable entitled ‘Enhancing the Employability and conferences. WPG decided to use the event as an Board of Trustees. The Society has and Executive Director, as appropriate. Land Management briefing. of Bioscience Students’. This enabled opportunity to identify what the most developed a set of fundraising guidelines The narrative focuses on reasons for valuable ways of operating in Wales us to broaden our reach to all students To grow our provision for mid-career With the invaluable help of BES Policy that comply with advice provided by variation against budget. The quarterly will be. The outcomes of the workshop rather than only those that can attend our ecologists, we launched the first grant Interns, the first two Policy Guide the Charity Commission and has started management accounts are also circulated were written up and will be used to events. writing retreat, supporting 26 ecologists publications were produced and are to develop various initiatives to raise to budget holders. inform the WPG 2018 programme. The who are seeking their first large grants freely available on the BES website. In 2017, the Society continued to extend (over £500,000). The evaluation of this funds, including expanding sponsorship Irish Ecological Association (IEA) also Annual budgets for the following year These received very positive feedback its support for researchers communicating first retreat will be used to inform further and exhibitions at the Annual Meeting, had a productive year on the policy are drawn up in the fourth quarter and from members and have been requested their science to the public, school planning and additional expansion of our increasing advertising, applying front, developing a policy strategy to are approved by the Board of Trustees at by several members for events they groups and others. This support is support for this career stage. for grants to support our work and help inform their aims and ambitions, their meeting in December. are running. In addition, four further offered through free to attend training developing a legacy giving programme. as well as supporting the IEA policy interviews were recorded in 2017. The courses, guided support in developing A careers programme was delivered at representatives in their endeavours. The year also saw work start on The BES has a set of Financial first with Alice Milner is online and the and translating science into activities for the Joint Annual Meeting in December. reviewing the Society’s reserves policy Regulations, which must be followed. remaining three recorded during the classroom, exhibition spaces indoors and This included a low cost early careers A major development for the future work and management of its investment These Regulations are reviewed annually Annual Meeting will be posted in 2018. outdoors alongside up to £10,000 funding day, women in ecology networking of the BES in the devolved nations was portfolio. The environmental screen of the by the Finance Board. the approval of the appointment of a Therefore, the freely accessible online for those who are delivering regional session, workshop on careers outside of academia and other skills development investment portfolio is being examined Policy Officer based in Edinburgh by the Policy Guide resources continue to grow engagement activities. In 2017 £0.3M (8% of expenditure) was opportunities. and recommendations on developing it BES Board of Trustees. This additional and provide public benefit. given away in grants. This substantive will be considered by the Board in 2018. sum requires careful management by

the Society. Applications are reviewed

against specific, published criteria. A

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Peer Review College reviews grant 2.4.3 Financial Performance position exploring new opportunities in addition, in 2014, we developed a detailed applications, scoring and commenting academic publishing over a seven year publications strategy closely aligned with 3. THE SOCIETY’S 5. GOVERNANCE: CONSTITUTION, on them. Using a Peer Review College The accounts show a surplus of £1.2M period (£390k) and, as per the publishing the Society’s overall strategic plan that ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT ensures that the Society uses the most (surplus of £0.5M in 2016) before net contract, to repay the proportionate part provides a long term vision of growth and appropriately experienced reviewers gains on investments of £0.5M (gains of of the signing bonus if we exercise the development for the journals’ portfolio. Throughout 2017 we undertook an OF THE SOCIETY for each grant application. The only £0.5M in 2016). Total funds of the Society break clause after year 5 (£220k). This strategy is reviewed annually. audit of the environmental impact of the The BES is a company limited by exception to this is the Travel & Training were £11.3M at the end of 2017 (£9.6M at Society’s activities, publishing, meetings Grant scheme, applications to which are the end of 2016). The designated tangible fixed asset fund A failure to diversity income sources: and buildings. Working with external guarantee (Registration no. 1522897) and has no share capital. As a registered reviewed by BES staff and awards are comprises the net book value of fixed Publications make up 82% of the Society’s consultants we completed a gap analysis 2.4.4 Reserves Policy made if the applicant meets the published assets held by the Society, principally the income. To mitigate the risk of a fall in and identified mechanisms to improve charity (Registration no. 281213), it Society’s offices in London. As such, it is publishing income we not only invest is governed by its Memorandum and criteria and there are sufficient funds The Society holds reserves for four main how we measure, monitor and reduce not available to meet the general running in our publications but we have started Articles of Association. available. purposes: our impact particularly in the areas of costs of the Society. to take steps to diversify our income carbon emissions through transport and The Board of Trustees is the supreme 2.4.2 Investment Policy and 1. Meet operational needs; streams. In 2016, we recruited and sustainable procurement. governing body of the BES. The Board Performance The level of reserves and the Society’s employed a Fundraising and Development comprises the President, President- Elect 2. Buffer against the high exposure to financial strategy is regularly reviewed Manager to help achieve our objective of The Society has drafted and made or Past President, two Vice Presidents, The listed investments held by the publication’s income; and monitored by the Trustees. The doubling non-publications between 2015 available online our environmental policy Honorary Treasurer, Honorary Secretary, BES and managed by Barclays Wealth reserves policy is reviewed annually by and 2019. The return on our investment and we have formed an environmental 3. Deliver specific major projects in Chair of the Education and Careers were worth £6.1M in 2017 and their Finance Committee and recommended portfolio has grown from £151k in 2015 to management systems working group, strategically important areas defined by Committee, Chair of the Meetings performance is in-line with appropriate changes are considered by the Board in £656k in 2017 and Charles Darwin House led by our members to ensure we embed the Strategic Plan; Committee, Chair of the Publications benchmarks. The investment managers March of that year. The policy was last 2 also provides rental income. good practice across all our activities and produce a quarterly summary of updated in March 2018. Committee, Chair of the Policy 4. Generate additional income through an develop a longer term, more ambitious performance for the Honorary Treasurer During 2017, as part of the governance plan for the Society. Additionally we are Committee, and currently 6 Ordinary investment portfolio. 2.4.5 Principal Risks and Uncertainties and Executive Director. The investment review, The Board of Trustees agreed working with our sister Societies within Members. The number of Ordinary Members will reduce to 3 by 2020 in line managers attend one meeting of The Society holds reserves to ensure The BES has a risk register. It is to review the way in which the Charles Darwin House to review where with the governance changes agreed the Finance Board a year to discuss it can meet its operational needs and reviewed in detail each spring by the Society managed risk. This review impacts associated with our offices can at the AGM in December 2017. The performance and general strategy. Day to working capital requirements (the free BES Committees and then approved by will be completed in early 2018 and its be reduced. day investment decisions are delegated Board is responsible for nominating reserve). The free reserve aims to hold ~6 the Board of Trustees in June. The risk recommendations considered by the to Barclays Wealth in accordance with the officer and chair posts and members of months operating costs, currently £1.4m register identifies areas of risk, ranks Board at their Q1 2018 meeting. 4. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS the Society are able to put themselves agreed mandate. The BES has spread its excluding third party operating costs and them in priority ordered according to 2.4.6 Fundraising Policy forward for these roles. Nomination for risk as far as practicable by part owning grants, to provide operational cash flow. impact multiplied by probability, states Details of some of the wide range of its headquarters building and holding Ordinary Members is open to the whole who or which Committee is responsible The BES has a fundraising policy which activities planned for 2018 are given some of its reserves in long-term deposit The major exposure in the Society’s membership. All members of the Board for each risk, states how the risk is follows the Charity Commission’s CC20 under the headings of the Society’s accounts as well as in equities, bonds and income portfolio is its dependence on are elected by the membership at the currently mitigated and what actions “Charity Fundraising: A Guide to trustee principal aims. The refreshed 2015 – trust funds. publishing income, which represented AGM. All newly appointed Trustees go remain outstanding. duties” guidelines. 2019 Strategic Plan has provided an £4.4m (82%) of annual income in 2017. through a process of induction, which exciting and challenging framework We have continued to use the services of The high commitment to expenditure fully briefs them about their roles, Some of the major risk areas are: A major Our guiding principles are that we for our activities as the Society moves the Ethical Investment Research Service allied to substantial exposure to a single responsibilities and the BES. During their loss in income from journals resulting always: into its second century. The challenges (EIRIS) to provide us with information, source of income is a major long-term risk tenure trustees have the opportunity to from a change in publication models or and opportunities presented by Brexit based on a long list of criteria and a to the organisation. The Society holds • Protect personal data and have ongoing training, paid for by the a decrease in impact factor. Income from will continue to be a significant strand scoring system, on the environmental reserves as an Expendable Endowment confidentiality; Society, to help them fulfil their duties. journals is a very significant proportion of work for the policy team as will the performance of FTSE listed companies. Fund to mitigate this risk and provide of the Society’s funds. There is continued UK Government’s newly published 25 This information is updated twice long-term stability. The Expendable • Treat donors courteously and fairly; There are nine committees that report to uncertainty regarding publications models Year Plan for the Environment. We will annually and is used to screen out Endowment ensures sufficient time the Board of Trustees. These committees and the timeframe in which this might • Respond promptly to donor queries or continue to develop our equality and companies with the worst environmental to scope alternative operating models cover specific areas of work such as happen. This risk is being mitigated in complaints. diversity work to ensure that ecology is records and policies from our portfolio. should publishing income collapse, and education, meetings, publications, finance a variety of ways. We have a reserves open and welcoming to people for diverse This gives a more objective and also to transition to the best solution We will never: etc., and comprise the Board of Trustee policy that would provide a sufficient backgrounds and part of that includes consistent basis for excluding companies. in an orderly fashion. The Expendable members and, in most cases, ordinary buffer to allow a gradual scaling back the new A’ Level Summer School project. Towards the end of 2017 the Finance Endowment represents ~24 months • Share donor details with another members drawn from the Society’s of the Society’s financial commitments In 2018 we will complete our review Board established a working group to operating costs, which are predominantly charity for the purposes of their members. if income dropped. The Society has a of risk management, implement the review the environmental screen and they staff costs (23% in 2017) that cannot be fundraising; Head of Publishing to deliver effective governance changes agreed at the end The Society has a governance document will report on their conclusions during immediately adjusted in a new operating and efficient journal management • Telephone to ask for a donation unless of 2017, and develop our environmental that details the structure, terms of 2018. Full details of the existing screen environment. and to ensure that the Society keeps donors have specifically asked us to do reference and membership of the Board are available from the Honorary Treasurer audit work. We have a number of exciting abreast of the latest developments in so; of Trustees and its committees. A or the BES Office. A policy of this sort is The Society is taking proactive steps to new publishing initiatives that will be journal publishing. We diversified our member of staff supports the work of each consistent with the ethos of the BES and mitigate the over-reliance on a single launched in 2018, extending the range journals’ portfolio to include an Open • Bombard donors with emails; committee. is important to maintaining the support income source by holding these reserves and scope of the research that we publish. Access journal, Ecology and Evolution, in an investment portfolio that is • Pass donor personal data to a third of members and the wider ecological by partnering with Wiley. This brings The BES is planning a range of activities The 2015 – 2019 strategic plan for research community. managed using an ethical screen. Returns party such as a commercial partners or very useful expertise and understanding and events during 2018 so that we the Society provides an exciting and on these investments are re-invested publishers unless we have been given into the BES on how to run an Open continue to make progress towards our challenging framework for the Society’s strategically to part fund new activities explicit consent to do so. Access title. Each journal has a strategic vision of a world inspired, informed and activities as it moves into its second and specific major projects specified in plan identifying ways in which it can influenced by ecology. century. the Strategic Plan. Designated Funds Our full fundraising policy is available increase its reputation and standing. In cover a full-time Management Editor from the BES office.

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Remuneration of all staff, including key Statement of disclosure to auditors: management personnel, is considered on EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CHAIRPERSONS OF STANDING 7. THE RESPONSIBILITIES 8. AUDITORS • so far as the directors are aware, there an annual basis by the Society’s Personnel H Norman COMMITTEES (AS AT DATE OF OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES haysmacintyre were re-appointed Committee. The Personnel Committee is no relevant audit information of which The Board of Trustees of the BES (the the company’s auditors are unaware; during the period and have indicated considers sector benchmarks when THIS REPORT) their willingness to continue in office. It setting salaries. PRINCIPAL ADDRESS Trustees and directors) are responsible and Finance Committee T Ezard for preparing the Annual Report and the is proposed that they be re-appointed Charles Darwin House financial statements in accordance with • they have taken all the steps that they auditors for the ensuing year. Education & Careers W Gosling 6. TRUSTEES AND ADVISORS 12 Roger Street applicable law and regulations. ought to have taken as directors in Committee London WC1N 2JU order to make themselves aware of Grants Committee R Hails Company law requires the Board to any relevant audit information and to This report was approved by the Board prepare financial statements for each establish that the company’s auditors of Trustees on 12 July 2018. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AUDITORS Meetings Committee Z Davies financial year. Under that law the Board are aware of that information. has elected to prepare the financial Professor Richard Bardgett haysmacintyre Membership D Hodgson OF TRUSTEES statements in accordance with United This report has been prepared in Member of the Board of Trustees 10 Queen Street Place Committee Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting accordance with the provisions applicable London C Banks-Leite Personnel Committee A Vanbergen Practice (United Kingdom Accounting to entities subject to the small companies’ EC4R 1AG Standards and applicable law). The regime. R Bardgett Policy Committee J Vickery financial statements are required by law A Birkett Appointed to give a true and fair view of the state of BANKERS Publications Committee J Hill December 2017 affairs of the company and of the surplus Barclays Bank plc P Brotherton or deficit of the company for that period. Leicester In preparing these financial statements, Y Buckley Resigned LE87 2BB the Board is required to: December 2017 • select suitable accounting policies and Z Davies SOLICITORS then apply them consistently; M Eichhorn Resigned Stone King LLP • observe the methods and principles in December 2017 Boundary House the Charities SORP’; 91 Charterhouse Street T Ezard London, EC1M 6HR • make judgements and estimates that are W Gosling reasonable and prudent;

Diana Gilbert Resigned INVESTMENT ADVISORS • state whether applicable UK Accounting December 2017 Standards have been followed, Barclays Wealth subject to any material departures R Hails Charity Investments Team disclosed and explained in the financial 15th Floor S Hartley statements; 1 Churchill Place D Hodgson Appointed London, E14 5HP • prepare the financial statements on December 2017 the going concern basis unless it is Jane Hill OFFICE BEARERS inappropriate to presume that the Company will continue in business. Nina Hautekèete President R Bardgett The Board is responsible for keeping

A Pullin Resigned proper accounting records that disclose December 2017 Past President S Hartley with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the BES and enable H Roy Vice President R Hails them to ensure that the accounts comply

Dawn Scott Resigned with the Companies Act 2006. They are December 2017 Vice President D Hodgson also responsible for safeguarding the I Stott Resigned Appointed December 2017 assets of the BES and hence for taking December 2017 reasonable steps for the prevention and Hon. Secretary A Vanbergen detection of fraud and other irregularities. P Thomas

L Turnbull Resigned Hon. Treasurer T Ezard December 2017 A Vanbergen J Vickery

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Responsibilities of trustees Use of our report

As explained more fully in the trustees’ This report is made solely to the INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT responsibilities statement set out on page charitable company’s members, as a 20, the trustees are responsible for the body, in accordance with Chapter 3 to the Members of the British Ecological Society preparation of the financial statements of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. and for being satisfied that they give a Our audit work has been undertaken true and fair view, and for such internal so that we might state to the charitable Opinion Conclusions relating to going concern Opinions on other matters prescribed by control as the trustees determine is company’s members those matters we are the Companies Act 2006 necessary to enable the preparation of required to state to them in an auditors’ We have audited the financial statements We have nothing to report in respect of financial statements that are free from report and for no other purpose. To the of British Ecological Society (the the following matters in relation to which In our opinion, based on the work material misstatement, whether due to fullest extent permitted by law, we do not ‘charitable company’) for the year ended the ISAs (UK) require us to report to you undertaken in the course of the audit: fraud or error. accept or assume responsibility to anyone 31 December 2017 which comprise where: other than the charitable company and • the information given in the trustees’ Statement of Financial Activities, the In preparing the financial statements, the charitable company’s members, as a body, • the trustees’ use of the going concern report for the financial year for which the Balance Sheet and the Cash Flow trustees are responsible for assessing for our audit work, for this report, or for basis of accounting in the preparation annual report is prepared is consistent Statement and notes to the financial the charitable company’s ability to the opinion we have formed. statements, including a summary of of the financial statements is not with the financial statements; and continue as a going concern, disclosing, significant accounting policies. The appropriate; or as applicable, matters related to going Kathryn Burton • the trustees’ report has been prepared concern and using the going concern (Senior Statutory Auditor) financial reporting framework that has • the trustees’ have not disclosed in the in accordance with applicable legal been applied in their preparation is basis of accounting unless the trustees financial statements any identified requirements. For and on behalf of haysmacintyre applicable law and United Kingdom either intend to liquidate the charitable material uncertainties that may cast Statutory Auditors Accounting Standards, including Financial Matters on which we are required to company or to cease operations, or have significant doubt about the charitable 10 Queen Street Place Reporting Standard 102 The Financial report by exception no realistic alternative but to do so. company’s ability to continue to adopt Statutory Auditors Reporting Standard applicable in the UK the going concern basis of accounting Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of London and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom In the light of the knowledge and for a period of at least twelve months the financial statements EC4R 1AG Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). understanding of the charitable company from the date when the financial and its environment obtained in the Our objectives are to obtain reasonable Date: 12 July 2018 In our opinion, the financial statements: statements are authorised for issue. course of the audit, we have not identified assurance about whether the financial material misstatements in the strategic Other information statements as a whole are free from • give a true and fair view of the state report or the trustees’ report. material misstatement, whether due to of the charitable company’s affairs as The trustees are responsible for the fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s at 31 December 2017 and of the its net other information. The other information We have nothing to report in respect of income for the year then ended; the following matters in relation to which report that includes our opinion. comprises the information included in the Reasonable assurance is a high level Trustees’ Annual Report. Our opinion on the Companies Act 2006 requires us to • have been properly prepared in report to you if, in our opinion: of assurance, but is not a guarantee accordance with United Kingdom the financial statements does not cover that an audit conducted in accordance the other information and, except to the Generally Accepted Accounting • adequate accounting records have not with ISAs (UK) will always detect a extent otherwise explicitly stated in our Practice; and been kept by the charitable company, or material misstatement when it exists. report, we do not express any form of returns adequate for our audit have not Misstatements can arise from fraud or assurance conclusion thereon. • have been prepared in accordance with been received from branches not visited error and are considered material if, the requirements of the Companies Act In connection with our audit of the by us; or individually or in the aggregate, they 2006. could reasonably be expected to influence financial statements, our responsibility • the financial statements are not in Basis for opinion is to read the other information and, in the economic decisions of users taken on agreement with the accounting records the basis of these financial statements. doing so, consider whether the other and returns; or We conducted our audit in accordance information is materially inconsistent with A further description of our with International Standards on Auditing the financial statements or our knowledge • certain disclosures of trustees’ responsibilities for the audit of the (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our obtained in the audit or otherwise remuneration specified by law are not financial statements is located on the responsibilities under those standards appears to be materially misstated. If we made; or Financial Reporting Council’s website at: are further described in the Auditor’s identify such material inconsistencies or www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. responsibilities for the audit of the apparent material misstatements, we are • we have not received all the information financial statements section of our report. and explanations we require for our audit. This description forms part of our required to determine whether there is auditor’s report. We are independent of the charitable a material misstatement in the financial company in accordance with the ethical statements or a material misstatement requirements that are relevant to our of the other information. If, based on the audit of the financial statements in the work we have performed, we conclude UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, that there is a material misstatement of and we have fulfilled our other ethical this other information, we are required to responsibilities in accordance with these report that fact. We have nothing to report requirements. We believe that the audit in this regard. evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES Incorporating the income and expenditure account

For the year ended 31 December 2017

Notes Unrestricted Restricted Expendable 2017 2016 £’000 £’000 Endowment £’000 £’000 £’000 Income from Donations & Legacies 5 7 - 12 5 Other Trading Activities Investment income 2 16 - 157 173 128 Other income 89 - - 89 53 110 7 157 274 186

Incoming resources from charitable activities As a BES supporter we want to offer you the chance to write a will Publications 4,394 - - 4,394 3,205 free of charge, from your laptop. That is why we have partnered Income from conferences 526 - - 526 421 with Farewill, the UKs largest digital will-writing company, to offer 25 free wills to our members. You do not have to include us in your Subscriptions 151 - - 151 106 LEAVE A will to take advantage of this offer, but we would love it if you did. Total income 5,181 7 157 5,345 3,918 Farewill is trusted by leading charities including: Save the Children, Expenditure Macmillan, WaterAid, Stonewall and Greenpeace to provide cost effective, quick and legally accurate digital will-writing services Expenditure on raising funds LEGACY to their supporters. Investment management fees 2 - 20 22 42 We will invest any gift you make to help ecologists in the UK Expenditure on charitable activities and the developing world achieve their full potential. Publications 1,865 - - 1,865 1,551 To take advantage of this offer simply log on to farewill.com/BES Meetings 892 - - 892 742 TO and enter the promotional code BES100 at check out. When all Research 342 - - 342 331 25 free wills have been claimed you will be offered a 50% discount and charged the reduced rate of £45. Use code BES50 at check out Education 437 - - 437 267 to redeem this offer. Policy 237 7 - 244 232 ECOLOGY Bulletin and other services 317 - - 317 279 Total expenditure 3 4,092 7 20 4,119 3,444 * Making a will through Farewill is not suitable if you own assets outside of the UK or if you have one or more disabled dependents. Net income before gains on investment 1,089 - 137 1,226 474 Net gains on investments 9 46 - 437 483 509

Net movement in funds in year 1,135 - 574 1,709 983 FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS OFFER Fund balance brought forward 4,040 2 5,535 9,577 8,594 OR HOW TO REMEMBER ECOLOGY IN YOUR Fund balances carried forward 15 5,175 2 6,109 11,286 9,577 WILL PLEASE CONTACT: BES Development Manager Paul Bower [email protected] All of the above results derive from continuing activities. There are no gains and losses other than those disclosed above. The +44(0)20 7685 2500 accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements. or visit britishecologicalsociety.org.uk/wills 81 BES Bulletin britishecologicalsociety.org VOL 49:3 | September 2018

BALANCE SHEET STATEMENT OF CASHFLOWS For the year ended 31 December 2017 For the year ended 31 December 2017

Notes 2017 2016 2017 2016 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 Fixed assets Cash flow from operating activities Tangible assets 8 2,588 Net (expenditure)/income 2,652 Investments 9 6,849 6,114 1,709 983 9,437 Adjustments for: 8,766 Investment income (173) (128) Current assets Depreciation 73 76 Debtors 11 1,401 935 (Increase)/Decrease in debtors (466) (270) Cash on deposit and in hand 1,501 315 (Decrease)/Increase in creditors 614 (46) 2,902 1,250 Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities (1,757) (615)

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 12 (833) (439) Cash flow from investing activities Net current assets 2,069 811 Purchase of tangible fixed assets (9) (24) Creditors: amounts falling due within over one year 13 (220) - Investment income 173 128 Net assets 11,286 9,577 Purchase of investments (1,183) (2,327) Disposal of investments 913 2,278 Represented by (Gain) Losses on investments (483) (509) Unrestricted funds Net cash (used in) investing activities (571) (454) General fund 2,587 1,388 Designated - Tangible fixed assets fund 2,588 2,652 Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year 1,186 161 5,175 4,040

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year 315 154 Restricted fund 2 2 Expendable Endowment fund 6,109 5,535 Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year 1,501 315 15 11,286 9,577

Included in the above reserves are unrealised gains of £1,142,663 (2016 gains £789,842).

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

The accounts on pages 68 to 82 were approved and authorised for issue by the Board of Trustees on 12 July 2018 and signed on its behalf by

Professor Richard Bardgett Member of the Board of Trustees

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these financial statements.

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j) Fund accounting The cost of any unused holiday n) Creditors entitlement is recognised in the period General funds comprise the accumulated in which the employee’s services are Creditors are recognised where the NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS surplus or deficit and are available for use received. charity has a present obligation resulting at the discretion of the Board of Trustees from a past event that will probably in furtherance of the general objectives of Termination benefits are recognised result in the transfer of funds to a third For the year ended 31 December 2017 the BES. immediately as an expense when the party and the amount due to settle the company is demonstrably committed to obligation can be measured or estimated Restricted funds are funds subject to terminate the employment of an employee reliably. Creditors and provisions are enforceable right to set off the recognised e) Depreciation specific restrictive covenants imposed by or to provide termination benefits. normally recognised at their settlement 1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES amounts and there is an intention to donors or by the purpose of the appeal. amount after allowing for any trade settle on a net basis or to realise the asset Depreciation has been calculated to write a) Basis of accounting l) Debtors discounts due. and settle the liability simultaneously. off the cost of assets over their expected Designated funds comprise funds which useful lives as follows: The financial statements have been With the exceptions of prepayments and have been set aside at the discretion Trade and other debtors are recognised at o) Judgements and estimates of the Board of Trustees for specific the settlement amount due after any trade prepared in accordance with Accounting deferred income all other debtor and Freehold property - 2% per annum on cost purposes. discount offered. Prepayments are valued Judgements made by the Trustee, in and Reporting by Charities: Statement creditor balances are considered to be Furniture, fixtures and equipment - 33% of Recommended Practice applicable basic financial instruments under FRS 102. at the amount prepaid net of any trade the application of these accounting per annum on a straight line basis. All income and expenditure of the BES to charities preparing their accounts in discounts due. policies that have significant effect on the has been included in the Statement of accordance with the Financial Reporting c) Income The Society’s policy is to capitalise assets financial statements and estimates with a Financial Activities. m) Cash at bank and in hand significant risk of material adjustment in Standard applicable in the UK and i) Subscriptions income: purchased over £1,000. the next year are deemed to be in relation Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective All subscriptions income is accounted k) Employee benefits Cash at bank and cash in hand includes f) Investments to the valuation of investments and are 1 January 2015) - (Charities SORP (FRS for in the period to which it relates. cash and short term highly liquid 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard The costs of short-term employee benefits discussed above. Subscriptions receipts in advance are Investments are stated at market value. investments. applicable in the UK and Republic of are recognised as a liability and an recorded as deferred income. It is the BES’s policy to keep valuations Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act expense, unless those costs are required up to date such that when investments 2006. Assets and liabilities are initially to be recognised as part of the cost of ii) Other income: are sold there is no gain or loss arising. recognised at historical cost or transaction stock or fixed assets. All other income has been accounted As a result the Statement of Financial value unless otherwise stated in the for on a receivable basis. Activities only includes those unrealised relevant accounting policy note(s). d) Expenditure (including grants) gains and losses arising from the The trustees have assessed whether revaluation of the investment portfolio the use of the going concern basis is Expenditure is classified under the throughout the year. Disclosure is made appropriate and have considered possible principal categories of charitable and in note 9 of the difference between the 2. INVESTMENT INCOME events or conditions that might cast other expenditure rather than the type of historical cost and the sale proceeds of significant doubt on the ability of the expense, in order to provide more useful the investments sold during the year. charity to continue as a going concern. information to users of the accounts. g) Foreign currencies 2017 2016 The trustees have made this assessment Charitable activities comprise direct £’000 £’000 for a period of at least one year from Monetary assets and liabilities expenditure including direct staff costs Income from listed investments 163 123 the date of approval of the financial attributable to the activity. Support costs denominated in a foreign currency are statements. In particular the trustees have been allocated to activities based on translated into sterling at the exchange Interest receivable 11 5 have considered the charities forecasts rate ruling on the Balance Sheet date. the average staff time spent. Governance 174 128 and projections and have taken account costs are those incurred in connection of pressures on donation and investment Transactions in foreign currencies with the management of the Society’s income. After making enquiries the are recorded at the rate of exchange assets, organisational administration trustees have concluded that there is a prevailing at the date of transaction. and compliance with constitutional and reasonable expectation that the charity statutory requirements. Support costs are All exchange differences are taken to the has adequate resources to continue in allocated on the basis of time spent on statement of financial activities. operational existence for the foreseeable each activity. future. The charity therefore continues h) Operating lease to adopt the going concern basis in Grants payable are charged in the preparing its financial statements. year when the offer is conveyed to the Rentals payable under operating leases recipient except in those cases where are charged against income on a straight b) Financial Instruments the offer is conditional, such grants being line basis over the lease term. The BES has elected to apply the recognised as expenditure when the i) Pensions provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial conditions attaching are fulfilled. Grants Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other offered subject to conditions which have BES operates defined contribution Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS not been met at the year-end are noted pension arrangements, the assets of 102 to all of its financial instruments. as a commitment, but not accrued as which are held separately from those of Financial instruments are recognised in expenditure. the BES in independently administered the Charity’s balance sheet when the funds. Contributions are charged to the Charity becomes party to the contractual income and expenditure account as they provisions of the instrument. Financial become payable. assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally

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3. ANALYSIS OF TOTAL EXPENDITURE 4. GRANTS

Direct Staff Other Direct Support TOTAL TOTAL Grant commitments are as follows: Costs Costs Costs 2017 2016 2017 2016 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 Grant commitments at 1 January 189 125 Cost of Raising Funds - 22 - 22 42 Awards made during year 460 343 Bulletin & Other services 89 50 178 317 279 Payments made during the year (478) (279) Publications 436 1,063 366 1,865 1,551 Grant commitments at 31 December 171 189 Meetings 79 732 81 892 742

Research 16 312 13 341 331 Details of significant grant awards are detailed on the BES’s website. The majority of grants awarded are to individuals. Grants to Education 141 163 133 437 267 institutions are relatively few in number and low value. Policy 91 64 90 245 232 852 2,406 861 4,119 3,444 5. NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS Support Costs 2017 2016 £’000 £’000 is stated after charging: Governance Costs 2017 2016 Governance staff costs 2 8 £’000 £’000 Audit Fee 9 9 Depreciation 73 76 11 17 Auditor’s remuneration

Other Support Costs audit services 9 9 Support staff costs 110 53 Other than disclosed in note 15 members of the Board of Trustees did not receive any remuneration during the year (2016: nil). Non salary staff costs 62 55 Expenses reimbursed to 18 (2016: 13) Members of the Board of Trustees in the year equalled £9,303 (2016: £9,731). Property 156 63 IT costs 68 57 Venue Costs 19 9 6. TAXATION Publicity 32 15 Fees / Affiliations 74 47 The BES is a registered charity and as such its income and gains are exempt from corporation tax to the extent that they are applied Office running costs 51 37 to its charitable objectives. There is no corporation tax charge for the year (2016: nil). Depreciation 73 76 Bulletin 70 68 Outsourced finance & payroll 33 32 Legal & Consultancy 50 9 Website 1 - Bank charges 51 27 861 565

*Support costs are allocated on the basis of time spent on each activity.

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7. EMPLOYEES 8. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

The actual number of employees during the year was 24.4 (2016: 21.1) 2017 2016 Furniture, Freehold fixtures and Membership 1.7 1.5 property equipment Total Publishing 11.1 10.2 Charity £’000 £’000 £’000 Conferences / Meetings 1.7 2.0 Cost Research 0.5 0.4 1 January 2017 2,905 104 3,009 Education 4.0 2.5 Additions 9 9 Policy 2.9 3.2 31 December 2017 2,905 113 3,018 Society 2.5 1.3 Depreciation 24.4 21.1 1 January 2017 266 91 357 £’000 £’000 Charge for the year 58 15 73 Staff costs during the year amounted to: 31 December 2017 324 106 430 Wages and 825 salaries 749 Net book value Social security 84 costs 77 31 December 2017 2,581 7 2,588 Employer’s pension contributions 55 45 31 December 2016 2,639 13 2,652 Redundancy 22 964 893

One (2014: one) employee earned £70,000-£79,999 during the year. The employer’s pension contributions in respect of this employee during the year was £5,373.

The total employee benefits including pension contributions of the key management personnel were £224,188 (2014: £217,825).

During 2009 the charity purchased a part share (36.1%) in the freehold 12 Roger Street as its new headquarters. It shares the ownership of the building with other biological focused charities and the property is held by a nominee company on trust for the Co-owners as tenants in common.

During 2011 the charity had disposed of 6.1% of the freehold in 12 Roger Street to the Royal Society of Biology in accordance with One employee earned £80,000-£89,999 during the year (2016: one employee earned £70,000-£79,999). The employer’s pension the original plan to share the ownership of the building with other biological focused charities. This transaction resulted in a gain contributions in respect of this employee during the year was £7,088 (2016: £5,884). on disposal of £69,498.

The aggregate benefits including pension contributions of the key management personnel were £271,718 (2016: £262,234), the During 2013 the Charity completed the purchase of a part share (21.1%) in the freehold property of 107 Grays Inn Road. As part of trustees were not remunerated for services to the charity. this transaction the Charity disposed of a part share of its interest in 12 Roger Street, reducing its interest in that property from 30% to 21.1%. It shares the ownership of the buildings with other biological focused charities and the property is held by Charles Darwin During the year settlement agreements were paid of £nil (2016: £21,854). House Limited on trust for the Co-owners. This transaction resulted in a gain on disposal of £95,963.

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9. INVESTMENTS 10. SUBSIDIARY UNDERTAKINGS

2017 2016 The BES holds 100% of the issued share capital of BES Trading Company Limited, a company registered in England and Wales. The £’000 £’000 sole activity of BES Trading Company Limited was to organise the 11th International Congress of Ecology in August 2013. At 31 December 2017 the Share Capital and net assets of BES Trading Company Limited amounted to £2 - (2016 £2). Market value 1 January 2017 6,114 5,556 During 2009 the BES acquired 36.1% of Charles Darwin House Limited, a company set up to manage the building. During 2011 Additions 1,183 2,327 shares representing 6.1% were disposed of leaving a remaining interest of 30.0%. During 2013 shares representing 8.9% were Disposals proceeds (883) (1,176) disposed of leaving a remaining interest of 21.1%.

Net investment gain 483 509 At 30 June 2016 the net assets according to the financial statements were £1,000. Movement in deposits (48) (1,102) 2017 2016 £’000 £’000 Market value 31 December 2017 6,849 6,114 Income and Expenditure: Historical cost at 31 December 2017 6,108 5,325 Turnover - - Accumulated unrealised gains based on historic cost at 31 December 2017 1,143 789 Cost of sales - - Realised gain in year based on historic cost 349 456 Gross profit - - Represented by: Interest Received - - UK equity 4,171 Net result shares 1,616 - - Overseas equities516 2,708 Balance Sheet: UK fixed320 interest 318 Net assets - - Overseas fixed301 interest 196 UK Other 387 371 Overseas Other414 11. DEBTORS 117 Market value6,109 of 5,326 listed investments

Investment in associated undertaking - - 2017 2016 Investment in subsidiary undertaking - - £’000 £’000 Amounts held in cash 740 788 Trade debtors 953 554 Total 6,849 6,114 Other debtors 42 14 Prepayments and accrued income 406 326 VAT Refund - 41 1,401 935

12. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

2017 2016 £’000 £’000 Trade creditors 208 151 Social security & other taxes 22 24 Other creditors - 2 Accruals 263 33 Deferred income (note 14) 64 40 VAT 105 - Grants payable (note 4) 171 189 833 439

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13. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE OVER ONE YEAR Restricted

Restricted funds of £1,985 at 31 December 2017 are represented by cash on deposit (2016 - £1,985). 2017 2016 £’000 £’000 Alex S Watt Breckland Research Trust Deferred Income (note 14) 220 - Funds administered by the BES in the memory of Alex Watt to provide funding for small scale research projects aimed to enhance our understanding of the conservation of the Breckland Region. 220 - Policy Assistant Fund Restricted donation to support a staff member to work in the policy area. The staff member was appointed in February 2013.

The Society holds €33,180 (2016 €33, 580) on behalf of the European Ecological Foundation. This balance does not form part of these accounts. 14. MOVEMENT IN DEFERRED INCOME Endowment

2017 2016 Expendable endowment funds of £6,109k at 31 December 2017 are represented by investment (2016 - £5,535k). £’000 £’000 Expendable Endowment fund As at 1 January 2017 40 30 The Society is taking proactive steps to mitigate the over-reliance on a single income source by holding these reserves in an Released in year (40) (30) investment portfolio that is managed using an ethical screen. Returns on these investments are re-invested strategically to part fund new activities and specific major projects specified in the Strategic Plan. Deferred in year 44 40 Deferred in year – falling due more than one year 220 40 As at 31 December 2016 264 40 2016 Fund Net gains Fund balances on Balances brought Investment Carried forward Income Expenditure Assets Transfers Forward 15. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS 1/1/2016 31/12/2016 2017 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 Fund Net gains Fund Restricted balances on Balances Alex S Watt Breckland Research Trust 2 - - - - 2 brought Investment Carried forward Income Expenditure Assets Transfers Forward Policy Assistant Fund - 5 (5) - - - 1/1/2017 31/12/2017 Total restricted funds 2 5 (5) - - 2 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 Restricted Unrestricted funds Alex S Watt Breckland Research Trust 2 - - - - 2 Policy Assistant Fund - 7 (7) General - 888 - 3,798 - (3,400) 50 52 1,388 Total restricted funds 2 7 (7) - - 2 Tangible fixed asset fund 2,704 - - - (52) 2,652 Total unrestricted funds 3,592 3,798 (3,400) 50 - 4,040 Expendable Endowment Funds 5,000 115 (38) 458 - 5,535 Unrestricted funds Total Funds 8,594 3,918 (3,443) 508 - 9,577 General 1,388 5,181 (4,092) 46 64 2,587 Tangible fixed asset fund 2,652 Restricted - Income - in the - (64)s year and to 2,588 legacies.31 DecemberExpenditure 2016of of£5,000 £5,000was relatesin relationto donation to Policy. Total unrestricted funds 4,040 5,181 (4,092) 46 - 5,175 Expendable Endowment Funds 5,535 157 (20) 437 - 6,109 Total Funds 9,577 5,345 (4,119) 16. ANALYSIS 483 OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN - FUNDS 11,286

2017 2017 2016 General Designated Restricted Endowment Total Total £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 Designated Tangible assets - 2,588 - - 2,588 2,652 Tangible fixed asset fund Investments 741 - - 6,109 6,850 6,114 Represents the net book value of tangible fixed assets in use by the Society and therefore not available to the Board of Trustees to Net current assets / liabilities 1,819 - 2 - 1,821 811 meet future expenditure. A transfer is made each year to reflect the change in net book value. Net assets 2,560 2,588 2 6,109 11,259 9,577

92 93 BES Bulletin VOL 49:3 | September 2018 Supporting conservation since 1985

17. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS Free Shipping in the UK and Europe | Quote BES2018 at time of ordering No transactions have taken place with either Members or Senior Management Team. It is the policy of the BES that Committee st members who have an interest in any grant awarding decisions must leave the room at the time the awarding decision is made. Valid on orders over £60 - Offer ends October 31 2018 (exclusions apply)

Richard Bardgett – an existing editor of the Journal of Ecology, was appointed as a trustee in the prior year. He continued to be paid at the fixed rate and has received £6,216 (2016 £6,112) in the year. He has received no remuneration in his capacity as a trustee. At NHBS we stock a huge range of ecological survey equipment... 18. THE GEORGE JACKSON ESTATE

As part of the George Jackson bequest the Society was left as residuary beneficiary of a revisionary bequest. The property passes to the Society upon the death of the life interest. Because of the uncertainty as to value and timing the value of the property is not included with these financial statements.

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