Ecology Research Theme
Testing the effectiveness of different ecological approaches for nature recovery to support biodiversity and the delivery of ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation and adaptation.
About
We will examine and quantify the ecosystem health, climate benefits and challenges of different approaches to nature recovery, by directly targeted data collection, synthesis of data collected by partners and assimilation of the wider literature and evidence base.
Our approaches
Our first approach will be experimental, because there is a need for well-designed long-term studies with consistent baselines and monitoring and evaluation of nature recovery pathways. The 10-year funding for the Centre uniquely enables long-term ecological, social and financial experiments to be initiated, monitored and rigorously evaluated for their effectiveness in delivering successful outcomes.
We will provide scientific support for a range of studies in our Case Study landscapes, working with local partners on their lands. Most locally, we will establish a flagship set of robustly designed long-term nature recovery experiments on University of Oxford-owned lands. Experiments will include different strategies for biodiversity-supportive agriculture, for assisted and natural regeneration of forests and other ecosystems, and the effects of animal-mediated rewilding.
Our second approach will harness cutting-edge approaches in AI to develop innovative methods for the compilation and continuous updating of a global open-access evidence base of the effectiveness and benefits of nature recovery strategies.
A key challenge is the rapid rate of increase of data and evidence: a huge and rapidly growing literature is scattered across disciplines in the physical, natural, and social sciences in thousands of publications and is thus not easily accessible to decision-makers. To address this challenge, we will utilise state-of-the art machine learning/natural language processing technologies to expedite and deepen our learning from systematic reviews of existing literature on nature recovery.
We will examine how the key findings of our robust studies can be integrated within development plans at local, national and global scales and contribute towards goals to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Read more about our use of novel technologies now.
Projects
- View project
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Assessing urban ecosystem composition and function to understand pathways towards equitable, Nature-smart cities
Through considering the ecosystem composition and functioning of Greater London, I hope to provide not only a comprehensive analysis of nature of in cities as it currently stands, but I also hope to provide routes to improving nature in these areas based on this.
Team
- View project
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Evenlode Landscape Recovery
Lead by the North East Cotswold Farming Cluster and funded by DEFRA as apart of the Environmental Land Management schemes, the project aims to expedite the transition to a financially and environmentally sustainable farming system through nature recovery efforts.
Team
Theme outputs
- Ecology
- A complexity-appropriate model was developed to forecast an invasive forest disease
- If 15 % of trees are resistant they create an efficient buffer against population decline
- Our modelling framework helps prediction, error assessment, and scenario building
- Ecology
- Ecology
Dahlsjö CAL (2023). Strategies to manage tree pest and disease outbreaks: a balancing act.. BMC Ecology and Evolution.
Tree diseases are one of the major threats to forests worldwide. As the frequency and severity of disease outbreaks increase, effective prevention and mitigation strategies are urgently needed. Emerging methods are available to tackle this issue, however, trade-offs and potential ecological consequences should be considered for successful forest preservation.
Wu H; Dahlsjö CAL; Malhi Y (2024). Evaluating the impact of an invasive pathogen on tree population decline: An evidence based modelling approach.. Forest Ecology and Management.
Highlights
Dahlsjö CAL; Malhi Y (2024). Unravelling a hidden synergy: How pathogen-climate interactions transform habitat hydrology and affect tree growth.. Science of The Total Environment, 954, 176325..
Interactions between multiple global change stressors are a defining characteristic of the Anthropocene. Tree-associated pathogens are affecting forested ecosystems worldwide and occur in the context of increased frequency and intensity of extreme climate events such as heat waves, droughts, and floods. The effects of these events, along with subsequent changes in environmental conditions, on remaining and regenerating trees, are not well understood but crucial for the restoration and conservation of forested habitats.
News & events
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Oxfordshire’s Greenspace Deprived Neighbourhoods
28 May 2024Martha Crockatt I’m writing this in mid-April; although there has been wind, rain and even hail in the last few days, hawthorn, tulips and forget-me-nots are blooming, bees are starting to buzz and the sun, when it does come out from behind a cloud, is warm – it’s a lovely time to be outdoors in […]
news Blog -
Oxfordshire’s green space-deprived neighbourhoods
17 April 2024A report, released today by the researchers in the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, identifies neighbourhoods in Oxfordshire experiencing both socio-economic deprivation and poor provision of accessible green spaces, with a view to these neighbourhoods being prioritised in terms of planning, allocation of funding, and effort for improving quality and quantity of accessible green spaces. […]
news Report