<![CDATA[Pressat Main Newswire]]> https://pressat.co.uk/rss/ <![CDATA[Pressat Main Newswire]]> https://pressat.co.uk/media/site/logo.png https://pressat.co.uk/rss/ en-gb Copyright: (C) Pressat Pressat <![CDATA[ Leading UK rewilding organisations call for action to build an inclusive rewilding sector ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/leading-uk-rewilding-organisations-call-for-action-to-build-an-inclusive-rewilding-sector-8b8d2bd3f8064d94dbfe6f709a18d279/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/leading-uk-rewilding-organisations-call-for-action-to-build-an-inclusive-rewilding-sector-8b8d2bd3f8064d94dbfe6f709a18d279/ Monday 18 October, 2021

Rewilding in the UK is now generating a growing number of jobs. They must attract a broad cross-section of society.


The inclusivity imperative


The practice of rewilding provides new economic opportunities by supporting livelihoods and income linked to the different forms of value that nature recovery can generate. In the UK, the rewilding of marginal land is already boosting job numbers in the land management sector. The potential to link rewilding with a growing demand offers the prospects of new jobs in conservation finance and technology.


Yet as the UK's nascent rewilding sector develops, and more nature recovery-related jobs become available, how can we ensure the new sector is shaped and developed by people from all walks of life? British people of all backgrounds want to make a meaningful contribution to solving the climate and nature emergencies, so how do we harness their talent and desire for change in the most inclusive and accessible way possible?


"In the conservation sector, some people still hold the false perception that young people, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and those from less privileged backgrounds aren't interested in helping nature," says Hannah Needham, Operations Director at Heal Rewilding. "But in reality, where people from these groups appear less engaged, it’s often because they face a range of barriers that are invisible to the group who currently dominate the sector: older, middle-class white people.


"Unfortunately, where socio-economic barriers limit the involvement of these groups in wildlife conservation, we miss out on their skills, their ideas and their energy. Rewilding is known for being progressive and holistic - as the sector develops in the UK we must seize this opportunity to do things differently and embrace social diversity."




Reinforcing the green ceiling


Green 2.0, a US group campaigning for more diversity in conservation organisations across the Atlantic, has coined the phrase "green ceiling" to describe how few people from ethnic minorities work in the sector. The term is equally apt on this side of the Atlantic.


While the UK has experienced significant ethnic change since the 1950s, and particularly since the late 1990s, the UK's conservation sector remains stubbornly homogeneous. Research
carried out by think tank Policy Exchange in 2017 found that just over 3% of environment professionals identify themselves as minorities, compared to an average of nearly 20% across all occupations. Moreover, only 9% of UK students in higher education studying subjects that could lead to professions in the environmental sector identified themselves as belonging to non-white minorities, compared to an average of 22% across all higher education subjects.


Soraya Abdel-Hadi is an award-winning writer and artist and founder of All The Elements, a network to support everyone working to increase diversity in the outdoor sector. She believes there are multiple reasons for this discrepancy.


"Firstly, accessing job opportunities in conservation and ecology typically means starting off by volunteering, which can be time-consuming and expensive. This not only makes the conservation sector a much harder sell for prospective students and those at the bottom of the career ladder, it actually stops many from getting involved at all. Most members of our society need to be able to earn money to pay for life's essentials. There are only a privileged few who either can afford - or have a support network that allows them the flexibility - to work for free. This is reflected in who we see in the sector."


Hannah Needham agrees.


"When I first started out, my friends told me that it was impossible to get a job in conservation. I soon found out why: all entry-level and graduate roles required applicants to have a practical experience. To get this, I undertook an unpaid 12-month traineeship where I volunteered for three days a week. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to afford rent, despite working a second job at my local pub, my family put me up in their spare room for a year for free. Not everyone has these advantages - a free room in a house near a nature reserve - which makes the system inherently elitist."




Recruitment and remuneration


Soraya Abdel-Hadi also points to the absence of career paths and salary issues as factors that dissuade many people from applying for conservation jobs.


"Career paths in the conservation sector aren't particularly clear. Many people starting out in a profession want some idea of where they're going to be in five or 10 years, not just now. On top of this, the remuneration being offered is also less than in comparable positions in other economic sectors, which means the financial incentives just aren't there."


Last but not least, the way conservation sector jobs are typically recruited for also skews the demographic make-up of applicants.


"Environmental organisations need to move beyond their usual channels when advertising for positions," says Hannah Needham. "In the past, Heal Rewilding has contacted groups such as Black Girls Hike, All The Elements, We Go Outside Too, Flock Together, Solidaritree and The Wanderlust Women, and even shows such as the Seize Your Adventure podcast, to ask them to share our advertisements among their network members. They've all been really welcoming and helpful."


"Companies also need to speak to people who are experts in developing inclusive recruitment policies," adds Soraya Abdel-Hadi. "Then they need to embed those policies in their organisation. There's no point in reaching out through new channels to different audiences and getting them to apply for jobs if the recruitment process discriminates against the amount or type of experience they have, or their education, or even their name or where they live."




A burgeoning sector


Progressive recruitment policies and competitive salaries will be critical if the rewilding sector is to attract diverse talent. Of equal importance will be the creation of a wider range of attractive jobs that offer pathways to careers inside and outside the sector.


With this in mind, Ecosulis is investing in the development of new products and services at the intersection of rewilding, technology and finance - in particular, the development of a rewilding token and biodiversity credit that can be produced, traded and invested in.


"We are finding that commercial innovation linked to rewilding creates new jobs with highly transferable skills," says Ecosulis Head of Innovation and leading rewilding expert Dr. Paul Jepson. "Linked to this, we are formulating new job titles that capture associated career prospects. For example, we have ditched the term 'ecologist' in favour of 'ecosystem analyst', which much better describes the role and its technical competencies."


Ecosulis launched the UK's first rewilding graduate internship programme in March 2021. Ella Milne and Dan Bass, the first recruits, are already heavily involved in the development and delivery of technology-empowered rewilding products and services, which are increasingly in demand as investors, companies and local authorities aspire to become nature positive and climate neutral. The one-year internship positions are paid and include a structured programme of professional training and development in applied rewilding. Four more positions are available in the 2021-2022 iteration of the programme - no work experience is required, and people of all backgrounds are invited to apply.




Hope for the future


Soraya Abdel-Hadi is optimistic that the rewilding sector can embrace diversity, but believes it will take concerted effort to maintain and build momentum.


"It's very important that individuals from underrepresented groups see themselves reflected in those working within the conservation profession. Then, where those individuals are present, to recognise that it doesn't mean there aren't still barriers just because they are there Barriers to accessing the sector are intersectional - that means we need to tackle them all in turn to create large-scale, long-lasting change. It’s important to keep challenging the status quo."


With Heal Rewilding itself working hard to promote equality, diversity and inclusion, Hannah Needham has her own vision of how she'd like jobs in the rewilding sector to look 20 years from now.


"By that stage, rewilding-related professions will be accessible to people wherever they're based - in the city or the countryside. It will no longer be the norm that those of us working in rewilding earn £10,000 less per year than our friends with comparable jobs in other sectors. Rewilding jobs will be valued and respected by government, business and society, open to and performed by people from across UK society. And the sector will be stronger and more productive for this."


"Rewilding offers solutions that could see us become the first generation in history to reverse the decline in nature and address the combined climate and ecological emergencies," says Ecosulis CEO Cain Blythe. "Transformative change such as this will require mobilisation of the talent, knowledge and cultural values of a broad cross-section of society. There is now a unique opportunity to make this happen.


"Ecosulis aims to be a catalyst for this change, accelerating rewilding on a global scale while creating a wilder, healthier and more inclusive world."




Press contacts


For more information about the Ecosulis rewilding internship
programme and rewilding services, please contact Dr. Paul Jepson,
Ecosulis Head of Innovation (paul.jepson@ecosulis.co.uk /+44
(0)7741669822).




About Ecosulis


As a leading ecological consultancy and contractor with significant
rewilding expertise, Ecosulis specialises in accelerating nature
recovery across the UK. Underpinned by our investment in cutting edge
research, innovation and technology, we work on landscape-scale projects
that support wild nature, benefit wider society and realise the nature
restoration ambitions of our clients.


Dr. Paul Jepson, Ecosulis Head of Innovation, and Cain Blythe, Ecosulis CEO, co-authored "Rewilding: The Radical New Science of Nature Recovery",
which was published in 2020 and is rapidly becoming one of the go-to
books for those looking to learn more about the science of nature
restoration.


For more information on Ecosulis, please visit www.ecosulis.co.uk.







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http://www.ecosulis.co.uk/ 18 Oct 2021 11:15:02 GMT Business & Finance Charities & non-profits Environment & Nature Farming & Animals Government Public Sector & Legal
<![CDATA[ Ecosulis launches UK's first rewilding internship programme to accelerate nature restoration agenda ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/ecosulis-launches-uks-first-rewilding-internship-programme-to-accelerate-nature-restoration-agenda-830967fdced807e9521ef5a365fdd8ba/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/ecosulis-launches-uks-first-rewilding-internship-programme-to-accelerate-nature-restoration-agenda-830967fdced807e9521ef5a365fdd8ba/ Wednesday 17 March, 2021

The pioneering graduate internship programme kicks off on the first ever World Rewilding Day (March 20). By allowing young people to begin their rewilding career and shape the emerging profession, it will harness their skills, energy and desire to advance nature recovery in the UK and beyond.



An investment in youth


Leading ecological consultancy Ecosulis is delighted to announce the launch of the UK's first rewilding graduate internship programme, in recognition and celebration of World Rewilding Day, which takes place for the first time on March 20, 2021. As a founder member of the Global Rewilding Alliance (which organises World Rewilding Day), Ecosulis has dedicated itself to nature recovery for many years and is committed to driving the rewilding movement forwards.



From farmers and estate owners to NGOs and utility companies, today people and organisations across the UK are increasingly engaged in the practice of rewilding, which essentially involves enhancing wild nature and natural processes to create healthier, more functional ecosystems. Such luminaries as Sir David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg are passionate advocates.



"At Ecosulis we believe that investing in youth is one of the most important ways of taking rewilding to the next level," says Cain Blythe, Ecosulis Managing Director. "And this year is a great time to begin that investment, as we look ahead to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and redouble efforts to scale up rewilding as a means of addressing our climate and ecological emergencies and building back better after Covid-19."



Progressive positions


The two graduate interns - Ella Milne, 24 and Dan Bass, 23 - both share a longstanding passion for wild nature. Both have experience of rewilding projects and will be heavily involved in Ecosulis's rewilding technology, innovation and design services, which are increasingly in demand as rewilding takes off. The one-year internship positions are paid and include a structured programme of professional training and development in applied rewilding.


"I'm thrilled to be joining Ecosulis, which has already established a reputation as one of the UK's foremost rewilding consultancies," says Milne, who graduated from Swansea University with a BSc in zoology and has just completed her master's degree there. "My interest in rewilding accelerated last year after I read two books: 'Rewilding: The Radical New Science of Nature Recovery' by Dr. Paul Jepson and Cain Blythe of Ecosulis, and 'Wilding' by Isabella Tree."


"I became hooked on rewilding seven years ago, after I read George Monbiot's 'Feral'," adds Bass, who graduated in geography from the University of Exeter. "I can't wait to continue my own personal rewilding journey in this new position."



Next generation rewilding


Engaging and empowering young people is widely seen as vital to the growth of rewilding.


"Against the backdrop of climate breakdown, accelerating extinction and spillover pandemics, younger people are today rightly demanding a different, better future," says Vance Martin, President of the WILD Foundation, a US-based NGO which manages the Global Rewilding Alliance. "Harnessing their skills, energy and desire for change today is essential if we are to deliver a greener, wilder, sustainable world tomorrow. They also have much to teach us!"


"It's crucial to engage young people in rewilding because if there is a connection with nature then there is a drive to protect it," says Ella Milne. "Young people are the future custodians of our planet - what happens now will affect their future and the generations that come after them."


Across the world growing numbers of people are already becoming involved with rewilding. Rewilding Europe's Young Rewilders Community, for example, connects young people 20 to 30 from across Europe, with the aim of promoting and supporting a wide range of rewilding actions.


"It is incredibly important to involve young people in rewilding and rewilding science," says Aleksandrina Mitseva, Rewilding Europe's Young Supervisory Board Member, who co-created the community in 2019. "They are enthusiastic, highly educated and bring fresh ideas to the table, which are really needed as rewilding is still developing."



Decisive decade


While many ecosystems - the basis of our natural wealth - are currently in poor health, rewilding now offers a historic opportunity to recover them. Guided by the principles of rewilding, our generation could be the first in human history to upgrade rather than downgrade nature. With the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration kicking off on June 5, 2021, both of the Ecosulis graduate interns have high hopes and expectations.


"Over the next 10 years I would like to see people of all backgrounds and ages come together to co-create innovative ways of rewilding," says Ella Milne. "I'd love to see positive connections and communications between farmers, landowners, governments and communities, with everyone working together to deliver the best outcomes for communities and nature."


"In the UK it would be fantastic to see nature recovery increasingly well supported in post-Brexit policy, and to see the government really incorporate rewilding into land use strategies," says Dan Bass. "We need big picture, long-term thinking in conservation, and we also need to step back and allow nature to take the lead in its own healing. Rewilding must be economically viable and politically supported if we are to scale it up effectively and ensure it can deliver the benefits we need."


Empowered by technology and innovation, Ecosulis will continue its own efforts to scale up practical rewilding and build the UK's rewilding sector, as we look to realise our clients' nature restoration ambitions.


"Rewilding delivers so many benefits for people and wildlife - from carbon drawdown and cleaner water to enhanced wellbeing and thriving nature-based economies based on experiential recreation," says Ecosulis Nature Recovery Lead Dr. Paul Jepson. "With our talented graduate interns on board, Ecosulis is better placed than ever to help create new land economy based on ecosystem restoration. "



Press contacts


For more information about the Ecosulis rewilding internship programme and rewilding services, please contact Dr. Paul Jepson, Ecosulis Nature Recovery Lead (paul.jepson@ecosulis.co.uk /+44 (0)7741669822).



About Ecosulis


As a leading ecological consultancy and contractor with significant rewilding expertise, Ecosulis specialises in accelerating nature recovery across the UK. Underpinned by our investment in cutting edge research, innovation and technology, we work on landscape-scale projects that support wild nature, benefit wider society and realise the nature restoration ambitions of our clients.


Dr. Paul Jepson, Ecosulis Nature Recovery Lead, and Cain Blythe, Ecosulis Managing Director, co-authored "Rewilding: The Radical New Science of Nature Recovery", which was published in 2020 and is rapidly becoming one of the go-to books for those looking to learn more about the science of nature restoration.


For more information on Ecosulis, please visit www.ecosulis.co.uk.



About the Global Rewilding Alliance and World Rewilding Day


Founded in 2020, the Global Rewilding Alliance brings together rewilding initiatives from six continents, with the tagline: "Protect. Restore. Rewild." The alliance is an official "Restoration Implementer" of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.


Overseen by the Global Rewilding Alliance, World Rewilding Day
takes place for the first time on March 20, 2021, on the first day of spring. It will showcase rewilding to a global audience, and demonstrate how this progressive and inspirational approach to conservation offers solutions to some of mankind's most pressing challenges, offering hope of a better future for us all.




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http://www.ecosulis.co.uk/ 17 Mar 2021 13:30:02 GMT Business & Finance Charities & non-profits Coronavirus (COVID-19) Environment & Nature Farming & Animals Government
<![CDATA[ New Ecosulis project could unlock transformative funding for rewilding ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/new-ecosulis-project-could-unlock-transformative-funding-for-rewilding-b2611bfbb973e7d5087d39ede511b2e1/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/new-ecosulis-project-could-unlock-transformative-funding-for-rewilding-b2611bfbb973e7d5087d39ede511b2e1/ Thursday 5 November, 2020

The CreditNATURE project, which will see Ecosulis and partners work together with the Bunloit Estate in the Scottish Highlands, could unlock new revenue streams for rewilding initiatives by allowing them to issue carbon, biodiversity and rewilding credits. The project has been funded through Innovate UK's Sustainable Innovation Fund.


Transformative funding


Pioneering ecological consultancy Ecosulis is pleased to announce the launch of a potentially game-changing new project that could enable landowners to map carbon and biodiversity on their land. Titled "CreditNATURE", the three-month feasibility study has been funded through Innovate UK's Sustainable Innovation Fund. By enabling those overseeing restoration and rewilding initiatives to generate carbon, biodiversity and rewilding (ecosystem restoration) credits, it could open up new revenue streams for nature recovery and create new jobs.


Cutting edge technologies


CreditNATURE will integrate a range of cutting edge technologies to create a platform underpinned by real world data. The platform will enable landowners to baseline the carbon, biodiversity and ecosystem recovery of their land, plan investment and future revenue returns, and generate carbon, biodiversity and rewilding (ecosystem recovery) credits.


"The key innovation we are seeking is a framework that links carbon and nature recovery credits," says Ecosulis Nature Recovery Lead Dr. Paul Jepson, who conceived the CreditNATURE system. "This would deploy technology and rewilding principles to reduce the cost of verifying and delivering measurable improvements in ecosystems, including those related to carbon sequestration and biodiversity."


Innovative teamwork


Led by Ecosulis, CreditNATURE brings together the ambition, insight and expertise of a group of enterprises at the forefront of their respective fields.


These are:



Nature Metrics

This innovative science-based UK start-up is providing commercial eDNA sampling kits to monitor soil and water biodiversity via DNA.



Land Life

A high-tech Dutch reforestation company with a mission is to reforest the world's degraded land at scale. They are supplying carbon baselining data using a combination of drone, field and satellite surveys.



Assist Software

A Romanian software outsourcing company with a wealth of experience in the IT&C market. They have developed numerous tailored solutions for EU and national funded projects and are taking the lead in online platform development.



Ben Hart

A chartered energy manager and carbon reduction specialist with 12 years of experience in the carbon reduction field, including the development and management of EU and national funded projects. Ben is providing project management support and carbon modelling knowledge.


Enhancing rewilding outcomes


The CreditNATURE team is united in the view that innovations at the intersection of nature recovery, technology and finance need to involve progressive land-based enterprises. A strength of the project is the active involvement of the Bunloit Wildland Project, an exciting example of a potential future client for the CreditNATURE system.


The 511-hectare Bunloit Estate, which overlooks Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands, was purchased by Jeremy Leggett, a clean energy pioneer and former scientific director of Greenpeace, in 2020. The Bunloit Wildland Project aims to be a leading open-air research laboratory for the scientific understanding of how rewilding and other land management approaches can enhance carbon sequestration and biodiversity.


"I'm really excited to be involved with CreditNATURE and eagerly await developments," says Leggett. "This project aligns perfectly with a critical need for Bunloit - a commercially viable solution for the baselining, modelling and continuous monitoring of carbon and biodiversity fluxes on the estate. This, in turn, has the potential to enhance natural capital solutions by unlocking funding."


Building back better


Over the coming months the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to become increasingly pervasive, with economic recession resulting in the loss of millions of jobs. To address this challenge - and the ongoing climate and ecological emergency (CEE) - the UK government has recognised the need to "build back better", implementing policies which support a clean, growth-led recovery and the UK's transition to a net-zero carbon economy.


"CreditNATURE captures the ambition to accelerate nature recovery in the UK and beyond," says Ecosulis Managing Director Cain Blythe. "This aligns with directions in policy and the desire of many citizens for wilder nature and a more hopeful environmental narrative."


Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is investing up to £191 million to fund research and development projects such as CreditNATURE over the next two years. The aim is to help all sectors of the UK rebuild following the impact of Covid-19.


"By giving those restoring, managing and enhancing natural land assets access to new sources of revenue, the CreditNATURE project can help the UK to build back better," says Ben Hart. "This would see jobs lost as a result of Covid-19 replaced with valuable work that supports nature recovery and contributes to the creation of a net-zero carbon economy across the UK landscape."


"In these difficult times we have seen the best of British business innovation," says Innovate UK Executive Chair Dr Ian Campbell. "The pandemic is not just a health emergency, but one that impacts society and the economy. CreditNATURE, along with every initiative Innovate UK has supported through the Sustainable Innovation Fund, is an important step forward in driving sustainable economic development and realising the ambitions of hardworking people."


Press contacts


For more information about CreditNATURE, please contact Dr. Paul Jepson, Ecosulis Nature Recovery Lead (paul.jepson@ecosulis.co.uk /+44 (0)7741669822).


About Ecosulis


As a leading ecological consultancy and contractor with significant rewilding expertise, Ecosulis specialises in accelerating nature recovery across the UK. Underpinned by our investment in cutting edge research, innovation and technology, we work on landscape-scale projects that support wild nature, benefit wider society and realise the nature restoration ambitions of our clients. For more details please visit www.ecosulis.co.uk.




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http://www.ecosulis.co.uk/ 05 Nov 2020 14:26:08 GMT Business & Finance Charities & non-profits Consumer Technology Coronavirus (COVID-19) Environment & Nature Farming & Animals Government Public Sector & Legal
<![CDATA[ UK research shows Arctic rewilding could significantly mitigate climate change ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/uk-research-shows-arctic-rewilding-could-significantly-mitigate-climate-change-45fb742d82726f9a8a875f24de2cddea/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/uk-research-shows-arctic-rewilding-could-significantly-mitigate-climate-change-45fb742d82726f9a8a875f24de2cddea/ Wednesday 12 February, 2020

UK expertise, global impact


Research by three University of Oxford scientists (and one Russian scientist) has shown that Arctic rewilding using large herbivores such as bison and horses is economically viable and could slow the rate of climate change if implemented at scale. The research team, which includes Ecosulis Nature Recovery Lead and University of Oxford Honorary Research Associate Dr. Paul Jepson, believe the results of their research now justify practical experimentation.


The groundbreaking results were published in a paper
in the January edition of the Royal Society journal Philosophical Transactions B. Their relevance is heightened by the UK's hosting of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November, and a growing awareness of the importance and potentially huge benefits of implementing natural climate solutions (NCS).


NCS are part of the wider framework of so-called nature-based solutions, which involve working with nature to help address societal challenges.


"The recovery of nature through rewilding, and the associated enhancement of nature-based solutions, is increasingly being accepted as a highly effectively way of addressing climate change," explains Jepson. "As the publication of this new paper shows, UK-based scientists and rewilding-focused consultancies such as Ecosulis are now taking the lead in this regard."



Pivotal permafrost


Arctic and subarctic regions will have a huge role to play in how climate change manifests itself over the coming decades. The gradual thawing of the permafrost - the permanently frozen soil of the Arctic - would release enormous quantities of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane) into the atmosphere.


The authors of the new paper estimate that carbon emissions from thawing permafrost could be around 4.35 billion metric tonnes per year over the course of the 21st
century. This is around half as much as fossil fuels emissions, and three times more than estimates of the emissions produced by current and projected land use change. Keeping these gases locked up, or at least locked up for longer, is therefore critical to climate change mitigation efforts, and it is here that rewilding can help.



The herbivore effect


During the Pleistocene period (roughly 2.5 million to 12,000 years ago), extensive areas of the Arctic were covered with grassland - this was naturally grazed by herds of bison, horses, woolly rhinoceros and mammoths. But when humans moved into these so-called "mammoth steppe" areas, unsustainable levels of hunting meant populations of these megafauna collapsed, and some became extinct. As a result, the grassland gave way to boggy, peat-forming vegetation.


Arctic rewilding would reverse this process, with the introduction of large herbivores such as bison and horses leading to the removal of woody vegetation and stimulating grass growth. This, in turn, would increase the amount of incoming solar energy reflected back to space (through the so-called albedo effect) by opening up the landscape. By trampling on the snow in search of winter forage, the animals would also allow colder temperatures to freeze the soil to a deeper level in winter.


The cumulative effect of all these changes would be a net cooling of Arctic lands, delaying the thawing of the permafrost and keeping its greenhouse gases in storage for longer.



Visionary thinking


To stabilise the Earth's climate and limit the temperature increase to below 2°C - in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement - there is an immediate need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester more atmospheric carbon. As COP26 co-host, the UK now has a unique opportunity to ensure that climate change mitigation actions, including NCS, are urgently scaled up.


While the authors of the new paper acknowledge the huge challenges involved in Arctic rewilding, they also believe this visionary approach could effectively complement other NCS.


"The Arctic is already changing, and fast," says lead author Dr. Marc Macias-Fauria, Head of the Biogeosciences Group at Oxford University's School of Geography and the Environment. "Taking a 'do nothing' approach now is a decision to allow rapid, irreversible changes to occur. Although the science of Arctic rewilding is largely untested, it has the potential to make a big difference. Action in this region should certainly be given serious consideration."


"Today governments are spending millions on carbon capture research with very little to show for it," adds Dr. Paul Jepson. "Bold rewilding experiments such as the one proposed in this paper would create new opportunities for addressing climate change. The idea of restoring ecological systems damaged by our distant ancestors to help cool the climate surely has to be worth investigating."


Number crunching


Pleistocene Park, a grassland restoration project currently operating in northeastern Russia, has already shown how Arctic rewilding might work. To further demonstrate what could be achieved, the authors of the new paper propose practical experiments at a larger scale.


The team used fossil records to estimate the density of various animals on the mammoth steppe during the Pleistocene - these included 1 mammoth, 5 bison, 7.5 horses and 15 reindeer per square kilometre. They propose using bison and horses for initial rewilding efforts, with the combined cost of creating and monitoring three, large-scale experimental areas hosting 1,000 animals over a 10-year period estimated to be US$114 million.


On a yearly basis, the team calculate these areas could keep up to 72,000 tonnes of carbon in the ground and generate US$360,000 in carbon revenues alone, with this figure increasing once the research phase was conducted and scaling enabled greater cost efficiency. These returns could be significantly higher if Arctic countries introduced carbon tax and pricing mechanisms.


In the face of such figures, Dr. Paul Jepson believes Arctic rewilding demands further exploration.


"The logistics, costs and social considerations of landscape-scale Arctic rewilding would, admittedly, be huge," says the Ecosulis Nature Recovery Lead. "But as our focus on natural climate solutions sharpens and the need to take decisive climate change mitigation action intensifies, the payoff could be mammoth."



Press contacts


For more information about the new paper, Arctic rewilding and natural climate solutions, please contact Dr. Paul Jepson, Ecosulis Nature Recovery Lead (paul.jepson@ecosulis.co.uk /+44 (0)7741669822). 



About Ecosulis


As a leading ecological consultancy and contractor with significant rewilding expertise, Ecosulis
restores habitats and enhances biodiversity at sites across the United Kingdom. Underpinned by our investment in cutting edge research, innovation and technology, we work on landscape-scale projects that support wild nature, add value for our clients and benefit wider society. For more details please visit www.ecosulis.co.uk.




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http://www.ecosulis.co.uk/ 12 Feb 2020 17:14:59 GMT Business & Finance Charities & non-profits Environment & Nature Farming & Animals Government
<![CDATA[ Ecosulis co-releases a call to action for a wilder Europe ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/ecosulis-co-releases-a-call-to-action-for-a-wilder-europe-ec53c39523370409681b5eee8683987e/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/ecosulis-co-releases-a-call-to-action-for-a-wilder-europe-ec53c39523370409681b5eee8683987e/ Thursday 12 December, 2019

Rewilding offers solutions to our current climate and nature emergencies. Today 15 leading European rewilding organisations are calling for a wilder Europe and the inclusion of rewilding in the European Green Deal and EU Biodiversity Strategy post-2020.



A call to collaborate


As part of a collaboration between 15 leading European rewilding organisations, Ecosulis has today co-released a "Call to Action for a Wilder Europe". Recognising the significant potential of rewilding to rebuild natural abundance, sequester carbon, reduce the risk of flooding and wildfires and contribute to social and economic wellbeing, the document calls for a wide range of actors to collaborate in working towards a wilder Europe. This includes everyone from citizens and entrepreneurs to financiers and land managers.



Together with other co-signatories, Ecosulis invites all organisations, rewilding initiatives, action groups, NGOs, scientific institutions and companies to endorse the call to action and share it with others by using the image below along with the hashtag #CallForAWilderEurope
and a link to the "Call to Action for a Wilder Europe" page.



"Today we have a historic opportunity to rebuild ecosystems in ways that will enrich the lives of every European," says Ecosulis Nature Recovery Lead Dr. Paul Jepson, who played an instrumental role in drawing up the call to action at a gathering of rewilding experts in Spain in early November. "With this document we are reaching out to people from all walks of life and asking them to help co-design a vision for a wilder Europe."



Seizing the moment


The release of the call to action is particularly timely. Yesterday the incoming commissioner for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, presented a draft of the new environmental EU law in Brussels. At Ecosulis we believe the final version of the deal should contain far more ambitious ecological recovery and climate change targets, and that it should embrace and support rewilding as an innovative conservation approach that is already delivering impressive results across Europe.



"In addition to enhancing biodiversity, restoring wild nature can protect us from flooding and coastal erosion, stabilise crops, minimise wildfire risk, secure drinking water supplies, ensure human health and wellbeing and drive economic growth," says Ecosulis Managing Director Cain Blythe.



"The restoration of ecosystems such as wood-pasture mosaics and the reconnection of river channels with their washlands are some of the most cost-effective ways of addressing climate change and creating new natural assets that benefit people and wildlife," he continues. "EU policy must recognise this and provide a far more supportive environment for practical rewilding."



Rewilding principles


Central to the call to action is a set of European rewilding principles (viewable on the call to action page) that were also drawn up at the November gathering in Spain. The aim of both documents is to increase the scale, momentum and unity of practical and grounded rewilding in Europe.



The establishment of rewilding principles will help to define what is different and special about rewilding, providing coherence, inspiration and transparency, and position rewilding in relation to other conservation approaches.



"These principles will not only create a framework of goals, approaches and obligations, but allow flexibility in the implementation of practical rewilding measures," says Dr. Paul Jepson.



Nature-based solutions are now receiving increasing attention in political and policy discourse, with 2020-2030 declared the UN Decade on Ecological Restoration.



"This creates an opportunity and imperative to contribute rewilding principles that can translate aspirational words into practical action," adds Jepson.



Press contacts


For more information about the "Call to Action for a Wilder Europe" and rewilding principles, please contact Dr. Paul Jepson (paul.jepson@ecosulis.co.uk /+44 (0)7741669822).



About Ecosulis


As a leading ecological consultancy and contractor with significant rewilding expertise, Ecosulis
restores habitats and enhances biodiversity at sites across the United Kingdom. Underpinned by our investment in cutting edge research, innovation and technology, we work on landscape-scale projects that support wild nature, add value for our clients and benefit wider society.



Notes for journalists


The following organisations have endorsed the "Call to Action for a Wilder Europe" on its release:


ARK Nature, the Netherlands


Biotope Fund for Nature, France


Ecosulis, UK


Natural Forest Academy, Germany


Rewilding Apennines, Italy


Rewilding Britain, UK


Rewilding Europe


Rewilding Finland


Rewilding Oder Delta, Germany & Poland


Rewilding Portugal


Rewilding Sweden


Rewilding Spain


Rewilding Rhodopes, Bulgaria


Rewilding Ukraine


SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, UK


WILD Foundation, US




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http://www.ecosulis.co.uk/ 12 Dec 2019 09:40:04 GMT Business & Finance Charities & non-profits Environment & Nature Farming & Animals Government Travel & Tourism
<![CDATA[ Pioneering new study identifies why some birds are better known than others ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/pioneering-new-study-identifies-why-some-birds-are-better-known-than-others-50cc7a058d9018e37f0900a277130f70/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/pioneering-new-study-identifies-why-some-birds-are-better-known-than-others-50cc7a058d9018e37f0900a277130f70/ Thursday 7 November, 2019

Landmark analysis shows how culturomics-based tools could boost conservation outcomes.


A pioneering new study, carried out by a team of scientists from the UK, Portugal and Brazil, has used a culturomics-based approach to rank the frequency with which scientific bird names appear online. The results show how culturomics - the study of human culture through the analysis of words appearing in enormous digital databases - could be used to evaluate global public interest in any particular conservation-related subject. This could be of enormous benefit to those involved in protecting and recovering nature.


The analysis, which has just been published in the British Ecological Society journal People and Nature, reveals four factors that explain why some bird species have more prominence in culture than others.


Firstly, they have been known to science longer. This is perhaps unsurprising as it is likely that naturalists described the most culturally important, extraordinary or common species first.


Secondly, they are more conspicuous either because they are large, or are active during the day, or both.


Thirdly, they are species with which humans have directly interacted with over the decades through activities such as birdkeeping and hunting.


And finally, they are mainly found in countries where there is widespread use of the Internet.


The study also revealed that only a small proportion of the world's 12,000 bird species are well known, with nine out of ten species generating few if any mentions.



Implications for conservation


Until recently it has only been possible to identify which bird (and other wildlife) species people know about through limited questionnaires. But over the last five years the team involved with the new study has developed innovative internet analysis techniques which can rank differences in the prominence of species names on the internet. The team figured that people are most likely to generate internet content about species that are prominent in their outlook on the world, a characteristic they term "cultural salience".


The accurate determination of cultural salience has wider implications for how we attempt to rescue and restore wildlife populations across the world.


"While the Internet is clearly not a perfect representation of global culture, our finding that birds famous in Victorian times remain famous today suggests that cultural interest in nature moves slowly," says Professor Richard Ladle, lead author of the study. "This is significant because it illustrates the challenge of raising awareness of threatened species discovered in more recent times."


Dr. Paul Jepson, study co-author and Nature Recovery Lead at ecological consultancy and contractor Ecosulis, believes that the team's research could promote new ways of conducting and engaging people in conservation.


"Our techniques can be used to identify wildlife species with the characteristics to become famous, to map 'hotspots' of well-known endangered species, and identify links between countries where they are famous and where they are endangered," says Jepson. "Such knowledge could improve conservation planning and fundraising.


"Our research also raises the question of whether conservation resources should be focused on saving threatened (but maybe less well-known) species, or whether a proportion should be directed at recovering well-known species across their former ranges," he continues.



Feathered favourites


While the top-100 lists of species generated by culturomics techniques make for interesting discussion, the research team point out that these should be read with a note of caution.


"There is significant language variation on the Internet, which is dominated by English language content," explains Dr Ricardo Correia of the University of Aveiro in Portugal, who developed the techniques to extract, clean and analyse the data. "We used scientific names to minimise these biases. However, we currently lack a technique to reliably check that some scientific names don't also have popular meanings.


"Our technique is designed to analyse relationships in large data sets, rather than generate robust league tables of the presence of species on the Internet," he continues. "Nevertheless, these tables are fascinating and will improve as the research develops."






Rank




Scientific name




Common name






1




Gallus gallus




Chicken






2




Tyto alba




Barn owl






3




Corvus corax




Raven






4




Sturnus vulgaris




Starling






5




Anas platyrhynchos




Mallard






6




Parus major




Great Tit






7




Falco peregrinus




Peregrine falcon






8




Passer domesticus




House sparrow






9




Columba livia




Pigeon






10




Cyanistes caeruleus




Blue tit






11




Bubo bubo




Eagle Owl






12




Pandion haliaetus




Osprey






13




Erithacus rubecula




Robin






14




Hirundo rustica




Barn Swallow






15




Ardea alba




Great egret






16




Pavo cristatus




Peacock






17




Carduelis carduelis




Goldfinch






18




Turdus merula




Blackbird






19




Alcedo atthis




Kingfisher






20




Ardea cinerea




Grey heron





The global top 20 most well-represented bird species on the Internet, based on data from the new study.



Press Contacts


For more information about the new study and its implications for global conservation, please contact either Dr. Paul Jepson (paul.jepson@ecosulis.co.uk /+44 (0)7741669822) or Professor Richard Ladle (richardjamesladle@gmail.com/+55 (0) 82 8107 6770).


About Ecosulis


As a leading ecological consultancy and contractor, Ecosulis restores habitats and enhances biodiversity at sites across the United Kingdom. Underpinned by our investment in cutting edge research, innovation and technology, we work on landscape-scale projects that support wild nature, add value for our clients and benefit wider society. Our proprietary culturomics tool is just one of many specialised services that we offer. For more details, please visit www.ecosulis.co.uk.


About the University of Alagoas


Located in the city of Maceió, the Federal University of Alagoas (Universidade Federal de Alagoas) is the major university in the coastal state Alagoas and one of the main research centres in northeastern Brazil.




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http://www.ecosulis.co.uk/ 07 Nov 2019 13:14:38 GMT Environment & Nature