The University of Aberdeen hosted the annual North-East Scotland Ecology Network's (NESEN) Science Day on the 8th October at the Science Teaching Hub in Old Aberdeen.
The event was jointly organised by the University of Aberdeen, Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), the James Hutton Institute (JHI), Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS), the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), NatureScot, and the Scottish Government's Marine Directorate.
The day featured a range of talks and posters from researchers and students from across the organising institutions, as well as the Scottish Government, University of York, University of Stirling and the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh. The content of presentations was highly diverse, ranging across the ecology of soils, terrestrial and marine animals and plants, with perspectives informed by theory, field observations and experimental approaches, and widespread discussion of the implications for policy makers.
Nera Cornell, MSc graduate from the University of Aberdeen and James Hutton Institute, won first prize for best poster: ‘Low-intensity grazing, scattered seed sources and plant community dynamics support natural tree regeneration in upland Scotland’. Ruth Hellmore, PhD student at the James Hutton Institute, won second prize for the best poster: ‘The resilience of peatland Sphagnum to new climate extremes’. Poster prizes were supported by Applied Ecology Resources (AER).
The North-East Scotland Ecology Network (NESEN) aims to promote the development and use of all types of ecological science, improve the sharing of information and help build collaborations between ecologists in the North-East of Scotland, particularly in Aberdeen and the wider Aberdeenshire area, whilst promoting the North-East of Scotland as a centre for ecological research within the UK.
The day ended with an interactive workshop delivered by the British Ecological Society (BES) Scottish Policy Group, during which participants formulated recommendations to policymakers on current research needs and knowledge gaps relating to the cumulative effect of offshore renewables.
Professor David Burslem, Director for the Environment and Biodiversity Challenge Area, and Chair of the event said: "It was inspiring to see the breadth and quality of research presented by ecological researchers from across the region at our second NESEN Science Day, and to partner with the British Ecological Society’s Scottish Policy Group for the first time.
"It is clear that this event is emerging as an important moment in the annual calendar for the vibrant community of ecologists in the North-East of Scotland."
NESEN aims to contribute to the Aberdeen 2040 Interdisciplinary Institute’s strategic objectives in the challenge area of Environment and Biodiversity.