News

Mapping Forest Carbon: CLR Research at the Forefront of Climate SolutionsForests are powerful allies in the fight against climate change. They capture and store carbon, support biodiversity, and regulate water cycles. Understanding exactly how forests store carbon at a landscape scale is key to developing effective conservation and climate strategi…

The CLRs Dr Laurie Friday will be one of eight expert speakers at the Association of Drainage Authorities (ADA) Environment Day 2026 for lowland water managers. This annual event provides a valuable opportunity for those involved in managing, maintaining, and governing lowland watercourses and freshwater environments. The day will feature talks cov…

Several members of the Centre for Landscape Regeneration attended the British Ecological Society Annual Meeting 2025, held in Edinburgh from 15–18 December. The conference attracts around 1,500 ecologists each year and provides opportunities to share research, develop skills, and build collaborations through plenary talks, thematic sessions, worksh…

Photo by Glynis PiersonNew Publication: Towards improved accounting and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from ditches and canalsDitches and canals are a key and recognisable feature of the Fens and the broader British landscape, yet they are often overlooked in global discussions around greenhouse gas emissions.This paper arises from a recent…

The CLR’s work in the Cambridgeshire Fens was highlighted on BBC platforms at the end of 2025, showcasing the importance of this unique landscape and the innovative research supporting nature, farming, and climate solutions.Former Prime Minister Theresa May, guest editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on December 31st, had heard about CLR’s work …

We are pleased to highlight a new publication by CLR member Annette Green: A place to disagree: using social science methods for engaging communities and exploring contestation in changing landscapes (The British Academy, 2025).As environmental, social, and political pressures reshape the UK’s landscapes, there is growing recognition that land mana…

How we manage land is central to tackling climate change — from reducing emissions at their source to restoring natural systems that can store carbon and support biodiversity. In a new opinion piece by CLR Co-I, Dr Shaun Fitzgerald OBE, explores how both natural and managed landscapes can play a vital role in achieving meaningful climate gains.Read…

Shared by Prof Sasha Turchyn, Department of Earth SciencesDespite a brisk autumn wind, this year’s visit to Luke’s Farm was a great success, giving students from the Quantitative Climate and Environmental Science Masters course the opportunity to apply their classroom learning to real-world environmental monitoring.The group took part as part of th…

As the UK steps up its response to the twin challenges of climate change and energy security, we’re proud to share that CLR Co-Director Professor Emily Shuckburgh CBE has been appointed the new Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) to the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).“It's a great honour to join the Department for Energy Security…

In the face of growing environmental challenges, many efforts to restore landscapes and ecosystems have overlooked a crucial factor: people. At the Centre for Landscape Regeneration, Professor Jennifer Gabrys and Dr David Brown from the Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge, have been exploring how communities across the world are involv…

How can research move faster to help governments and communities tackle urgent land use and net zero challenges? That question drives the LUNZ Hub (Land Use for Net Zero, People and Nature)—a UKRI consortium bringing together over 30 universities and organisations, including the CLR (through UCam). Its work is designed to accelerate collaboration a…

New paper discusses how overlooked water channels shape nature, people, and the future of our landscapesA Multidisciplinary ApproachTackling environmental challenges requires perspectives that span the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities—and this collaboration exemplifies that approach. Led by Mike Peacock from the University of Liver…

Exploring the World Beneath Our Feet"When you go outside and think there’s nothing, then you look closely and it’s full of beauty."

How hands‑on science brought ecology to life for Fenland pupilsIn Spring 2025, the Centre for Landscape Regeneration supported a hands‑on outreach project with Cambridgeshire ACRE that brought living ecology into two Fenland classrooms: Lionel Walden Primary School and Alderman Payne Primary School. With support from the Environment Agency (EA), yo…

Supporting young people to take part in conversations about landscape changeDecisions about land use shape nature, livelihoods, and everyday life — yet the communities who will live and work on the land can sometimes be left out of the conversation. Future Fens was created to give young people space to explore how landscape priorities are set, and …