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Publications

Explore our collection of published works and upcoming publications. Please note that some of the titles and details may change. Check back frequently for the latest updates and new materials

Title	Author(s)	Published	Summary
Conservation Practitioner Insight Database	Bill Sutherland	2024	This initiative aims to collect detailed information on novel solutions, practical implementation of interventions, and associated costs, including time, consumables, and equipment. It also seeks to document ecological observations that provide insights into conservation practices, as well as lessons learned from approaches that were unsuccessful or had unexpected outcomes. The project excludes data on species abundance or distribution, focusing instead on unique and practical contributions to biodiversity conservation.
The Cool Farm Biodiversity metric: An evidence-based online tool to report and improve management of biodiversity at farm scale.	*Lynn Dicks, Jack Schutt* et al	2024	The article addresses the challenge of balancing biodiversity and food security. It explains that while agriculture harms biodiversity, biodiversity benefits agriculture. The article introduces the Cool Farm Biodiversity metric, a tool to help farmers measure how their practices affect biodiversity. This tool is tailored to different environments and uses expert knowledge to rate farm management. An example shows how it works on a large farm in a temperate forest area.
Management practices, and not surrounding habitats, drive bird and arthropod biodiversity within vineyards.	*Lynn Dicks, Jack Schutt* et al	2024	The article looks at how different ways of managing vineyards and their surrounding areas affect the number of birds and bugs in 22 English vineyards. It finds that organic vineyards have more bugs, but some vineyards have fewer birds. Harmful chemicals used in farming reduce both bird and bug numbers, while more ground plants increase them. The study suggests that to improve biodiversity, vineyards should focus on using fewer harmful chemicals and having more ground plants, rather than just relying on certifications.
Designing for systems-of-systems resilience: from the individual to the planet	Valeria Pannunzio, Timoleon Kipouros, Amber Khan, Laurie Friday, Carol Brayne & P. John Clarkson	2024	The article introduces a new way to measure the resilience of interconnected systems like health, economy, and environment, inspired by the Frailty Index from healthcare. It highlights the threats from pandemics, climate change, and economic instability, and the need for continuous adaptation.The authors propose a composite resilience index to assess and improve community resilience. They compare resilience to frailty, characterized by accumulating weaknesses.To test their new index, the authors suggest applying it in the Fens region of the UK, an area facing significant environmental, economic, and public health challenges. Their goal is to identify and address these weaknesses, ultimately boosting the region's overall resilience.
House of commons report: Insect decline and UK food security	Science, Innovation and Technology Committee	2024	House of Commons Committee report, with recommendations to government.
Radio Programme: The Climate Question - Are wetlands our secret weapon for fighting climate change?	Tom Marquand	2024	The world's wetlands store carbon and can help us tackle some of the impacts of climate change. Are we overlooking their importance? And what can we do to protect them more?Graihagh Jackson travels to wetlands near her home in East Anglia while Qasa Alom reports from the Bay of Bengal. And The Climate Question catches up with an old friend of the show, Dr Musonda Mumba, Secretary-General of the Convention on Wetlands.
A Ladybird Book: Climate Change	HRH The Prince of Wales, Tony Juniper, Emily Shuckburgh, Aleesha Nandhra	2023	Cambridge Zero Director Professor Emily Shuckburgh, King Charles and Natural England Chair Tony Juniper have co-authored a new book on climate change written for children. Climate Change looks at the causes and effects of climate change on human life, nature and the Earth's geography. It celebrates the youth climate change movement and highlights the small changes everyone can do, today, to help slow and halt the progression of climate change.
Radio Programme: More or Less- What do windscreen splats tell us about insect decline?	Lynn Dicks	2023	Do you notice fewer insect splats on windscreens than you used to? There’s a study in the UK trying to measure this ‘windscreen phenomenon’, as it’s become known. We hear more about the study and whether we can draw conclusions about insect numbers in general, from reporter Perisha Kudhail, Dr Lawrence Ball from the Kent Wildlife Trust and Professor Lynn Dicks from the University of Cambridge.
Report: Ouse Bridge Farm	Vanessa Cutts	2023	This document summarises the topics discussed during a visit to Ouse Bridge Farm, hosted by farmer Joe Martin. The management actions at Ouse Bridge Farm are described, with inputs and suggestions from other attendees
Report: Lady Fen	Vanessa Cutts	2023	This document summarises the topics discussed during a visit to Lady Fen, hosted by Leigh Marshall, Site Manager and Jo Thomas Waterscape Manager (the Fens) for the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. The management actions at Lady Fen are described, with inputs and suggestions from other attendees
Report: Chippenham Fen	Vanessa Cutts	2023	This document summarises the topics discussed during a visit to Chippenham Fen, hosted by reserve managers Chris Hainsworth and Mike Taylor (Natural England). The site at Chippenham is described along with proposed management actions, with inputs and suggestions from other attendees
Assessment of sample freezing as a preservation technique for analysing the molecular composition of dissolved organic matter in aquatic systems	*Jeremy Fonvielle,* Stacey Felgate, Andrew Tanentzap & Jeffrey Hawkes	2023	Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is widely studied in environmental and biogeochemical sciences, but is susceptible to degradation during sample transport and storage. Samples taken in remote regions, need to be preserved for later analysis without changing their composition. It is therefore imperative to be able to freeze this matter to ensure its longevity for transfer. This paper looks at the effects freezing has on samples. Concluding that freezing at -20°C only makes small changes as well at looking at parameters for maximum storage times. This implies that freezing samples to study them later will not affect significant changes in its makeup.
State of knowledge on agriculturally-used peatlands for food production and the net zero transition	Isobel Lloyd, Heiko Balzter, Brenda D'Acunha, Helen Driver, Chris Evans, Katy Faulkner, Jeremy Fonvielle, Laurie Friday, Ross Morrison, et al	2023	This study focuses on how farming on peatlands in the UK, which are very good for growing crops, leads to the release of a lot of greenhouse gases (GHGs). This is bad for the environment. In March 2023, 40 researchers gathered to discuss ways to reduce these emissions without hurting the farming economy or food supply. They looked at the Fens, an important farming area, and agreed that more research is needed to find better farming methods, like seasonal farming or growing plants suited to wet conditions. They emphasised the need for a comprehensive plan that considers the environment, economy, and local community.
Dependency and Structure Modelling for stakeholder management: an example in Landscape Regeneration	Valeria Pannunzio, Laurie Friday, Timoleon Kipouros, & P. John Clarkson	2023	This article explores how to manage stakeholders in big projects, like landscape regeneration in the UK. By using systems engineering methods, the authors study who's involved and how they communicate. This helps identify important players and key themes, improving project management and communication.
Chemodiversity in Freshwater Health	*Andrew Tanentzap & Jérémy Fonvielle*	2023	The article discusses the global deterioration of freshwater ecosystems and the importance of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in maintaining their health. DOM, consisting of diverse organic compounds from plant and animal remains, is termed "chemodiversity." Current research is exploring how chemodiversity impacts ecosystem health, aiming to monitor and reverse declines in freshwater quality.