Research & Publications

This page highlights a selection of research and outputs from the Centre for Landscape Regeneration. It is not a comprehensive list — please feel free to contact us to find out more about our work.

Index

🧪 Journal Articles / Conference Proceedings

Multifunctional Ditches: Managing Artificial Waterways for Biodiversity

Laurie Friday, 2026 (ADA Environment Day)

Presents management options for drainage ditch networks that preserve agricultural utility while boosting regional ecosystem health.

Temporary waterlogging of drained peat reduces carbon dioxide emissions with negligible methane emissions

Katy Faulkner, Bizhou Zhu, Sasha Turchyn, & Tony Hibbert, 2025

Presents field evidence showing that controlled, short-term waterlogging reduces lowland peatland loss without triggering high methane spikes.

Community-led landscape regeneration: A review of and framework for engagement in restoration initiatives

David Brown, 2025
Communities worldwide are playing a key role in restoring and regenerating landscapes. A global review maps how they organise, manage land, and lead restoration work, proposing a framework to guide fairer and more inclusive approaches to ecological regeneration.

Lines in the landscape: the underappreciated importance of ditches and canals as diverse socio-ecosystems 

Laurie Friday, 2025
Ditches—man-made channels that move or store water—have long supported farming, transport, and settlement, yet are often ignored in research. This paper reviews how ditches affect nature and people, showing they can both help (by supporting wildlife and food production) and harm (by spreading pollution). It calls for managing ditches as important, multifunctional parts of our landscapes.

FenlandSOIL Conference 2025: Addressing  Practical  Challenges

Members of the CLR presented their work, this included talks from Laurie Friday, Elizabeth Stockdale, Brenda D’Achunha and Hamid Rahimi amd posters from Rekha Bhangaonkar, Lekan Popoola, Catherine Waite, Joshua Copping, Poppy Szaybo and Helen Driver.

Water Research Seminar Series: Nature Based Solutions and Innovation

International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2025
Joint IUCN UK Peatland Programme/ Environment Agency water seminar webinar focussing on Nature Based Solutions, featuring Laurie Friday.

Competition for Substrate and Anaerobic Methane Oxidation Helps Explain Variability in Fenland Methane Emissions

Thomas Marquand, Bizhou Zhu, Katy Faulkner, Sasha Turchyn, & Tony Hibbert, 2024

Analyzes sub-surface microbial dynamics to clarify why methane release varies significantly across lowland peatland landscapes.

Solar farm management influences breeding bird response in an arable-dominated landscape

Joshua Copping, Catherine Waite, 2024
Research suggests that when solar farms are managed with nature in mind they can support significantly higher numbers and varieties of birds, including several species of conservation concern, such as the Yellowhammer, Greenfinch, Linnet, and Corn Bunting.

Management practices, and not surrounding habitats, drive bird and arthropod biodiversity within vineyards

Lynn Dicks, Jack Shutt et al, 2024
Examines biodiversity in 22 English vineyards. Organic farming increases bugs; harmful chemicals reduce birds and bugs. Suggests biodiversity improvements should focus on reduced chemical use and better ground cover.

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
Proposes a resilience index for interconnected systems (health, environment, economy), inspired by the Frailty Index. The Fens region is used as a case study for testing this composite resilience framework.

Assessment of sample freezing as a preservation technique for analysing the molecular composition of dissolved organic matter in aquatic systems

Jérémy Fonvielle, Stacey Felgate, Andrew Tanentzap & Jeffrey Hawkes, 2023
Investigates how freezing samples affects the integrity of dissolved organic matter. Finds minimal changes occur at -20°C, supporting freezing as a reliable preservation method.

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, et al, 2023
Reviews the impact of farming on UK peatlands and GHG emissions. Researchers suggest strategies like seasonal or wet-adapted crops and call for an integrated environmental-economic plan.

Dependency and Structure Modelling for stakeholder management: an example in Landscape Regeneration

Valeria Pannunzio, Laurie Friday, Timoleon Kipouros, & P. John Clarkson, 2023
Uses systems engineering to map stakeholder relationships in landscape regeneration projects. Helps identify key players and improve communication and project delivery.

Chemodiversity in Freshwater Health

Andrew Tanentzap & Jérémy Fonvielle, 2023
Explores how the chemical diversity of dissolved organic matter affects freshwater ecosystem health. Highlights research into monitoring and reversing freshwater quality decline.

Seasonal variations in rate of bacterial sulfate reduction and sulfur isotopic fractionation in coastal salt marshes

Bizhou Zhu, Thomas Marquand, C.M. Daunt, J.A. Clegg, B. Williams, J.D. Todd, K. Faulkner, & Sasha Turchyn, 2023

Investigates biogeochemical sulfur cycling and microbial sulfate reduction in coastal saltmarsh environments.

Lost in translation? Understanding resilience in sustainable development policy

Rekha Bhangaonkar & Elizabeth Stockdale, 2023 (CRASSH Conference)

Explores how conceptual frameworks of resilience are interpreted, translated, or misapplied across sustainable development policies.

Lowland Peat Conference 

The Centre for Landscape Regeneration co-hosted the Lowland Agricultural Peat Conference at The Maltings in Ely with Fenland SOIL. The event brought together farmers, academics, policymakers, industry representatives, and environmental groups to discuss the future of lowland agricultural peat. Key themes included water management, sustainable farming practices, international perspectives, and the role of peatlands in climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation.

 

📄 Reports / Briefing Documents

Scotland's Draft Climate Change Plan 2026–2040: Public Consultation

Isobel Morris, 2026

Public policy consultation submission evaluating land transition targets and peatland restoration strategies in Scotland.

POSTnote Briefing: Nature-Based Flood and Drought Resilience

UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, featuring contributions by Hamid Rahimi, 2026

Policy synthesis reviewing nature-based solutions for managing hydrological extremes across rural catchments.

Report – 'Just and effective engagement in landscape restoration: Guidance and case studies'

Annette Green et al., 2025

A practical guidance framework featuring case study insights on building trustful, equitable relationships among landholders, conservation bodies, and local communities.

POSTnote 748: Regenerative Agriculture

UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, featuring research by Lynn Dicks, 2025

Parliamentary research briefing examining evidence surrounding regenerative agriculture, soil health, and farm biodiversity.

Solar Habitat 2025 Guidance

Joshua Copping, Catherine Waite, & Solar Energy UK, 2025

Industry policy guidance integrating CLR bird and habitat monitoring research into national standards for solar farm site development.

UK Solar Roadmap

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, featuring research by Joshua Copping, 2025

National strategy document incorporating ecological management guidelines for ground-mounted solar infrastructure.

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Laurie Friday, 2025

Expert panel advisory contributions identifying priority regional habitats and connectivity corridors for local nature recovery.

Farming and nature through a changing landscape: Insights from the experiences of farmers and land managers in eastern Cumbria 

Alix Syder & Annette Green, 2025
Early insights from interviews with 25 farmers and land managers in Eastern Cumbria reveal their values, goals, and relationships with the land. The findings highlight ways to improve trust and understanding between farming and conservation communities, informing future landscape restoration practice.

Understanding Land Management in the Cairngorms National Park; Summary Report

Centre for Landscape Regeneration, 2025
Report detailing land use practices across 18 Scottish estates, highlighting how landholders balance traditional enterprises with ecological restoration and economic diversification.

Fens Land Management Survey: Summary Report

Centre for Landscape Regeneration, 2025
Summary of data collected by survey from 72 landholdings across the East Anglian Fens. 

Impacts of paludiculture on the natural environment

Nigel Taylor, Centre for Landscape Regeneration, and Elizabeth Stockdale, NIAB 2025
A report to Natural England, outlining impacts of paludiculture (productive use of wet peatlands) on soils, hydrology, water quality, biodiversity, and landscape character and heritage.  

Is reaching net zero a growth and prosperity plan? Economics, tools and actions for a rapidly changing world

Cambridge and LSE, 2025
Policy report offering evidence-based recommendations to help HM Treasury navigate the transition to a net zero economy while boosting productivity and maintaining fiscal sustainability.

Balancing Competing Land Uses: A Multifunctional Approach

Richard Bradbury et al. (RSPB & CLR team), 2024

Parliamentary briefing submission detailing multi-functional landscape approaches for balancing food production and nature recovery.

DEFRA Land Use Framework Consultation

Laurie Friday, Elizabeth Stockdale, Ross Morrison, Helen Driver, et al., 2024

Joint evidence submission providing guidance on balancing food security, carbon sequestration, and nature recovery across England.

House of Commons Report: Insect decline and UK food security

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, 2024
Parliamentary report presenting recommendations to the UK government on addressing insect decline and safeguarding food security.

Challenges and trade-offs in the Cambridgeshire Fens

Centre for Landscape Regeneration and the Centre for Science and Policy, 2023
Summary report from a stakeholder policy visit exploring the complexities of land use in the Cambridgeshire Fens, including discussions on water, biodiversity, farming, and future planning frameworks.

Fenland Conservation Network Report: Ouse Bridge Farm

Vanessa Cutts, 2023
Summarises discussions from a visit to Ouse Bridge Farm, including management actions and suggestions from attendees.

Fenland Conservation Network Report: Lady Fen

Vanessa Cutts, 2023
Documents discussions from a visit to Lady Fen, detailing site management and attendee input.

Fenland Conservation Network Report: Chippenham Fen

Vanessa Cutts, 2023
Describes a site visit to Chippenham Fen with input on current and proposed management actions.

 

📚 Books 

A Ladybird Book: Climate Change

HRH The Prince of Wales, Tony Juniper, Emily Shuckburgh, Aleesha Nandhra, 2023
A children’s book introducing climate change concepts, co-authored by King Charles, Tony Juniper, and Professor Emily Shuckburgh. It emphasizes climate impacts and the role of youth in change.

 

🗂️ Databases

Conservation Practitioner Insight Database

Bill Sutherland, Vanessa Cutts & Nigel Taylor, 2024
This initiative collects detailed information on novel solutions, practical interventions, and associated costs (e.g., time, consumables, equipment). It also documents ecological insights, lessons learned from failures, and practical contributions to biodiversity conservation, excluding species abundance or distribution data.

 

📻 Media - TV / Radio / Video 

ITV News: Multi-Million Pound Project to Repair Crumbling Fenland Peat Roads

Thomas Marquand, 2026

Broadcast feature examining peat soil wastage and engineering solutions for sinking regional road infrastructure.

Deep Seed Podcast: Rethinking Agri-Ecosystems & Insect Conservation

Lynn Dicks, 2026

Podcast discussion on nature-positive agriculture, reducing chemical inputs, and maintaining ecosystem services in working farm systems.

European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change – Staying the course on climate action essential to EU security and competitiveness.  

Laura Diaz Anadon, June 2025
The European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change urges the EU to adopt a 90–95% emissions reduction target by 2040 to align with climate neutrality goals for 2050.

BBC News: How Flood-Tolerant Wetland Crops Could Support Nature Recovery

Joshua Copping & Emily Shuckburgh, 2025

News analysis drawing parallels between wet farming trials and landscape restoration across the Great Fen.

Media Coverage and Public Engagement on Solar Farms and Biodiversity (Waite & Copping, 2025)

El Cazador de Cerebros (The Brain Hunters): Species & Biodiversity Conservation

Lynn Dicks, 2024 (RTVE Feature)

Television interview discussing global insect decline, conservation prioritization, and ecological management.

Channel 4 News: Are Political Parties Taking Climate Change and Nature Seriously?

Emily Shuckburgh, 2024

Broadcast analysis on political commitments to biodiversity loss, agricultural policy, and net zero goals.

BBC Radio 4 Today Programme: HotSat-1 Heat Mapping Spacecraft Launch

Thomas Marquand, 2024

Radio feature examining the carbon storage capacity of global wetlands and lowland peat restoration. All Radio 4 programmes are deleted after 30 days.

World Beneath Our Feet: CC&I and CLR Collaboration

Poppy Szaybo & Cambridge Curiosity & Imagination, 2024

Short film documenting creative outdoor workshops with local Fenland primary school students by Lillian Bixler, Communications Coordinator.

Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) Webinar

Annette Green, 2024

Recorded seminar detailing the design and application of the Relational Process Design (RPD) toolkit.

Thinking the UnThinkable – New Narrative Needed To Tackle Climate Emergency

Emily Shuckburgh, Dec 2024
Emily discusses how positive storytelling can transform climate despair into meaningful change, highlighting UK targets, innovative solutions, and the role of public engagement.

The Guardian Newspaper – ‘I have seen the decline’: pesticides linked to falling UK insect numbers

Lynn Dicks – The Guardian on pesticides – 2024
Lynn is interviewed on the impacts pesticides have on invertebrate populations.

The Climate Question – Are wetlands our secret weapon for fighting climate change?

Tom Marquand, 2024
A radio programme exploring the role of wetlands in climate mitigation, featuring global experts and on-location reporting from East Anglia and the Bay of Bengal.

More or Less – What do windscreen splats tell us about insect decline?

Lynn Dicks, 2023
Discusses a study measuring insect decline via windscreen splats. Features perspectives from researchers and conservationists.

BBC Sounds, Free Thinking – Oceans and the Sea (Hay Festival) 

Emily Shuckburgh – BBC Radio 4 – 2023
At the BBC tent, Rana Mitter hosts a discussion with Abdulrazak Gurnah, Emily Shuckburgh, and Joan Passey on refugees, polar exploration, climate change, and the power of narrative.

BBC News: HotSat-1 Maps Heat Variations Across Earth

Emily Shuckburgh, 2023

News coverage on climate observation systems and thermal anomaly detection across urban and rural landscapes.

Save Our Wild Isles: Hungry for Change Documentary

Lynn Dicks & WWF / RSPB, 2023

Documentary feature demonstrating nature-friendly farming approaches that build resilient food systems.

The Guardian: UK Scientists Urge Rishi Sunak to Halt New Oil and Gas Developments

Emily Shuckburgh et al., 2023

Public open letter from over 700 academics calling for a pause on new fossil fuel licenses.

 

🎟️ Outreach & Initiatives

2025

Future Leaders Programme 2025

In collaboration with CambridgeZero, the School of Clinical Medicine, Biological Sciences, and the Future Homes Hub, eight paid project assistant positions were offered in 2025, two of which had placements with the CLR:

  • Fenland Plant Project Assistant – Joseph de Laubenque, working with the CLR's Jérémy Fonvielle
  • Fenland Biodiversity Project Assistant – Ellie Moscrop, working with the CLR's  Neil Mahon

CLR Fen Pals Nature Journals, Museum of Zoology

Part of the CLR partnership with the Museum of Zoology. Fen Pals Nature Journals featured works created by pupils from two Fenland primary schools with artist Rebecca Cahill Roots, exploring children’s connections to the Fen landscape. Using natural objects, pupils printed the covers of their journals and imagined how the Fens might look in the future.

CZ Community Day

We joined Cambridge Zero’s Community Day 2025 with hands-on activities exploring the Fens and our research into this unique landscape, alongside partners from the Museum of Zoology, Cambridge Science Centre, Cambridge Curiosity & Imagination, sound artist Frazer Merrick, and the McDonald Institute.

The World Beneath our Feet

Working with Cambridge Curiosity & Imagination, we explored the hidden beauty of the Fens with local schoolchildren, culminating in a pop-up exhibition in Soham.

The World Beneath the Water

In collaboration with Cambridge Curiosity & Imagination, CLR supported Wilburton Primary pupils to create a futuristic soundscape for Wicken Fen, blending live underwater recordings with imaginative storytelling.

Archaeology and the Natural Environment

Nik Petek-Sargeant, 2025 (Natural Cambridgeshire Partnership Forum)

Public webinar exploring historical land use across the Fens and its application to modern nature recovery goals.

 

2024

Future Leaders Programme 2024

Seven project assistants joined the programme in 2024, these roles offered participants the chance to contribute to an ambitious programme of research exploring nature-based solutions to regenerate the British countryside.

Roles placed within the CLR included:

  • Fenland Biodiversity (Beetles) Project Assistant
  • Fenland Biodiversity (Pollinators) Project Assistant
  • Landscape Scenario Modelling Project Assistant (Scotland) – x2
  • Scottish Forests (Tree Biomass) Project Assistant
  • Scottish Forests (Root Biomass) Project Assistant
  • Scottish Peatlands Project Assistant

The CLR actively documented these placements in the Fieldnotes from Future Leaders communications initiative. View the special edition newsletter HERE

Wetlands & Wildlife, Museum of Zoology

In partnership with the Museum of Zoology, we engaged over 240 Fenland pupils in exploring local wildlife and showcasing their work in a summer exhibition seen by nearly 39,000 visitors.

Festival of Plants

CLR researchers joined the Festival of Plants at the Botanic Garden with an event inviting the public to share their perspectives on the future of the Fens. The Cambridge Science Centre provided an activity for children and our researchers gave talks about trees and climate change.

Ely Museum Exhibition and Talk

CLR researcher Neil Mahon delivered a talk titled Predators and Pollinators, exploring the wild species living in and around the working landscapes of the Fens. Alongside his talk, the CLR contributed to their exhibition which highlighted how local farmers combine food production with nature-friendly practices to support wildlife in the region.

COP29

Dr Shaun Fitzgerald represented the Centre for Landscape Regeneration on a panel with colleagues from the University of Leicester and the Land Use for Net Zero Hub, discussing how changes in land management practices can help reduce emissions.

Event Agenda: 'How can we disagree better over sustainable futures?'

Annette Green & Exeter University, 2024

Interactive workshop examining methods to navigate value conflicts and competing visions in regional landscape restoration.

SER 2024: Society for Ecological Restoration Conference

Annette Green, Jeremy Roberts, & Nancy Ockendon, 2024

International conference sessions showcasing interdisciplinary stakeholder engagement toolkits and regional restoration cases.

Science on Sundays: Why Wetlands? The Role of Wetlands in Climate Change

Thomas Marquand, 2024 (Cambridge University Botanic Garden)

Public science lecture explaining how lowland peat soils interact with carbon cycling and atmospheric emissions.

Regenerative Farming for Biodiversity Conservation in the East Anglian Fens

Neil Mahon, 2024 (Wildlife Trust Local Group Talk)

Community talk presenting survey data on how regenerative farm practices support native wildlife.

Faultlines in Sustainability: Sustainable Land Use

Lynn Dicks, 2024 (Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution)

Panel debate exploring policy trade-offs between agricultural productivity, energy land use, and nature preservation.

Tony Juniper Book Talk: 'Just Earth: How a Fairer World Will Save the Planet'

Annette Green, 2024 (Cambridge Conservation Initiative)

Panel discussion addressing global environmental equity, community participation, and ecological restoration.

Cambridge Tech Week: Climate & Agri-Tech at the Crossroads

Emily Shuckburgh, 2024

Keynote talk on leveraging technological innovation, remote sensing, and ecological modeling for sustainable land transition.

 

2023

Future Leaders Programme 2023

The 2023 programme involved nine researchers working for eight weeks on diverse environmental and climate-related projects. Their research covered topics such as the impact of farming styles on insect and plant biodiversity, greenhouse gas mechanisms and soil chemistry, the creation of educational content, and mapping climate-related research across the university.

Helen Driver from CLR praised the high quality of their research, noting its immediate impacts and potential to contribute to future publications and research outcomes.
Read more about the 2023 programme HERE.

Dear Planet Earth, Cambridge University Botanic Gardens

As part of Cambridge Zero’s Dear Planet Earth event at the Cambridge University Botanic Gardens, held during the #SummerWithTheMuseums campaign, the Centre for Landscape Regeneration contributed to a day of climate-focused activities, engaging visitors of all ages with science, storytelling, and creative workshops.

Cambridge Festival

The CLR hosted a panel discussion on The Future of the Fens with panel members including the farming community, researchers, and the Environment Agency. Attended by over 100 members of the public, the event featured a lively debate and Q&A session.