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Science and scientists at the RSPB |
Meet the teamDr David Gibbons is Head of the Conservation Science Department, and oversees much of the RSPB’s scientific work. His role is to develop the RSPB’s science programme – ensuring that its conservation policies and practice are underpinned by sound science. He is helped by a senior science team, and 75 or so scientific and support staff.
Dr Lennox Campbell, Principal Research Manager, has worked in the Conservation Science department for more than 25 years, where his experience is now put to good use preparing the annual budget, monitoring income and expenditure, reviewing and refining departmental procedures and coordinating the administrative, logistic and general support to all research staff. Dr Rhys Green is Principal Research Biologist in the Conservation Science Department and a senior research fellow in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge. His main research interests are the interactions between populations of birds and other animals and human land use, the effects of conservation management on bird populations and the influence of climate change on bird distributions. Dr Richard Gregory, as Head of Monitoring and Survey, oversees a range of bird monitoring projects, analyses and synthesis. These include large scale generic and single species bird surveys. Richard and his team use these and other data to produce biodiversity indicators at national, UK, EU and European levels and an annual status report, the State of the UK's Birds. Dr Andy Evans is Head of the Terrestrial Research Section, formed 10 years ago in recognition of the crisis facing birds of lowland farmland. Current projects vary from the ecology of spotted flycatchers and yellow wagtails, to testing the value to skylarks of leaving undrilled patches in the middle of winter wheat fields. Dr Ken Smith, Head of Aquatic Research, leads a team working on wetland species and issues. Much of this work is carried out on RSPB reserves. Ken also leads a small team investigating the causes of declines among woodland breeding birds. Dr Jeremy Wilson manages the Scottish research team. Current studies range from the experimental management of the field layer in Scottish native pinewoods to benefit capercaillie, to the impact of grazing on moorland breeding birds, and the ecology of twites on the Outer Hebrides. Dr Debbie Pain is Head of International Research. The RSPB works with BirdLife partners in more than 20 ‘focus’ countries, primarily in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the UK Overseas Territories. The international research team collaborates with these Partners, on research and monitoring of globally threatened and other bird species, and Important Bird Areas. Regional or continental scale projects are also undertaken. Dr Jane Sears oversees the Biodiversity Science team, which manages projects on priority species (other than birds) within the UK’s Biodiversity Action Plan. These include seven invertebrates and four plants for which the RSPB is the Lead Partner, and another nine invertebrates led by Action for Invertebrates, an RSPB/Butterfly Conservation/EN/Buglife project. The team is also involved in the development of the UK BAP. Ian Fisher’s Conservation Data Management Team runs the RSPB's in-house Geographic Information system (Merlin), overseeing conservation data management, including data entry, provision and archiving. Ian and his team are involved in a range of internet based initiatives, including BirdWeb and BirdTrack in the UK (both with the British Trust for Ornithology), and development of a suite of data collection and provision systems for BirdLife Partners around the globe (in partnership with Audubon and BirdLife). Dr Graham Hirons is Head of Reserves Ecology (part of the Conservation Management Department) whose role is to provide the science to underpin RSPB’s reserves acquisition and management. This involves contributing to reserves management planning, advising on and undertaking biological monitoring and research on reserves, and providing ecological advice to site managers and others. Last modified: 11 October 2004 |
Dave Hole with writer Sasha Norris working on House Sparrows - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Ringing paraphernalia - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Woodlark perching on fencepost - Graham Catley