Dr Fiona Burns

Conservation Scientist, Conservation Science

Background

I co-ordinate the State of Nature Partnership, a large group of organisations involved in conservation evidence or delivery in the UK and its Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories.

Our work aims to understand the status and trends of a broad spectrum of species and habitats and the underlying environmental variables which drive changes in these, including conservation action.

Our key publication is the State of Nature report, first published in 2013 and again in 2016. I am also involved in the development of new biodiversity indicators - helping assess progress towards national and international conservation targets.

Before joining the RSPB in 2012, I conducted my PhD research investigating the causes of the population decline and trialling conservation solutions for an island endemic, the St Helena plover.

Partners and Collaboration

  • The State of Nature Partnership

Contact

Fiona Burns

Dr Fiona Burns

Conservation Scientist, Conservation Science

RSPB Centre of Conservation Science, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 3QZ

fiona.burns@rspb.org.uk

@F_E_Burns

Research Gate

Specialisms

Identifying problems International species UK species

Selected Publications

State of Nature 2016

The State of Nature in the UK and its Overseas Territories.

RSPB Authors
Dr Daniel Hayhow, Dr Mark Eaton, Prof Richard Gregory, Dr Fiona Burns
Authors
State of Nature partnership
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Agricultural management and climatic change are the major drivers of biodiversity change in the UK

Action to reduce anthropogenic impact on the environment and species within it will be most effective when targeted towards activities that have the greatest impact on biodiversity. To do this effectively we need to better understand the relative importance of different activities ...

Date
23 March 2016
RSPB Authors
Dr Fiona Burns, Dr Mark Eaton, Simon Wotton, Prof Richard Gregory
Authors
Burns, F., Eaton, M.A., Barlow, K.E., Beckmann, B.C., Brereton, T., Brooks, D.R., Brown, P.M.J., Al Fulaij, N., Gent, T., Henderson, I., Noble, D.G., Parsons, M., Powney, G.D., Roy, H.E., Stroh, P., Walker, K., Wilkinson, J.W., Wotton, S.R. & Gregory, R.D.
Published in
Plos One
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The priority species indicator: measuring the trends in threatened species in the UK

We describe the development of two complementary priority species indicators (PSIs) to help the UK to report progress towards Aichi target 12 on the status of known threatened species. Based on species identified as national conservation priorities, the indicators present...

Date
11 August 2015
RSPB Authors
Dr Mark Eaton, Dr Fiona Burns, Prof Richard Gregory
Authors
Eaton, M.A., Burns, F., Isaac, N.J.B., Gregory, R.D., August, T.A., Barlow, K.E., Brereton, T., Brooks, D.R., Fulaij, N.A., Haysom, K.A., Noble, D.G., Outhwaite, C., Powney, G.D., Procter, D. & Williams, J.
Published in
Biodiversity
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State of Nature 2013 report

The State of Nature in the UK and its Overseas Territories.

Date
22 May 2013
RSPB Authors
Dr Fiona Burns, Dr Mark Eaton, Prof Richard Gregory
Authors
State of Nature partnership
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The impact of introduced predators on an island endemic, the St Helena Plover, Charadrius sanctaehelenae

We investigated the impact of introduced predators on the productivity of the St Helena Plover Charadrius sanctaehelenae, a shorebird endemic to the South Atlantic island of St Helena. The nest predat...

Date
20 May 2013
RSPB Authors
Dr Fiona Burns, Dr Mark Bolton
Authors
Burns, F., McCulloch, N., Szekely, T. & Bolton, M.
Published in
Bird Conservation International
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