Dr Rob Field

Senior Conservation Scientist, Conservation Science

Background

I am currently working on ecosystem-based climate change mitigation, through improved land management and conservation. I concentrate on arable agro-ecosystems and peatlands in the UK, Europe and Africa.

I am particularly concerned with the potential synergies between climate regulation ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation, both in protected areas and across land expected to provide multiple benefits to a burgeoning human population.

I have also investigated the effects of land management and agriculture on farmland birds, such as tree sparrow and skylark in the UK and sociable lapwing in Kazakhstan and Russia.

I am an experienced scientist with skills in both field work and scientific publication. Field skills include bird and habitat surveying, radio-telemetry, ringing (British Trust for Ornithology A permit holder and trainer).

I am skilled in data and information management and analysis, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), scientific writing and publication and staff management.

Partners and Collaboration

  • Prof Andrew Balmford, University of Cambridge
  • Dr Kate Heppell, Queen Mary University London
  • Prof Richard Pywell, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
  • Annett Thiele, University of Greifswald

Contact

Rob Field

Dr Rob Field

Senior Conservation Scientist, Conservation Science

The Lodge, Potton Road, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL

rob.field@rspb.org.uk

Research Gate

Google Scholar

Specialisms

Agriculture Climate change Ecosystem services International species Protected areas

Selected Publications

The potential for land sparing to offset greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture

Greenhouse gas emissions from global agriculture are increasing at around 1% per annum, yet substantial cuts in emissions are needed across all sectors...

Date
04 January 2016
RSPB Authors
Prof Rhys Green, Dr Rob Field
Authors
Lamb, A., Green, R., Bateman, I., Broadmeadow, M., Bruce, T., Burney, J., Carey, P., Chadwick, D., Crane, E., Field, R., Goulding, K., Griffiths, H., Hastings, A., Kasoar, T., Kindred, D., Phalan, B., Pickett, J., Smith, P., Wall, E., Ermgassen, E.K.H.J. & Balmford, A.
Published in
Nature Climate Change
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Making explicit agricultural ecosystem service trade-offs: a case study of an English lowland arable farm

European farmland hosts a species assemblage of animals and plants which have undergone declines through the late twentieth and early twenty-first...

Date
02 November 2015
RSPB Authors
Dr Rob Field, Dr Matthew Carroll, Dr Tony Morris
Authors
Field, R.H., Hill, R.K., Carroll, M. & Morris, A.J.
Published in
International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
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The Challenges of integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services monitoring and evaluation at a landscape-scale wetland restoration project in the UK

There is an increasing emphasis on the restoration of ecosystem services as well as of biodiversity, especially where restoration projects are planned at a landscape scale. This increase in the diversity of restoration aims has a number of conceptual and practical implications for the way that restoration projects are monitored and evaluated. Landscape-scale projects require...

Date
24 June 2016
RSPB Authors
Dr Rob Field
Authors
Hughes, F.M.R., Adams, W.M., Butchart, S.H.M., Field, R.H., Peh, K.S.H. & Warrington, S.
Published in
Ecology & Society 21
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Higher-tier agri-environment scheme enhances breeding densities of some priority farmland birds in England

Agri-environment schemes (AES) are the main policy mechanism available to reverse the widespread losses of farmland biodiversity across Europe. Previous examples of AES enhancing the abundance of farmland birds have been restricted to...

Date
23 January 2015
RSPB Authors
Dr Tony Morris, Dr Rob Field, Dr Leila Walker, Dr Will Peach
Authors
Bright, J.A., Morris, T., Field, R.H., Cooke, A.I., Grice; P.V., Walker, L., Fern, J. & Peach, W.
Published in
Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 203: 69-79
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Benefits and costs of ecological restoration: Rapid assessment of changing ecosystem service values at a U.K. wetland

Restoration of degraded land is recognized by the international community as an important way of enhancing both biodiversity and ecosystem services, but more information is needed about its costs and benefits. In Cambridgeshire, U.K....

Date
23 September 2014
RSPB Authors
Dr Richard Bradbury, Dr Rob Field
Authors
Peh, K.S.-H., Balmford, A., Field, R.H., Lamb, A., Birch, J.C., Bradbury, R.B., Brown, C., Butchart, S.H.M., Lester, M., Morrison, R., Sedgwick, I., Soans, C., Stattersfield, A.J., Stroh, P.A., Swetnam, R.D., Thomas, D.H.L., Walpole, M., Warrington, S., & Hughes, F.M.R.
Published in
Ecology & Evolution
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