Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/N009010/1
How does large scale native woodland restoration affect biodiversity?
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Miss L MacGregor, University of Stirling, Biological and Environmental Sciences
- Grant held at:
- University of Stirling, Biological and Environmental Sciences
- Science Area:
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Terrestrial
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Natural Resource Management
- Science Topics:
- Agricultural systems
- Conservation Ecology
- Population Ecology
- Abstract:
- Deforestation is a global environmental issue, resulting in biodiversity loss and release of carbon into the atmosphere. Encouraging reforestation is internationally recognised as a key action to help stabilise greenhouse gas levels, restore biodiversity, ensure sustainable wood supply, support rural development and promote wellbeing. In the UK, much reforestation has and continues to comprise non-native, commercial conifer plantations of limited biodiversity value. However, extensive restoration of native woodland is increasingly taking place, driven partly by national policies for woodland expansion, but also by a range of non-governmental initiatives (e.g. rewilding) to restore native woodland cover. This reestablishment of native woodland will result in one of the largest shifts in habitat type across the UK in modern times, with the replacement of large areas of open habitats with new native woodland. Much woodland creation in the UK is expected to be targeted at land of low productivity value, for example unenclosed upland moorlands (1) that were formerly forested but have been largely treeless following timber extraction, grazing and burning over many centuries. Woodland restoration on and adjacent to moorland is expected to benefit woodland biodiversity, including species of high conservation importance. However, it may impact negatively on moorland biodiversity, which is itself of international conservation importance. Understanding the ecological effects of woodland expansion on moorland biodiversity is therefore of critical policy importance. A better understanding of the biodiversity consequences of native woodland restoration in upland environments will be a crucial contribution to reconciling differing visions for the future of UK uplands (2,3). The replacement of open ground by woodland has relatively predictable and well understood biodiversity consequences; our focus here is on indirect impacts, especially through edge effects of woodland on adjacent open ground (4). Birds are an important group in this respect, with evidence of reduced breeding densities and higher avian nest predation (5) as a response to conifer afforestation. It is unknown whether native woodland leads to comparable edge effects. It is also important to understand the mechanisms driving demographic impacts on species of open ground that are affected by woodland creation. This aspect will be studied using the meadow pipit as a focal bird species that is key within a UK upland food web (6). Studying the effects of large scale land use change is often undertaken after impacts have already become apparent; it is rare to be able to study the effects of land use change at the time of initiation. This PhD will examine the impacts of native woodland expansion on birds, using the study system of marginal upland areas of the UK to address the following questions: 1. How does the abundance and species richness of woodland and moorland bird communities vary in relation to the configuration, proximity and characteristics (age, type of edge) of upland native woodland? 2. How is the abundance and movement of predators influenced by different configurations of native woodland and open ground? 3. How does native woodland expansion affect the demography of a key bird species of open upland ground? 4. Can the impacts of woodland creation on birds be predicted at a national scale, by combining site specific data on densities and diversities with national bird distribution data and targeting maps for woodland creation? References: 1 WEAG 2012, Report of the Woodland Expansion Advisory Group. 2 DEFRA 2013, National Upland Outcomes: A framework to help develop local partnership outcomes. 3 Monbiot 2013, Feral, Allen Lane. 4 Ries et al 2004 Ann Rev Eco Systematics, 35, 491 to 522. 5 Reino et al 2010 For Ecol Management, 260, 1359 to 1366. 6 Evans et al 2015 Ecosphere, 6, 42: http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES14 00316.1
- NERC Reference:
- NE/N009010/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- DTG - directed
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Industrial CASE
This training grant award has a total value of £86,776
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Fees | Total - RTSG | Total - Student Stipend |
|---|---|---|
| £16,957 | £11,000 | £58,822 |
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