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My current role involves facilitating public engagement with RBGE science in an informal educational context through a variety methods including: events, exhibitions, digital and community outreach. A focus on food and crop plants has proved to be an effective public engagement hook that leads into topical issues such as biodiversity loss, climate change and making agriculture more sustainable. As well as developing the programme for annual flagship events, such as the Edinburgh Science Festival, I work collaboratively with RBGE scientists, the SEFARI collective and external organisations with
Scotland’s National Outcome’s include protecting and enhancing our natural environment, and reducing our global environmental impact, helping to deliver the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals including Goal 13 – Climate Action and Goal 15 – Life on Land. To help deliver these we need to understand Scotland’s biodiversity. Current biodiversity research in Scotland addresses a range of issues including studies of individual species or habitats (for example grouse moors), as well as of large and inter-connected habitats and ecosystems (for example studies of resilience in key habitats)
"Food and farming are becoming even more important as Scotland aims to expand its food and drink sector, and this award recognises the people who are managing our farmland and producing food in ways that support nature" Lynn Cassells and Sandra Baer, managers of Lynbreck Croft, have picked up the Nature of Scotland 2019 Food and Farming Award, sponsored by the James Hutton Institute, for their success in establishing a 150-acre mixed habitat croft enterprise focussed on sustainable food production. More information from: Bernardo Rodriguez-Salcedo, Media Manager, Tel: +44 (0)1224 395089
"Every year, we lose some of our precious agricultural soil to erosion, and, similarly, out of our 1.9 million hectares of peatland, about 270,000 hectares show evidence of peat erosion" ‘Erosion’ is partly a natural process where soil particles are transported by our rivers and streams to the sea. ‘Accelerated erosion’ however, is caused by inappropriate land use or land management and this is a global issue that affects our ability to manage soils sustainably. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has estimated that a third of the world’s soils are already
"We cannot be complacent if we want to conserve the soil and the carbon, nutrients and biodiversity it holds for future generations" Our soils are under threat from ever more intensive agriculture and climate changes. Extreme rainfall events such as Storm Frank in 2016 are predicted to become more common: a recent report from the Met Office suggested that there is a 34% chance of somewhere in the UK breaking a rainfall record each winter. Apart from flooding, these rainfall events can cause widespread erosion on unprotected or damaged soils, loss of soil nutrients and carbon, reduced crop
Tony has a background in environmental psychology (MSc Surrey, 1998, PhD RGU, 2006), and has previously worked on a large number of research projects looking at people's attitudes to various issues, including sustainable wastewater management, prefabricated housing, sustainable housing, and public participation in urban design. Before working at the institute, Tony previously worked as a researcher in the school of architecture at the Robert Gordon University. His PhD (2006) was concerned with the relationship between sustainable design, environmental preferences, and environmentally friendly
Current research interests Leaf rust caused by Puccinia hordei is an important fungal disease on barley. Resistance of barley to leaf rust ( Poccinia hordei) is genetically controlled by both single genes ( R-genes) and multiple quantitative loci (QTL). Due to the short-term effectiveness of R-gene-mediated resistance, exploration and use of the durable partial resistance have become a more favorable strategy to control the disease. However, identification of the underlying genes through map-based approach is a process both cumbersome and time consuming. The current project adapts a novel
Prof. Nick Birch is a key staff member leading Integrated Pest and Disease Management (IPM) research at the James Hutton Institute. For details of ongoing IPM research areas and projects, please visit the IPM@Hutton website Long-term research goals Policy led environmental research with practical outcomes for global agriculture: I develop and use a multi-disciplinary, ecosystems approach to optimise key ecological services (Integrated Pest Management/IPM, biocontrol) for Scottish, UK and international crop protection, conserving and utilising on-farm biodiversity. By understanding the role of