What's The Best Way of Farming Nature?
Food production has a greater impact on biodiversity and land use than any other human activity. Intensive high-yield farming systems generally get a bad press; one that focusses on greater greenhouse gas emissions, antimicrobial resistance, pandemic risk and poorer animal welfare. But is intensive farming really so bad? In this talk, Harriet Bartlett will look at the impacts of different farming systems, with a focus on biodiversity, and how we can figure out the best ways to farm for the environment, people and our livestock.
The Conservation Research Institute Conference: Playlist
This year, the annual Conservation Research Institute Conference took place online and was recorded for those unable to attend. Watch the showcase of our interdisciplinary work in relation to conservation, Flash Talks from our Early Career Researchers, and what some of former PhD students are doing now here.
The Conservation Research Institute Conference 2020 Agenda
- Dr Aiora Zabala, Senior Editor, Nature Sustainability, Affiliated Lecturer, Land Economy, Fellow, CEENRG
- Dr Matheus Nunes, Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki
- Dr Karen Wong Perez, Senior Researcher – Climate Change Group, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
- Dr Ellie Tew, Natural Capital and Resilience Programme Manager, Forestry England
- Dr Toby Jackson, Plant Sciences - Tropical forest change detection with repeat LiDAR data.
- Thea Jung, PhD Candidate, Land Economy - Advancing Decarbonisation Pathways in energy-intensive industries: The Case of Cement
- Dr Andrew Bladon, Zoology - How butterflies keep their cool: linking individual thermoregulatory ability and long-term population trends.
- Valerio Donfrancesco, PhD Candidate, Geography - What is ‘coexistence’ between people and large carnivores?
Can Healthy Ecosystems Prevent Future Pandemics?
On Tuesday 14th July, in collaboration with Global Food Security, Cambridge Infectious Diseases and Punlic Health at Cambridge, The University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute hosted an inter-disciplinary online event that posed the question, 'Can healthy ecosystems prevent future pandemics?'
Integrating the themes of global health (humans and animal), ecosystem resilience, biodiversity conservation, and food security, this online event brought experts together to share their perspectives on how the risk of future pandemics can be reduced through a better understanding of the complex interactions between health and natural systems.
The event was chaired by Professor Bhaskar Vira, Head of Department of Geography and Founder of the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute. Please find the speakers of the panel listed below:
- Dr Shailaja Fennell, University Senior Lecturer in Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge. Dr Shailaja is a co-I on TIGR2ESS, a research programme to study how to improve crop productivity and water use, identify appropriate crops and farming practices for sustainable rural development, with funding of £7.8 million from the Global Challenges Fund of RCUK.
- Professor Kate Jones is Professor of Ecology and Biodiversity at University College London and Director of the Nature-Smart Centre in the Institute of Future Living. Her research investigates the interface of ecological and human health, using statistical and mathematical modelling to understand the impact of global land use and climate change on ecological and human systems, with a particular focus on emerging infectious diseases.
- Dr Rosalind Parkes-Ratanshi, University Lecturer in Public Heath, Cambridge Institute of Public Health. Dr Rosalind is a clinical academic with a research interest in sustaining HIV and STI care using innovation in Africa. She trained as a Clinical Lecturer in Genito-urinary Medicine at St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College, London and holds an Honorary Contract at Cambridge University Foundation Hospital.
- Professor James Wood, Head of Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge. James is a veterinary epidemiologist with research interests in emerging and zoonotic infectious diseases, especially bat transmitted viruses in sub-Saharan Africa and bovine tuberculosis. He is also Co-Chair of Cambridge Infectious Diseases Interdisciplinary Research Centre.
With over 150 attendees, this online event marked the beginning of a much wider discussion on how the degradation of our natural environment and changing behaviours have increased the risk of disease “spillover” from animals to humans. Those unable to attend the event can watch the ZOOM recording here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ILGS9Ze2V0
Human interactions with wild and farmed animals must change dramatically to reduce risk of another deadly pandemic
Dr Silviu Petrovan led a team of international wildlife and veterinary experts on a new study identifying seven routes by which pandemics could occur and 161 options for reducing the risk. It concludes that widespread changes to the way we interact with animals are needed; solutions that only address one issue – such as the trade in wild animals – are not enough. Prof. Bill Sutherland discusses this work in a lecture available here.
Giving To Cambridge
The Director of UCCRI, Professor Bhaskar Vira, was recently involved in a Giving To Cambridge campaign event in London.
Impact Through Engagement. Find out more about the impact through engagement programme.
Minecraft tree “probably” the tallest tree in the Tropics
A tree the height of 20 London double-decker buses has been discovered in Malaysia by conservation scientists monitoring the impact of human activity on the biodiversity of a pristine rainforest.
Project led by Professor David Coomes, Head of Forest Ecology and Conservation Group
Professor Laura Diaz Anadon on Energy Technology Innovation
Eureka Moments: Professor Andrew Balmford
Andrew Balmford's moment of discovery, which he shared with Professor Rhys Green, was the realization that the best way to conserve wild nature would almost certainly be to keep large areas of high-yielding agriculture completely separate from large areas of land completely committed to biodiversity conservation. This is known as land-sparing, in contrast to the alternative strategy of doing agriculture and conservation in more or less the same spatial area - land-sharing.
Endangered Landscapes Programme
In this 3-minute video, Professor Bill Adams from the Department of Geography talks about the importance, challenges and good practice in landscape restoration.
The Procurement Model
Professor Ian Hodge
From the Mayans to the Moors - University of Cambridge Research News
Conservation: Thinking outside the Box for Biodiversity and People
From the plight of the Ethiopian Bush Crow, to representation of nature in Winnie the Pooh, to the extinction of ancient Latin American languages, the wide breadth of research connected with biodiversity conservation at the University of Cambridge is reflected in a series of films released today.
We really want people to think out of the box in terms of how their work might relate to conservation and to contact us and find out about opportunities to collaborate with other researchers within the University, and with the organisations associated with the Cambridge Conservation Initiative. Could your work make a difference to conservation? Contact UCCRI for an informal chat
The Naked Scientists
Dr Bhaskar Vira, The University of Cambridge
Would you care about conserving an animal if it threatened your job, your food supply or even your life? This week, we unpick the hidden conflicts and controversies inside conservation, including the tragic fight to save the mountain gorillas, how to tackle poaching smartly and the lions who live in harmony with people. Plus, news of how engineers solved a medical dilemma and a look back at one of the world's greatest mathematical geniuses.
Feature on conservation including message from Sir David Attenborough is from 26.44: Listen Now