Top prize for woodland restoration research

"Our partnership with SNH, the James Hutton Institute and the University of Aberdeen is a prime example of how the development of closer relationships between scientific and conservation partners can result in research with practical applications for the care and restoration of our woodlands.

A prestigious and fiercely contested science prize has been awarded to a student based at the James Hutton Institute and the University of Aberdeen, and funded by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).

The 2015 Anne Keymer Prize was won by Janet Maclean. The award is given each year for the best lecture by a postgraduate student at the British Ecological Society’s (BES) Annual Meeting in December. This popular, international event was held in Edinburgh and attended by 1,200 delegates who enjoyed an en exceptional range of outstanding talks, with several worthy runners up.

Janet’s presentation addressed how best to restore woodland after the removal of invasive non-native rhododendron. Janet’s work has focussed on the recovery of the internationally important Atlantic oak woods, also known as ‘Celtic rainforests’, which include species groupings found nowhere else in the world.

On receiving the award, Janet said: “I’m delighted to have been recognised with the Anne Keymer Prize and that my work is making a real difference for woodland restoration.

“Our partnership with SNH, the James Hutton Institute and the University of Aberdeen is a prime example of how the development of closer relationships between scientific and conservation partners can result in research with practical applications for the care and restoration of our woodlands.”

Dr Ruth Mitchell of the James Hutton Institute said: “Janet’s success in winning this prestigious award is a reflection of her hard work and dedication.”

Jeanette Hall, Janet’s supervisor at SNH said: “We’re really pleased that Janet has won this prize for her excellent presentation. It is richly deserved. Janet had previously won a prize for the best student presentation at the Ecology, Environment and Conservation Conference held at the Royal Society of Edinburgh in October last year, so we thought she had a good chance of adding to that with this highly prestigious award.”

Professor David Burslem, from the University of Aberdeen, added: “Janet excelled as an undergraduate at the University of Aberdeen and this has continued into her PhD. All in the School of Biological Sciences are delighted by her success in winning the Anne Keymer prize.”

The prize is named in memory of Anne Keymer, a distinguished and respected ecologist who died of cancer in 1993, aged just 36.

Professor Des Thompson of SNH said: “This is brilliant news and I’m delighted for Janet as this is a very difficult prize to win. I knew Anne Keymer when we were PhD Students. Anne was a brilliant scientist, and one of the first to win the British Ecological Society’s annual conference Prize for best student talk, in 1981. Later, the Prize was fittingly named after Anne, and I’m delighted that Janet joins the ranks of winners.”