Awards, Accolades & Appointments 6 Hutton Highlights December 2022 7 DiversiTree: £500k awarded to increase UK woodland resilience Professor Robin Pakeman, a plant ecologist at the James Hutton Institute, has received the honour of being elected a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM). Formed in 1991 as the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, CIEEM is the leading professional membership body representing and supporting ecologists and environmental managers in the UK, Ireland and abroad. CIEEM’s leadership was recognised in 2013 when the organisation was awarded its Royal Charter status. CIEEM has grown into an increasingly influential professional body – setting standards, sharing knowledge and providing sound advice to governments on all aspects of ecological and natural environmental management practice. On the announcement, Professor Pakeman, said: “I am very proud and honoured to be elected a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management. CIEEM has professionalised ecology and has raised standards and improved training across the sector. “As a scientist who does both basic and applied research, having the link to CIEEM helps me with seeing what issues professional ecologists are dealing with and helps me focus my applied research. Maintaining the link between research and practice is increasingly important as we deal with the dual biodiversity and climate crises.” In taking the decision to elect Professor Pakeman as a Fellow, the CIEEM Governing Board particularly noted the fact that his extensive research has been and continues to be multi-faceted, spanning coastal, upland/moorland habitats, impacts on nutrification, trophic ecology and herbivore impacts. The board also stated that, importantly, all of this research had practical application. Professor Robin Pakeman elected Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management The UK Research and Innovation has awarded £516,524 to DiversiTree, a collaborative project led by the James Hutton Institute, to investigate resilience across the country’s woodlands. Woods and forests account for more than 13% of the UK’s land surface, but the UK government’s ambition is to increase this to 17% as part of UK’s plans to reach net zero emissions by 2050. In the right place, these new woodlands can also provide benefits such as reducing flooding and supporting biodiversity, however threats from climate change, pests and diseases may inhibit their ability to do so. DiversiTree is a collaborative project between James Hutton Institute, Bangor University, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, RSPB, University of Birmingham and the Woodland Trust, and it will provide woodland managers with the knowledge and tools required to make our woods and forests more resilient. Dr Ruth Mitchell, an Ecologist at the James Hutton Institute and lead of the DiversiTree project said: “Climate change, pests and diseases are a threat to our UK woodlands. This funding is very welcome, as it will allow us to understand how woodland managers and other stakeholders understand woodland diversity, and their ambitions for future woods.” Dr Rebekka Artz, a senior scientist within the James Hutton Institute’s Ecological Sciences department, has been included in the inaugural ENDS Power List, which names the 100 UK environmental professionals who have made the greatest impact in the past two years as nominated by their colleagues, customers, and competitors. Rebekka has nearly two decades of research experience in the ecology and functioning of peatland ecosystems and delivered land management decision support tools, policy briefings and expert opinions on soils and climate change mitigation policy matters to Scottish and UK governments for more than a decade. She has been an expert reviewer on the carbon benefits of peatland management to the UK and Scottish governments and is currently on a 50% secondment to NatureScot Peatland ACTION as the manager for the Technical Advice team. She also contributed presentations to the COP25 and COP26 climate change summits. Rebekka’s current research includes assessing remote sensing to estimate the effectiveness of peatland restoration and monitoring greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands in relation to climate change impacts and emissions mitigation potential. She also coordinates the recently announced NERC MOTHERSHIP project, a multinational research effort to assess the risk that climate change poses to peatlands and create the capability to better manage these important ecosystems. On being included in the ENDS Power List, Dr Artz commented: “I am pleased to appear in the ENDS first Power List. However, I see this recognition as encompassing numerous colleagues and research partners; science is teamwork and it’s the unsung heroes that should be celebrated more.” The ENDS Power List is compiled by the ENDS Report, a publication aimed at environmental professionals which delivers news, analysis and reference across the carbon, environmental and sustainability agenda. The full ENDS Power List 2022 can be accessed here: Power List 2022: the UK’s 100 most influential environmental professionals. Hutton scientist Rebekka Artz included in first ENDS Power List The world’s first “climate-positive” gin, created using the humble garden pea, was recognised at the Herald’s Higher Education Awards, when the team behind the gin secured the “Outstanding Business Engagement” award for their efforts to create and build awareness of sustainable spirits. Dr Pete Iannetta, an agroecologist at the James Hutton Institute accepted the award alongside former Hutton PhD student Dr Kirsty Black and collaborators from Abertay University and Arbikie Distillery. Looking at the entire production and supply chain and thinking across the entire range of inputs and outputs on the Arbikie Estate they created their climate positive gin, and then a vodka produced on the same basis, to considerable press and public interest around the world. The team’s use of high-quality video and great storytelling has been a huge contributor to the awareness and understanding of what has been done and how it could provide an example for others to follow. A 700ml bottle of Nàdar gin has a carbon footprint of -1.54 kg CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent), meaning it avoids more carbon dioxide emissions than it creates. This environmental performance — significantly better than traditional wheat gins — is mainly achieved by utilising all useful components of the peas from the dehulling (de-skinning) and distilling process, to create home-grown animal feed. The full backstory of the creation and research involved in the climate positive gin can be found here. More accolades for ‘Climate Positive’ Gin project team Nature of Scotland Awards, Celebrating Innovation We were delighted to be a sponsor at the Nature of Scotland Awards where we sponsored the Innovation Award. Congratulations to the winners, Generation Restoration: Supporting the Scaling-up of Seagrass Restoration. Highly Commended projects: RSPB Abernethy Cattle Grazing for Capercaillie & Working for Waders Initiative. Comments?
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