PhD Project: The relationship between biodiversity and forest structure in naturally regenerating woodlands in the Scottish Highlands. Supervisors: Emily Lines and David Coomes. Funding: NERC Centre for Landscape Regeneration
I am a PhD student in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge, a member of the Lines research group and working within the Centre for Landscape Recovery (CLR) team. My research aims to understand the relationship between biodiversity and forest structure in naturally regenerating woodlands in the Scottish Highlands. I will be using a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) and airborne LiDAR data to develop a three-dimensional data set of forest structure over a chronosequence of forest regeneration from open moorland with sporadic young pines to complex ancient Caledonian pine wood. I will then identify key relationships between forest structure and biodiversity by monitoring specific habitat bio-indicators.
Prior to my PhD, I graduated from the University of Sussex with a BA in Philosophy and from the University of Exeter with an MSc in Conservation and Biodiversity in 2016. Before arriving in Cambridge, I worked on a rare species reintroduction and translocation project in South Cumbria for which I designed and implemented ecological monitoring programmes to understand species reintroduction success/failure.
Links:
Pine marten reintroduction feasibility report: Mayhew, M., Jennings, A., Kent, E., Brookes, C., 2022. A feasibility study for the recovery of pine martens in south Cumbria (Report). https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/6527/
Species reintroduction reports:
Back on Our Map: The Hazel Dormouse
Back on Our Map: The Small Blue Butterfly
Back on Our Map: Spiked speedwell
Back on Our Map: The Goldilocks aster
A title chapter in ‘Reseeding’ published by Northumberland Wildlife Trust:
Kent, E. and Marples H. (2023), Chapter “Aspen Life”, Reseeding – Restoring Wildness at Kielderhead Wildwood, Northumberland Wildlife Trust.