University Research Projects

We have embarked on a major project to provide invaluable literature to the public on conservation, wildlife, and habitats. This is being achieved by our Conservation Managers. These are students from the Universities of: Bath, Bristol, Oxford, Bath Spa, West of England who are researching and writing documents for the Trust. 

Over 60 applications have been received from 5 universities so far, and 8 appointments have been made to undertake work in the following categories: 

Pollution.           Climate Change & Species Decline.        Renewable Energy.    Re-wilding.              Landscape restoration/Protection/Wildlife Enhancement.           Well Being & Nature.                Circular Economy.      Hidden Costs of Pollution & Fossil Fuels

The resultant documents will be made available to the public, and to schools, specialists, students, etc.  Research topics are grouped in various categories (16 so far) which comprise over 200 separate topics which the Trust will be researching via its student managers.

Conservation Research Categories

(A) Mitigation measures

(In each case will examine the impact, necessity,  off-sets)

1.  2. Housing.  3. Industry.   4. Business parks.   5. New roads.   6.Non urbanisation of rural lanes. 7. Post pandemic: moratorium on new roads?  8. Pubic transport options/networking. 9. Railroad expansion options. 10. Improvement if all electric   etc transport. 11. Reducing commuting: effects on energy/landscape/roads & measures & human advantages 12. Building materials via straw etc. 13. Change to local food supplies. 14. Change to local employment. 15. Local dial a bus public transport.

(B) Renewable energy advantages/impacts:   (Hamza Aamir Bath University)

1. Hydro/streams.    2. Hydro/estuaries/seabed.   3. Ground source heat.   4. Wind.  5. Solar farms in agricultural land.  6. Solar - car parks/offices, etc.  7. Hydrogen.  8. What wildlife groups thinks of solar farms. 9. Solar farms: advantages/impacts.  10.  Future of energy: off grid communities. 10. Energy via waste burn (Germany).  11. House heating via effective insulation. 12. “Islands of the Future”  film (Netflix?) resumé of islands which have developed own systems.  13. Biomass: pros/cons

 

(C) Re-wilding: (Anna Penman Bath University)

(Usually meaning bringing back species which had been hunted to extinction in the UK)

1.Lynx.     2. Wolf.   3. Beaver.  4.Crane.   5.Bison.  6. Boar. 7.Stork. 8 Back breeding. 9.Key stone species. 10. White-tailed eagle

(D) Landscape restoring/protection/wildlife enhancement:  (Rosie Barrett Bath University)

1. Value of hedges.  2. Loss of hedgerows.  3. Trees/flooding/habitats. 4. Guerilla gardening.    5. Roadside verges meadows.  6. Restoring streams.  7.Beaver dams.  8.Mitigation proposals for new housing.  9. Re-afforestation.  10.  Standing water. 11. Sunken Lanes.  12.Wildlife auditing/biological records.  13.Wetlands.  14. Assessment govt new farming reform.  15.  Foreign conservation innovations. 16.National Parks  17. Restoring/recreating special habitats.

 

(E) Threats/decline of species. Extinction. Climate Change :  (Jess Beattie Bristol University)

1. Sources % of co2    2. Human dependence on what we damage.   Soil erosion/soil fertility.  4. Pesticides. 5.Plastic.  6. Noise. 7. Carbon usage- coal.  8. Carbon usage.  9. Nuclear power. 10. Increase in meat consumption/cattle rearing: problems & unsustainability? 11. Hunting & trophy hunting & poaching. 12. Illegal trade in species. 13. Raptor persecution from grouse & pheasant business.

 

(F) Individual species/threats/decline

1. Badgers.  2. Bees.  3. Solitary bees.  4. Hedgehogs.   5. Frogs.  6. Newts.7. Butterflies.  8. Birds.  9. Insects. 10.Harvest mouse.  11. Dormouse.  12.Dragon flies etc.  13.  UK species declines/threats overall pattern last 75 years.  14. Introduced species (e.g. mink; puma escapees etc) 15. UK Endangered species.

(G) Damage to migration routes/breeding conditions.

1.  2. Wind farms??  4. Housing.  5. Rail.  6. Industry.  7. Agriculture. 8. Straightening .  water courses.  9. Hunting sports.  10. Destruction of hedges. 11. Clearing of waterside verges/flora/fauna.

(H) Well being & nature. Housing etc:  (Lily Bi Bath University)

1. Trees/woods/gardens air quality.Policies for Neighbourhood Plans. 3. Greening car-parks & town roads. 4. Greening town buildings.  5. Zero-carbon housing.  6.New building & green spaces.  7.  Protecting the night sky/light pollution. 8.Options for green roofs.  9. Options for the zero carbon home. 10. Effects on mental health & improved behaviour from nearness to green space/nature. 11. City gardens/wildlife spaces.  12.Home solar and wind: diy? 13. Threats/impact on health from fossil fuels & costs.  14. Changing to local employment to local employment. 15. Nature deficit disorder (phenomenon of children spending less and less time outdoors; associated behavioural effects ;detrimental impacts of disconnection from nature) 16.

 

(I) Loss/damage of Habitats/special landscapes

1. Hedges.  2. Copses. 3. Water meadows. 4.Meanderng water courses.  5.Moors. 6. Peat extraction.  7. Extraction from water courses.  8. Pollution of water courses.  9. Damage from tourism. 10 Damage from agriculture?

 

(J ) Pollution: (Nina Tapie  Bath University)

1. 2. Pesticides. 3. Atomic. 3.Radiation. 4. Sound. 5.Light. 6. Coal. 7.Gas.  8. Landfill. Fossil fuels. 9. Natural resources depletion. 10.Water courses pollutants.  11. Soil pollutants. 12. Air

 

(K) Circular Economy:(Emily Bloom Bristol University)   

1. Designing our waste  2. re-use/recycling.  3. Regenerating natural systems, 4. Longer lasting products.  5, Designing out pollution. 6. Energy without wast/pollution 7. Domestic up-cycling   (ref: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/)

 

(L)  Landscape/Environment Problems

1. Flooding- building on flood plains/water meadows.   2. De-afforestation.  3. Creeping urbanisation.  4. Failure to use brownfield sites. 5.Landfill.  6. Straightening/killing water courses.  7. Flooding decrease of trees/hedges. 8. Past damage from the Common Agricultural Policy. 9. Unnecessary intrusive man made structure.  10. Ring roads as a means to increase urbanisation. 11. Hedgerow destruction.  13. Prairie fields. 14. Wonky veg.  15. City & community farms.

 

(M)  Rewilding- Landscape

1. Connectivity.  2. Peatlands.  3. Wetlands.   4. Moors.   5. Tidal lagoons.  6. Natural flooding.  7. Restoring streams etc.  8. Beaver dams/water.  9. Standing water.  10. Core wilderness areas (restricted human access) & buffer areas. 11. Wildlife corridors. 12. Enhancing decomposers (worms, fungi etc).  13. Domestic proxy (Domesticated breeds used to replicate ecological services of wild animals, e.g. Tamworth pigs for role of wild boar). 12. Ecological remediation (Removal of pollution/contaminants e.g.soils, ground/surface water, sediments) . 13. Passive rewilding/land abandonment. 14.Pleistocene rewilding (Active rewilding to recreate functioning ecosystems as they existed in the Pleistocene, using proxy species where necessary).  15.Scrub. 16. Three C’s Model. 17. Urban rewilding.

 

(N) Pollution Costs

1 Human body invasive pollutants (incl.via food we eat).   2. Sound pollution threats to other creature 3. Night light pollution threats to other creature 4. Costs of domestic/household waste & pollution. 5. Hidden costs of oil/gas/coal/atomic energy.  6. Waste dumping.  7. Oceanic dumping/pollution.  8. Carcinogens in processed/factory farmed meats/rise in cancers. 9. Plastic nano particles in drinking water.  10 Costs of clean up & disposals of atomic & coal energy.  11. Polar ice cap loss & unleashing of  viruses/bacteria previously buried

 

(O) Oceans & Waterways

1. Waste dumping.  2. Hunting.   3. Nano & micro plastics.  4. Litter.  5. Over fishing/factory fishing.   6. Ice sheets.  7. Nitrates run-off.   8. Chemicals.  9. Species extinction & endangered.  10. Loss of habitats.   11. Factory pollution.  12. Nuclear waste & dumping.  13. Oil.   14. Sewerage.  15. Water extraction.  16. Gulf stream.  17. Oxygen depletion.  18. Ocean levels. 19. Algae & related problems.  20. Coral reefs.

 

(P) Landscape and Economy  & Health Impacts

1. Desert advance.   2. Deforestation.  3. Top soil loss.   4.  Flooding.  5. Loss of farmland. 6. Famine. 7. Species depletion though desertification/deforestation.  8. Ethnic genocide through landscape exploitation. 9. Rise of viruses due to encroachment on species habitat. 10.Community decline/collapse due to land exhaustion/destruction. 11. Decline of oxygen replenishment. 12. Sperm count drop/human infertility.

 

 

Garden Wildlife & Habitats

A. Species

1. Hedgehogs 2. Frogs.  Bugs. 3. Butterflies.  4. Dragonflies/Damsel flies. 5. Newts.  6. Birds. 7.  Moles. 9. Badgers. 10. Mice/voiles/shrews. 11. Bees. 12. Slow worms.

 

B. How to Make Animal Houses Juliet Colledge (Bath University)

1.  Bug hotels.  2. Bird boxes.  3. Hedgehog house. 4. Bat boxes.  5.

 

C. Soil

1. Worms and soil fertility. 2. Pesticides.  3. Nitrates.  4. Compost/fertiliser.  5. Leaf-mould.  6. Phosphor. 7. Erosion.

 

D. Planting

1. Pollinating plants. 2. All year round blooms for well being  & animals.  3. Sympathetic or companion planting. 4. Crop rotation.  5. Non pesticide bloom protection

 

E. Water

 1.Wetland areas. 2. Upward ecology of water in gardens.  3. Ponds. 4. Flowing water.  5. Waterfalls.

 

F. Feeding/Foraging Routes/Wildlife Corridors

1. Helping wildlife corridors.  2. Gaps in fences.  3. Importance of gardens to wildlife.   4. Gardens & wildlife corridors. 5.Community Gardens. 6. Food for garden creatures

 

G. Conservation For Children

1. Wildlife gardening for children. 2. Children’s own patch. 3. Nature watch games.  4. Craft.

 

H. Recycling/Renewables

1. Grey water from house waste.  2. Water butts.  3. Kitchen waste.  4. How to go off grid. 5. Ways of reducing your carbon footprint.  6. DIY renewable energy. 7. Composting.   8.Gardens as carbon sinks

 

I) Wild Spaces & Habitats

Rock garden & species.  2.Care about 'weeds': daisies/buttercups etc. 3. Decaying wood
4. Making a hedge for wildlife 5. Wild areas.  

 

J) Wildlife & Organic Gardening

1. Garden wildflower projects.   2. Flower rich lawns.   3. Hibernation- how to help
2. Attracting wildlife to your garden.  5.Gardens & priority conservation species   6. Dangers for wildlife in your garden. 7. Gardens & Conservation- overlooked.  8.Gardens as a resource for wildlife.  9. Gardens: physical chemical environment.

 

Organisation

In each category there are up to 15 separate subjects. Each student chooses one category and works on writing a document on each subject.

Each manager post lasts for one 12 month academic year. The engages in this research in their free time- there is to be no distraction from commitment to their university studies. The student can continue for another year if desirous.

There is no deadline for submission of articles. There is no demand or expectation that a student will write on all the subjects in their chosen category.

Copyright remains with the author but the Trust retains the right to publish/copy/disseminate the material for educational purpose. Droite morale is always observed.

Mentoring is available. There is a guide for writing articles; and there are introductory  documents for both the Conservation and the Wildlife projects.

Employers often look for voluntary experience in applicants when employing new staff. Successful student managers may cite the Trust as a reference in future job applications. They may also request a testimonial. For university accreditation/awards etc. The Trust will also credit the student with hours worked/tasks undertaken 

Student Enquiry Form

If you are interested in becoming one of our Student Managers then just drop us a enquiry via the form below telling us something about yourself and interests and we'll get back to you.