British Ecological Society

Yesterday The Guardian revealed that the previous UK government failed to carry out nature impact assessments before approving the banned pesticide Cruiser SB 🗞️🔗 https://lnkd.in/dUwRySFs Learning that Defra greenlit this banned pesticide - which is toxic to all pollinators and insect life – without doing the necessary assessments because it was apparently too difficult, leaves many of us speechless. Political decisions that are good for nature are synonymous with political decisions that are good for people. As the UK reaches for the 2030 challenge, this is only going to become more vital. We need public bodies with ecological expertise and financial resources – let’s hope that Steve Reed agrees.

I had an incredible experience volunteering as a mentor for this year's undergraduate summer school with the British Ecological Society! 🌿✨ One of the highlights was sharing how the summer school has shaped my career and leading a session on climate policy and finance. It was also great to have the opportunity to discuss regenerative agriculture in the context of ecology and to gain a wealth of ecological insights from experts across various fields—from policy to entomology and riverine ecology. A particularly proud moment was when my mentor group delivered the winning presentation as part of our mentor activity! It was inspiring to see the students' enthusiasm and creativity flourish during our discussions. I tasked them with disseminating insights from one of the reports I had chosen for them: the 2023 State of Nature report, tailored towards the target demographic of tourists and recreational users. A massive thank you to my fellow mentors the amazing staff at BES and the session leaders for making this experience unforgettable! Immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to immerse myself in nature and the breadth of ecology once again! #BESUG24

#Capturing Ecology countdown!⌛ Only 5 days left to enter our photography competition celebrating the complexity and brilliance of the natural world📸🌳🐸🐆🦎 https://lnkd.in/eisRZQTp The competition is open to everyone, with free entry to the Plants and Fungi category for Plantlife International members and all categories for BES members With a top prize of £750, Capturing Ecology is brought to you with our competition partner, Ripple Energy. Ripple enables households & business to co-own new wind farms & solar parks & benefit from lower cost, green renewable energy supplied to their homes via the grid🌞🌬️ https://buff.ly/3Wki2Az

Join us in Liverpool for #BES2024! Our annual meeting brings together over 1000 ecologists from across the world and is a place where you can hear the latest research💡, deepen your understanding of current issues🧠 and catch up with colleagues and make new connections🤝   Both registration and our abstract submission process are now open.  https://lnkd.in/erQ8V5_K Apply to present🧑🏫 #BES2024 is a huge platform for you to share your science! Our scientific programme is made up of hundreds of speakers and poster presenters from across the ecological spectrum. Check out our website for guidance and details on how to apply.  https://lnkd.in/ehwiH-rd The deadline for applications is 17:00 (BST), 3 September 2024.  Book your place🎟️ Ticket sales are now open! Along with your Annual Meeting delegate ticket, you can purchase:  💭 Pre-conference workshop ticket – 10 December, 14:00-18:00  🔍 National Environmental Monitoring Conference ticket – 10 December, 10:00-17:00  👯 Annual Meeting party – 12 December at PINS Social Club Our plenary speakers📣 A mainstay of our Annual Meetings are the four internationally renowned plenary speakers. This year we are delighted to announce we will be joined by Rob Fish, Lucy Waruingi, Ana Carnaval and Nathalie Seddon. Find out more about our fantastic speakers here👇 https://lnkd.in/ewPDbR6N 

Our response to today's #KingsSpeech Professor Bridget Emmett, President of the British Ecological Society said: “Today’s King’s Speech offered a first indication of where tackling the climate and nature crises sit in the new UK government’s priorities. With some promising announcements, we look forward to further detail on how objectives will be balanced against existing commitments on ensuring nature recovery across the country. “The Water (Special Measures) Bill to strengthen the powers of water regulators is welcome. However, greater investment in bodies like the Environment Agency, as well as Ofwat, is required to make substantive improvements to monitoring and enforcement. “The rhetoric of accelerating building will please many, yet the pursuit of growth cannot be at the expense of our environment. Centuries of following this path have depleted British nature, with 93% of woodlands damaged, 73% of peatlands degraded and one in six species at risk of extinction. Our recent Land Use Report in partnership with ZSL details how a coordinated, government-led approach to transforming land use can restore biodiversity and tackle climate change while simultaneously supporting agriculture, housing and energy.”

🚨Deadline extension!🚨 You have until 31 July to submit your application to join us at our Next-generation Monitoring of Human-nature Interactions event. Taking place 10 - 11 September 2024 in London, this is a hackathon with a twist! Teams will cut across disciplines and methods to develop fast-paced projects to improve our understanding of human-nature interactions. Submit your application now! https://lnkd.in/e3c3xvSM

Completing our line up of plenary speakers at #BES2024 is Nathalie Seddon! Nathalie is Professor of Biodiversity and Founding Director of the Nature-based Solutions Initiative in the Departments of Biology and Geography (Smith School for Enterprise and the Environment) at the University of Oxford Nathalie's work focuses on determining the ecological and socioeconomic effectiveness of nature-based solutions to societal challenges and advises governments, UN agencies, and the private sector on this topic. You can register for #BES2024 from tomorrow!

Our next plenary speaker announced for #BES2024 is Lucy Waruingi! Lucy is the Executive Director of the African Conservation Center (ACC), a Kenyan-based NGO working in the East African savannahs for over 30 years. Under her leadership, ACC has now been established as a conservation and knowledge hub coordinating collaborative research & biodiversity assessments. Registration for #BES2024 opens this Thursday!

Neil McDonald is one the first recipients of a BES Pedagogical Research Grant. We ask him what pedagogical research entails and how he is using it to help alleviate #ClimateAnxiety and equip citizens with skills for environmental #Sustainability. https://lnkd.in/eEAapwuU

Last chance to apply for our #Policy fellowship with the The Office for Environmental Protection! ⌛Applications close 23:59 on 14 July 2024 Applicants will apply to work on 1 of 4 policy areas: 👾 Invasive Non-Native Species 🪱 Sustainable Management of Soils 🐞 Integrated Pest Management, Pesticides and Nature Restoration 🚢 Marine Noise Find out how to apply here👇 https://lnkd.in/edX3i_6N