Sue Bell CEcol CEnv FCIEEM Awarded the 2026 CIEEM Medal
The CIEEM Medal is the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management’s highest honour, awarded annually to recognise individuals who have made an outstanding, and often lifelong, contribution to the advancement of ecology and environmental management. It celebrates excellence, leadership and dedication within the profession, and is open to both members and non-members whose work has had a significant and lasting impact. This year, we are proud to award the Medal to Sue Bell CEcol CEnv FCIEEM.
Sue Bell is a nationally renowned ecologist and environmental specialist with nearly 40 years of experience gained with the UK statutory agencies, voluntary sector, and consultancy.
Following a first degree in ecology, Sue worked for the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC), where she was part of and then led the freshwater loch survey team. Whilst there she helped develop a standard classification scheme for standing waters and contributed to the development of guidelines for freshwater Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
Following completion of her MSc, Sue worked for the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). She was responsible for promoting the Society in Scotland, and for developing policy on a range of issues including aquaculture, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), Coastal Zone Management (CZM), and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Sue moved to consultancy in 1993, which enabled her to broaden her experience within a large multi-disciplinary company. She honed her considerable skills in ecological management, policy and strategy development, impact assessment, appropriate assessment, green tourism, public participation and environmental education. One standout example is her work on the Scottish Biodiversity List. Section 2(4) of The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 required the production of a list of habitats and species that Scottish Ministers considered to be of principal importance for biodiversity conservation in Scotland. Sue led the team that developed the criteria for the selection and identification of habitats and species to be included on the list and contributed to the criteria for aquatic plants.
Between 2001 and 2010, Sue was the Technical Secretary for the Advisory Committee on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (ACSSSI). Her role required a detailed knowledge of the Guidelines for Selection of SSSIs and the ability to assist the committee in preparing reports addressing scientific objections to the evidence base for identification of particular SSSIs. This included providing written and oral evidence for the Scottish Parliament.
As a freelance consultant since 2009, Sue has been able to continue her involvement in influencing policy and managing habitats. For example, she produced a management plan for the Water of Leith in Edinburgh, which required a significant public consultation exercise.
Sue is an ecologist of great integrity. A former Honorary Secretary (2000-2002) and President of CIEEM (2002-2004), Sue steered the growth of the Institute at a challenging time, using her strong leadership and professional skills to increase the range and diversity of membership. Sue has been a member of the CIEEM Professional Conduct Panel pool since its formation, and she is an experienced Assessor for the award of Chartered Ecologist, acting as a Lead Assessor for a short while Most recently, she has played an integral part in the Institute’s work supporting early career ecologists, delivering the two day Introduction to Professional Practice module for every Early Careers Training Programme that we have run since its inception.
Her commitment to encouraging others in their career as ecologists and environmental managers is illustrated through her role as a mentor. To date she has mentored over a dozen people through Napier University, the British Ecological Society and CIEEM’s own mentoring programme. She is an enthusiastic and engaging trainer on a variety of ecological topics. She has run CIEEM’s training course in habitats regulations appraisal and appropriate assessment in Scotland over the past 9 years and delivered bespoke training courses on this topic for local authorities and private companies. She has also prepared specialist training material in the identification of freshwater plants including invasive species.
In recent years Sue has taken up highly important roles as a self-employed Reporter for the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) of the Scottish Government, and a Planning Inspector for the Government of Jersey, where she uses her rigorous judgment, integrity and impartiality to deal with complex casework.
I am honoured beyond measure to be awarded the CIEEM Medal. My graduation from Loughborough with an ecology degree coincided with the beginnings of increased legal requirements for assessing the effects of projects on our natural world. That has given me amazing and diverse work opportunities varying from surveying lochs to policy development. It is humbling to think that my efforts to improve our knowledge, understanding, appreciation and management of our natural world have been recognised by my peers.
Sue is a role model to ecologists and environmental managers across the UK and beyond and is well-deserving of the 2026 CIEEM Medal.