2024 Autumn Conference Programme

Below you can find the 2024 Autumn Conference programme, or click ‘download’ on the right hand side to download a physical copy.

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2024 AUTUMN CONFERENCE PROGRAMME 27th & 28th NOVEMBER

Restoring Forwards – Best Practices for Resilient Nature Restoration

SESSION 1. BETTER GOVERNANCE, BETTER OUTCOMES

Chair: Richard Handley CEcol MCIEEM, CIEEM President

08:45 Registration & Tea / Coffee
09:30 Welcome and Introduction – Richard Handley CEcol MCIEEM, CIEEM President
09:35

Keynote:

International principles and standards for the practice of ecological restoration

George Gann CERP, Society for Ecological Restoration and The Institute for Regional Conservation

10:00

Better governance and ways to make decisions about restoration projects

Diana Pound CEnv FCIEEM, Dialogue Matters

10.25

Creating successful projects through programmatic action: aligning governance with best practice – a Scottish rainforest case study

Julia McCarthy MCIEEM, University of Edinburgh, and Dr Hannah Rudman FBCS FRSA, James Hutton Institute

10:50 Break

SESSION 2. WATER AT THE HEART OF ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION

Chair: TBC

11:20

Recovery and resilience or regression and relapse? The state of Britain’s streams and rivers

Prof Steve Ormerod CF CEcol FCIEEM FLSW FRSB FRES, Cardiff University Water Research Institute

11:45

Slow, store, filter: water at the heart of climate resilience and nature recovery

Dr Stewart Clarke CEcol MCIEEM and Jo Neville CEnv MCIEEM, National Trust

12:10

The Wendling Beck Environment Project: involving farmers in nature recovery monitoring

Dr Jo Treweek CEnv MCIEEM, eCountability

12.35

Building on breakthroughs: 10 years of practical pond restoration action backed by scientific research.

Dr Helen Greaves, University College London / Norfolk Ponds Project

13:00 Lunch
13:15 – 14:00

Drop-in workshop

Getting published: a workshop for aspiring ecology authors

Phil Dooner, British Ecological Society / Applied Ecology Resources

SESSION 3.   WORKSHOPS
14:00

Delegates will be asked to choose workshop choices three weeks before the conference. Choose one of four in-person workshops if attending in Cardiff. Online delegates will be able to choose between an online or hybrid workshop. Recordings of online and hybrid sessions will be available after the conference but we are unlikely to be able to record all parallel in-person workshops.

1.      Pond restoration workshop

Dr Helen Greaves and Prof Carl Sayer, University College London

2.      Reflections on Biodiversity Net Gain

Dr Justin Byrne MCIEEM, AiDash, and Ellesse Janda, University of Edinburgh

3.      Restoring ecologists

Dr Kath Allen, Kath Allen Coaching, and Luke Doherty, Mindful Peak Performance

4.      Creating a joined-up approach to Invasive Non-Native Species management and Biodiversity Net Gain

Daniel Docking, Property Care Association

5.      Lessons from community-based restoration

Chitisha Gunnoo, University of Mauritius, and Alexander Briggs, Weald to Waves

15:00 Break

SESSION 4. ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION TOOLS AND APPROACHES

Chair: Dr Caroline McParland CEnv MCIEEM, Vice President (Scotland)

15:30

From sky to insight: revolutionising ecological understanding with remote sensing and AI

Lauren Weller MCIEEM, Hannah Williams MCIEEM, and Stephen Marland, AiDash

15:55

Adventures in ecological design and Biodiversity Net Gain – what can be learned from a large-scale green-infrastructure-led housing development?

Julian Arthur CEcol MCIEEM, Tyler Grange

16:20

The St Helena Cloud Forest Project

Stuart Jennings, RSPB

16:45 Summary and Close Day 1

 

2024 AUTUMN CONFERENCE PROGRAMME 27th & 28th NOVEMBERRestoring Forwards – Best Practices for Resilient Nature Restoration

09:00 – Welcome and Introduction

AGM 09:00 – 09:55

SESSION 5: RESTORING NATURE AND PEOPLE

Chair: Dr Caroline McParland CEnv MCIEEM, Vice President (Scotland)

10:05

Collaborative rewilding: integrating stakeholder interests for optimal ecosystem restoration

Cain Blythe, Ecosulis and CreditNature

10:30

Invisible Friends: Can we enhance ecosystem restoration success and human wellbeing through microbial ecology?

Dr Jake Robinson, Flinders University

10:55

Good Practice Guidance for Ecological Restoration

Dr David Parker CEcol CEnv FCIEEM, and James Hicks CEcol CEnv MBiolSci MCIEEM 

CIEEM Ecological Restoration Special Interest Group

11:05 Break
SESSION 6.   WORKSHOPS
11.35

Delegates will be asked to choose workshop choices three weeks before the conference. Choose one of four in-person workshops if attending in Cardiff. Online delegates will be able to choose between an online or hybrid workshop. Recordings of online and hybrid sessions will be available after the conference but we are unlikely to be able to record all parallel in-person workshops.

1.     Net Benefits for Biodiversity – What’s occurring? How is the Welsh equivalent of BNG emerging across the border?

Craig Llewellyn MCIEEM CSJK, AtkinsRéalis, and CIEEM Wales Policy Group

2.      Risks and opportunities of Nutrient Neutrality for restoration

Dr Caroline Chapman FCIEEM, DTA Ecology, Maddy Czura and Dr Martina Girvan CEcol MCIEEM, Arcadis

3.      Funding and implementing marine restoration

–          Sustainable financing and innovation for seascape-scale restoration, Dr David Tudor MCIEEM, FIMarEST, PIEMA, Pelagos / Blue Marine Foundation

–          A nature-inclusive approach to coastal protection at Newlyn, Cornwall, Justin Ridgewell, Environment Agency

4.      Sourcing seeds and plants for ecological restoration

Nick Mann, Habitat Aid, Ted Chapman, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Matt Pitts and Dr Sarah Robinson, Plantlife

12:35 Lunch

SESSION 7: RESTORING LANDSCAPES

Chair: TBC

13:35

Nature recovery or butterfly gardening? Culture clashes on the journey towards landscape scale restoration

Richard Barnes MCIEEM and Mathew Frith CEnv MCIEEM, London Wildlife Trust

14:00

The role of brownfield land in nature restoration

Alan Carter MRICS FRSA, The Land Trust

14:25

Delivering the gold standard in process-led nature restoration

Ivan de Klee, Nattergal

14:50 Break

SESSION 8: RESTORING, REALIGNING, AND REWILDING THE COAST

Chair: Penny Lewns CEcol CEnv MCIEEM, CIEEM President-Elect

15:20

Wallasea Island: showing why and how to rewild the coast

Colin Scott MCIEEM, ABPmer

15:45

The Outstrays to Skeffling Managed Realignment Scheme: delivering landscape-scale intertidal habitat

Laura Thomas CEcol MCIEEM, JBA Consulting

16:10

ReMeMaRe – from building foundations to taking practical action for estuarine & coastal habitat restoration

Jon Davies, Environment Agency

16:35 Summary and Close