Biodiversity Netgain through nature restoration of urban green spaces

Supervisors:

1. Prof. Claire Wallace (University of Aberdeen)
2. Dr. Davide Dominoni (University of Glasgow)
3. Dr. Abbie Ferrar (North East Scotland Local Biodiversity Partnership)
4. Prof. David Burslem (University of Aberdeen)
5. Dr. Flurina Wartmann (University of Aberdeen)

Project Summary:

The Biodiversity Strategy 2045 outlines Scotland’s ambition to become nature-positive by 2030, calling for transformative and collaborative action to address the nature emergency. Statutory nature recovery targets, aligned with the Convention on Biological Diversity, require monitoring not only ecological indicators but also people’s attitudes towards nature recovery. This is particularly crucial in urban areas, where substantial potential exists for biodiversity restoration by enhancing public and private green spaces. For instance, Glasgow and Aberdeen City Councils have implemented biodiversity improvement measures such as the Flagship Parks for Pollinators, the Meadow-in-a-Box initiative with Aberdeen City Countryside Rangers, the Connecting Nature project, and Green Connectors sites in Glasgow.

The development of nature markets for biodiversity net gain in Scotland presents significant opportunities for urban biodiversity enhancements to compensate for biodiversity losses in rural areas. However, public resistance has arisen toward certain urban nature restoration measures, such as reduced mowing, wildflower meadow planting, or leaving “space for nature,” which can result in “messy” landscapes that clash with ingrained expectations about the appearance of public parks and gardens (Wartmann and Lorimer 2024).

This project aims to better understand the contributions of urban nature restoration to both biodiversity and societal benefits. The specific objectives are:

1. Assess public perceptions of the (dis)benefits of urban nature recovery measures through qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey incorporating photo-elicitation. This approach will evaluate attitudes toward specific local initiatives rather than general preferences (e.g., wildflowers vs. no-mow). Key collaborators include Aberdeen and Glasgow City Councils and the North East Scotland Local Biodiversity Partnership (NESBiP), which translates national policy into local action. The project will examine perspectives from the general public and key staff involved, such as gardeners and managers.
2. Collate and analyse biodiversity data in identified study areas in Aberdeen and Glasgow to measure alpha diversity (species and functional group richness) and beta diversity (differences in community composition) in public parks and other sites where biodiversity measures have been implemented through existing datasets (e.g. from project GALLANT via supervisor DD), as well as assess the spatial distribution of biodiversity measures
3. Integrate ecological and social data into a statistical multilevel model to evaluate how biodiversity enhancement approaches, biodiversity levels, and socio-demographic factors influence societal benefits and disbenefits

By combining social and ecological approaches, this project will provide insights into how urban biodiversity restoration can simultaneously advance ecological goals and societal well-being for societally equitable biodiversity recovery.

To apply visit: https://netgain.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/phd-projects/

Candidate Profile:

Applicants for this project need an environmental science or geography background including evidence of prior exposure to social science theories and methods and interest in the integration of interdisciplinary approaches bridging these domains. Applicants with a social science background and interests in environmental challenges and transformations are also encouraged. They would need to work across different disciplines and public policies. Social Science skills training would be provided by the School of Social Science if the candidate has only basic knowledge of them. Since public engagement is a key part of the project, they would need to have social skills for collecting data and negotiation aptitudes for working with policymakers. Linked to this they would need to be able to communicate complex ideas in a way that is understandable and interesting for a more general audience at all social levels. Since this project involves experimental and possibly controversial policies and approaches, they would need to be flexible and innovative in their outlook and prepared to approach diverse challenges.