University of Exeter and National Trust work to improve biodiversity in 'critical decade' for nature

Researchers from the University of Exeter are teaming-up with the National Trust.

It's part of a new project to help improve the biodiversity of the UK - as well as helping us all to manage the precious landscapes around us amid rapid environmental change.

Their teams of researchers are coming together to help transform the ways that landscapes are managed and encourage people to play an active role in looking after the natural world.

Both have been 'strategic partners' since May 2021, and since then, they've been able to grow the number of projects they've been working on significantly, with the collaboration meaning more researchers have been able to connect their own expertise with each other - all with the aim of tackling the urgent environmental challenges which we all face,

This includes the RENEW and Net Zero Plus projects – funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) respectively.

At the heart of the partnership is a commitment to reconsider the way we think about the relationship between natural and cultural heritage landscapes, and use this knowledge to reimagine the way we manage landscapes in the future.

Harry Bowell, Director of Land and Science at the National Trust, said: “This partnership is a key route to delivering our ambitions for research at the Trust and developing our role as an Independent Research Organisation. By joining forces with experts at the University of Exeter, we can work towards making a real-world difference for our natural and cultural environments.”

Professor Lisa Roberts, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Exeter, said: "The partnership between the University of Exeter and the National Trust is vital in our efforts to shape the UK's landscapes for people and nature. By bringing together our shared expertise in biodiversity, conservation and heritage, we are taking important steps to secure a sustainable future for us all.”

She added: “We look forward to continuing our work together to develop new approaches to land management and biodiversity, and to engage the public in the importance of these issues."

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• university of exeter