About us
The Animal and Environment Research Group (AERG) is an interdisciplinary community of scientists working with relevant external organisations and industries in order to improve our understanding of the natural world and provide innovative solutions to the urgent and complex global issues of sustainable, ethical resource use and biodiversity loss. Our research has impact through conservation and wildlife management policy and through the animal-based leisure and food production economies. We operate in both human-dominated and wild landscapes.
Traditionally we have had strengths in animal behaviour and welfare; long-term climate change and palaeoclimate research; ecosystem restoration and biodiversity and taxonomy. We have been able to enhance and build on these strengths by transferring intellectual experience as well as statistical, genetic and chemical analytical techniques and GIS expertise between areas. This has allowed us to develop a number of exciting new projects and to take advantage of emerging opportunities in a diverse yet coherent way.
Our research is funded through a range of income sources including grants from government and non-government agencies and charities, knowledge transfer partnerships, business and consultancy. Much of our research is carried out in collaboration with academics and practitioners in other organisations including universities, research institutes, public agencies and parastatal bodies. Our collaborations include an important capacity building component in countries rich in biodiversity but poor in financial resources. Both our income sources and our partnerships range from local to international in origin.
Aspects of our work have a high level of media appeal and has featured in film, radio and web-based media in the UK and internationally. We have had notable successes in engaging the public in our work through exhibitions and the internet.
Our research outputs take a range of forms including extensive reporting to government agencies and policy makers, as well as regularly publishing papers in a range of peer-reviewed journals and presenting at workshops and conferences. We are currently exploring alternative forms of output such as the production of web-based open-access data resources.
Traditionally we have had strengths in animal behaviour and welfare; long-term climate change and palaeoclimate research; ecosystem restoration and biodiversity and taxonomy. We have been able to enhance and build on these strengths by transferring intellectual experience as well as statistical, genetic and chemical analytical techniques and GIS expertise between areas. This has allowed us to develop a number of exciting new projects and to take advantage of emerging opportunities in a diverse yet coherent way.
Our research is funded through a range of income sources including grants from government and non-government agencies and charities, knowledge transfer partnerships, business and consultancy. Much of our research is carried out in collaboration with academics and practitioners in other organisations including universities, research institutes, public agencies and parastatal bodies. Our collaborations include an important capacity building component in countries rich in biodiversity but poor in financial resources. Both our income sources and our partnerships range from local to international in origin.
Aspects of our work have a high level of media appeal and has featured in film, radio and web-based media in the UK and internationally. We have had notable successes in engaging the public in our work through exhibitions and the internet.
Our research outputs take a range of forms including extensive reporting to government agencies and policy makers, as well as regularly publishing papers in a range of peer-reviewed journals and presenting at workshops and conferences. We are currently exploring alternative forms of output such as the production of web-based open-access data resources.
Recent examples
Output: Policy Forum piece on elephants and the ivory trade in Science.External Income: £220,000 from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, over 6 years, to set up an eco-hydrological monitoring and evaluation programme at landscape-scale, UK wetland restoration projects.
Public Engagement: UK Ladybird Survey website and presentation on harlequin ladybird invasion at the Royal Society Exhibition 2009.
Media: Widespread radio and web news reporting of the discovery of new species of giant elephant shrew.
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