Alix Zelly presents at Future of UK Treescapes in Cardiff

Members of the STAND research team from RSPB Conservation Science and Cardiff University recently attended the second annual conference for the Future of UK Treescape programme on the 15th – 16th June in Cardiff.
The conference included introductory videos from the Treescape fellows and project updates from Call one teams.

Alix Zelly, Senior Research Assistant at RSPB Conservation Science, presented during a panel session titled ‘Tools for justifying and prioritising planting investment’ which was hosted by the project Connected Treescapes. Alix’s presentation outlined STAND’s participatory methodology for designing future treescape scenarios that will benefit both people and nature. The panel covered diverse approaches to landscape-coordinated tree planting investment, showcasing decision frameworks, portfolio analysis, and coordinated policies to achieve resilient treescapes.

During Alix’s presentation, she explained our methodology for creating future treescape scenarios through engaging with local stakeholders at workshops that will be held during this summer. These scenarios will be based on their ambitions and values for the treescape expansion. We shared how the workshops activities have been designed to be able to integrate the participatory data captured into the wider interdisciplinary work programme. In which, the values of stakeholders will form the rules used for our treescape scenario modelling.

It was a great opportunity to get the teams together, including meeting for the first time in person with members of our advisory board. The opportunity to meet face to face enabled us to discuss and ask questions regarding everyone’s role within the programme.

Melissa Minter presents at BES conference on Trees for Climate Change, Biodiversity and People

Melissa Minter, Conservation Scientist at RSPB, introduced the STAND project at the British Ecological Societies ‘Trees for Climate Change, Biodiversity and People’ Conference held in Canterbury at the end of June. Melissa, presented preliminary results from our ‘top-down’ landscape restoration scenarios. These land use scenarios, created both nationally and for two case study landscapes in the Northern Pennines and Yorkshire Dales and Elenydd, Wales, demonstrate the potential outcomes for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, food and time productivity under different intervention types for treescape expansion.

Teyana Muir