THE FUTURE OF

ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
IN THE UK
A research agenda for the next 25 years
This report was authored by Yadvinder Malhi, Bridget Emmett,
Jaboury Ghazoul, Rosie Hails, Jane Memmott, Steve Ormerod,
Josephine Pemberton, Nathalie Seddon and Martin Solan.

SUGGESTED CITATION
Malhi Y., et al., (2023) The Future of Ecological Research in the
UK. British Ecological Society, London, UK.
Available at: www.britishecologicalsociety.org/FutureEcology

CONTACT DETAILS
Email: policy@britishecologicalsociety.org
Address: British Ecological Society, 42 Wharf Road, London,
N1 7GS, United Kingdom

Copyright © British Ecological Society and authors, 2023. This

work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. To view a copy of this licence, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Illustrations: © Cindy Van Heerden / Noun Project

Design: madenoise.com

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank the many people whose
contributions through online consultation and workshops
helped shape the ideas in this report, ensuring it is built
on insight from across the vibrant and diverse ecological
community in the UK.

The views and recommendations presented in this report

are not necessarily those of the organisations to which the
authors belong and should therefore not be attributed to
those organisations.

british ecological society.org 2

CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION 4

2. INTERDEPENDENCIES BETWEEN SCIENCE AND POLICY 5

3. FIVE PRIORITY THEMES FOR ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN THE UK 6

3.1 NOVEL FUTURES 7

3.2 LIVING LABORATORIES 8

3.3 DYNAMIC ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS 9

3.4 WHOLESCAPES 10

3.5 FRONTIERS OF DISCOVERY 11

4. SUMMARY 12

APPENDIX SCIENTIFIC STEERING COMMITTEE 13

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1. INTRODUCTION
An ecological understanding of the world has never been
more central and pivotal to the future of humanity and all
life on Earth. It is a time of immense challenge but also of
immense potential.

We have seen profound ecological changes in response to We need to:

local and global pressures created by human activity.
We need to understand the resilience of ecosystems, and •B
 uild on decades of experience and insight across
support interventions that can maintain biodiversity and the ecological research community;
ecological function, while also recognising that some of
• Address previously neglected areas of ecology;
these changes are irreversible and are creating new
ecological systems. •E
 mbrace new technological opportunities and frontiers
of discovery, including novel ecosystems; and
We have collectively failed to reverse biodiversity loss and
environmental degradation. This failure arises, at least in part, •B
 uild bridges to other areas of research, including
from still limited understanding of how ecological systems the natural and social sciences, economics and
work. Perhaps more crucially, it results from a failure to embed the humanities.
ecological knowledge in public discourse, and in management
and policy decision processes. This report identifies the broad priorities for ecological
research in the UK for the coming decades.
Delivering our national environmental targets and aspirations
requires us, as a community of ecologists, to develop an Ecology is an indispensable discipline in predicting, identifying
agenda for generating and communicating the ecological and responding to growing environmental risk, founded
understanding that society needs for a more ecologically on fundamental advances in understanding. The priorities
vibrant and resilient environment in which nature and people outlined below, based on a consultation of those involved in
thrive. We must commit to doing so in ways which are ecological research and practice, will shape strategic priorities
equitable and inclusive for people of all communities. for research enquiry, discussion and funding into the future.

WHAT IS ECOLOGY? ABOUT US

Ecologists study the interactions among living The British Ecological Society is the largest
things and their environment. They provide new scientific society for ecologists in Europe with a
understanding of these critical systems as they membership of 7,000 in over 120 countries around
are now and how they may change in the future. the world. We support the ecology community at
all stages of their careers through our journals,
Ecology provides new knowledge of the meetings, grants, and education and policy
interdependence between people and nature that work. The first ecology society to be established
is vital for food production, maintaining clean air anywhere in the world, we have been the champion
and water, and sustaining biodiversity in a of ecology for more than a century.
changing climate.

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2. INTERDEPENDENCIES
BETWEEN SCIENCE
AND POLICY
The priorities for ecological research are driven by values, such
as a moral imperative to improve the state of nature, a pragmatic
and utilitarian desire to better people’s living conditions and
livelihoods, as well as a curiosity to understand the fundamental
nature of the living world. All these motivations are necessary
and valuable, and intimately connected.

It’s important to emphasise that there are numerous points

of interaction between ecological science and practice. In
selecting priorities, we have reflected on how policy and
BACKGROUND AND PROCESS
practice can best be informed by ecological theory, and how
it can inform ecological knowledge in turn. We have also
In 2022, the British Ecological Society began a
considered how the outputs of fundamental science might consultation process to identify the priorities for pure
be most appropriately packaged so that they can be readily and applied ecological research conducted in the
accessed in creating solutions for societal challenges. There UK over the coming decades. It aimed to help shape
is a need to be aware of the point of balance on this issue and
the views of different ecological and end-user constituencies.
thinking, engage funders and set a research agenda
for the UK.
The priority themes identified below seek to find this balance
and embrace opportunities for both fundamental and applied The initiative involved:
ecological research.
1. A community-wide consultation that helped
to understand the research landscape;
2. A two-day workshop with a group of academic
researchers, practitioners, funders and government
stakeholders from all four devolved nations;
3. A wider consultation at the BES Annual Meeting
in Edinburgh in December 2022; and
4. Inputs from a Scientific Steering Committee.
The focus was on ecological research within the UK,
though it is recognised that many of the outcomes
apply equally to international ecological research. The
UK plays an important role in international ecological
research, but any such global perspective falls
outside the remit of this report.

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3. FIVE PRIORITY THEMES
FOR ECOLOGICAL
RESEARCH IN THE UK
THE RESPONSES OF ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS TO A CHANGING PLANET
Understanding and shaping ecological responses to climate change,
other direct human pressures and non-native species
 Increasing the resilience of ecological systems
 Incorporating societal views of what the future should look like

THE EXPLORATION OF RESTORATION PROJECTS

FUNDAMENTAL ECOLOGY AS A SOURCE OF RICH DATA
Revealing poorly understood Turning ecological restoration
ecologies, such as the soil, and stewardship projects into
forest canopy and deep oceans living laboratories for robust
Using the rapid advance of data and monitoring of
technology to unlock new conservation approaches
insights into ecosystems Testing novel approaches
Relating this new knowledge and technologies
to society’s needs and the Exploring new concepts such
restoration of nature as rewilding, sustainable
farming and green finance with
policymakers, communities
and businesses

BEYOND LANDSCAPES OR SEASCAPES, UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITIES

ECOLOGY AT THE LARGEST SCALES OF ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS
 Understanding the connections and trade-offs Advancing understanding of the emergent
acting across scales from the local to the global properties of ecological systems and dynamics
Mapping the links between ecological systems and Developing new analytical approaches and modelling
supply chains, economic drivers and social values Using artificial intelligence and simulations to
Gaining insight into the global spillovers from generate insights on the impact of different
domestic ecological and land-use strategies stressors and changes in species and communities

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3.1 NOVEL FUTURES
The ecology of planet Earth is changing rapidly. The ecological
systems of today and tomorrow are already different from the
ecosystems of the 20th century that were the focus of the
developing science of ecology.

This change will continue. Atmospheric change alone ensures One overriding concern is the resilience of ecological systems
this, but this comes on top of other drivers. These include to climate change and other drivers. Ecological research needs
direct human pressures on habitat loss, degradation and to focus on analysing ways to increase ecosystem resilience
fragmentation; “new native” species, some of which are invasive; and gain a new understanding of what resilience is in the face
amplified pathogen pressure; and novel pollutants such as of contemporary climate change.
microplastics, pharmaceuticals and long-lived compounds.
What types of resilience should be aimed for – for example,
Opportunities offered through new technologies and ways in ecological function, community composition or natural
of operating, as well as emerging challenges such as species resources – and how can they be maintained under
migration and rising sea levels, will also lead to semi-natural rapidly changing environmental conditions? Under what
and highly managed novel ecosystems in new locations. circumstances does resilience require the transformation of
ecosystems, and what knowledge base can underscore active
These are novel futures and we don’t sufficiently understand management initiatives?
how ecological systems will respond. Nor how we facilitate,
shape and generate positive ecological responses in the There is a need for intensified engagement with social,
context of this rapidly changing and uncertain environment. economic and cultural research. It is crucial to engage with
societal views of what the future should look like to meet
Moreover, there are possibilities to actively create and shape concerns, challenges and needs. This includes understanding
novel ecosystems in the context of climate change, non-native how to accommodate shifting values, for example towards
species and changed disturbance regimes. These require more novel and formerly non-native species and habitats, and the
focus on functional and ecosystem ecology and investigating recovery of biodiversity and ecological functions.
approaches to nature recovery and management. They
would need to be based on strong ecological foundations,
ranging across approaches from regenerative agriculture to
multitrophic rewilding.

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3.2 LIVING LABORATORIES
The urgency of climate change and biodiversity loss requires
a strong focus on ecological learning through implementation,
experimentation and practice.

A broad range of ecological restoration and stewardship Living laboratories could also embrace social and cultural
projects are being implemented by a range of actors, including research to facilitate a holistic understanding of how ecological
government agencies, non-government organisations, conservation and recovery can embrace multiple values
private landowners, and private corporations seeking to meet and be most ecologically effective and socially acceptable.
carbon or biodiversity targets. These provide an opportunity. As such, they can be hubs for communication and wider
Researchers working closely with practitioners can develop engagement. They can be centres for national debate that are
some of the projects into “living laboratories” that maximise solutions-oriented, and places for collective learning on natural
the potential for gaining robust scientific insight and resource management and conservation across disciplines and
dissemination of good practice. alongside practitioners and land managers.

These research-intensive landscapes and waterscapes, in These sites would make more effective use of citizen science,
some cases encompassing multiple habitats, would focus for example by leveraging ecological information sourced
on understanding the implementation and effectiveness of through smartphone apps. The laboratories could also be
ecological conservation, resilience, adaptation and recovery. spaces for exploring new concepts with communities,
They would implement well-designed ecological monitoring practitioners, industry and business. Examples might include
and experimentation frameworks aimed at deriving rewilding, regenerative agriculture, sustainable farming, natural
mechanistic, systems-level understanding. flood management, biodiversity credits, green finance, nature-
positive markets and transitions to a circular economy.
Living laboratories would provide a forum for:

• Exploring the potential of new techniques and

technologies for monitoring spatial and temporal
changes in ecological systems;

• Benchmarking and standardising metrics; and

• Testing and validating ecological theory and models.

Novel approaches and technologies could be tested and

validated against rich ecological datasets. These technologies
include remote sensing, distributed and connected sensor
systems, lidar, eDNA, and bioacoustics, as well as new
capacities to interpret large datasets using artificial intelligence
approaches and emerging approaches for integrating and
analysing data across social and natural sciences.

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3.3 DYNAMIC ECOLOGICAL
SYSTEMS
In parallel with increased empirical understanding of how
ecological systems respond to global and local change, we must
advance theoretical understanding of the emergent properties of
ecosystem dynamics and the maintenance or loss of resilience
in ecological systems.

This includes understanding dynamics at short and long can act as potential brakes or accelerators of climate change.
timescales, how shifts in ecosystem composition lead to Incorporating ecological dynamics, such as demography,
emergent shifts in ecosystem functions, the cumulative impact competition and multitrophic interactions (e.g. predation,
of repeated stressors, criteria for ecosystem collapse and herbivory), into models is also important as these shape
resilience, potential tipping points, ecological surprises and ecosystem properties and dynamics.
extinction and speciation dynamics.
Understanding such dynamics and emergent properties
New challenges mean there is a need for new approaches. can be helped by advances in technology and computation
This includes generating new understanding of the complex power (e.g. deep learning, computer vision). The availability of
interdependencies of species across communities. The multiple types of both qualitative and quantitative data can
dynamics and stability of ecological networks, for example, enable a new level of “digital twin” simulations (advanced
remain beyond our predictive capacities. This makes it very digital representations of the real-world system) and artificial
difficult for us to anticipate and respond to emergent outcomes intelligence approaches to data assimilation.
resulting from changes in community composition.

New analytical approaches have the potential to generate

new insights when adapted for ecological purpose. Graph-
theoretical approaches, by way of example, can facilitate the
understanding of relationships across complex interconnected
systems, and particularly how perturbations ramify through
ecological systems.

Understanding dynamic ecosystems requires appropriate

monitoring and experimentation to generate new knowledge
which can further develop and validate improved theory and
models. This includes improved models capturing ecosystem
interactions with the wider Earth system, as these interactions

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3.4 WHOLESCAPES
Ecological systems interweave with other systems and
processes at multiple scales, from the local to the global.
There is a need to understand the connections and trade-offs
which act across these very different scales using the idea
of “wholescapes”.

More than landscapes or seascapes, a wholescape focus raises At a wider scale, a broader sense of wholescapes includes
the level of attention to a larger scale. It moves from detailed understanding the connections between specific ecological
understanding of processes in particular ecological systems systems and wider supply chains, global economic drivers,
(the focus of Living Laboratories above) to the ecological, and societal values. Such understanding ventures beyond a
economic and social connections across larger spatial scales. singular focus on ecology to understanding how ecological
systems interact with social and economic systems.
At the regional scale, the concept of wholescapes recognises For example, it seeks to understand the global spillovers
the connections across ecosystems and management types, from domestic ecological and land-use strategies.
in and across rural, urban, aquatic, coastal and marine
ecosystems. For example, agricultural systems may rely on Robust and repeatable approaches for assessing our ecological
ecological subsidies, such as pollination and pest control, from footprint outside of the UK is also an area we need to prioritise,
adjacent semi-natural ecosystems, and yet also impact those if we are to have an ethical approach to the management of
ecosystems. Terrestrial, aquatic and coastal ecosystems are wholescapes across the UK. We need to recognise the UK’s
connected through processes such as nutrient cycling impact on global systems and also how global connections,
and pollution. systems and trade drive change in the UK.

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3.5 FRONTIERS
OF DISCOVERY
Beyond applications of ecology to address the challenge of
human-caused change, there is still a great need for basic
exploration and discovery in ecological science. Much remains
to be discovered about the nature and functions of life on Earth.

Such frontiers include poorly understood ecologies, such as Many of these technologies face the challenges of an
those of sediment and soil, the forest canopy, the deep oceans abundance of data, and machine learning and other artificial
and the deep subsurface biosphere. Other frontiers include intelligence approaches can advance extraction of, and make
the ecology of human health and wellbeing (such as human sense of, useful information at levels not previously attained.
interactions with environmental microbiomes), the ecology of
novel pathogens, and the impacts of, and interactions between, A further challenge is how to link these new technologies to
emerging pollutants such as nanoparticles and microplastics. policy and practical needs. Can these new technologies lead
to new metrics for monitoring and tracking ecosystem health,
Technology is rapidly advancing our capacity to understand resilience and recovery? What does this new knowledge
ecosystems, unlocking new insights into even familiar tell us about ecosystem integrity? What are the cumulative
ecosystems. For example: impacts of multiple stressors on ecosystem health (e.g.
novel pollutants and pathogens, nanoparticles), particularly
• Environmental DNA analysis and ecological and functional at microbial levels? How does understanding of the small
genomics can greatly advance understanding of the scales (molecular and microbial levels) scale up and help us
frequently cryptic components of ecological systems understand at ecosystem level?
(e.g. soil fauna and microbial communities, or rare species);

• Bioacoustic monitoring facilitates high-frequency monitoring,

or understanding of poorly monitored biomes such as soil
and marine systems;

• Terrestrial laser scanning yields new insights into ecosystem

structure and responses to change;

• Remote tracking and increasingly small individual tracking

devices can reveal new understanding of species movements
and spatial structure of ecological systems;

• Quantum environmental sensing allows for finely resolved

monitoring of environmental systems; and

• Citizen science networks equipped with smart apps extend

the volume of ecological observations.

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4. SUMMARY
Ecology has been instrumental in identifying, highlighting
and contributing solutions to some of the major environmental
challenges of our time, while at the same time advancing
understanding of the nature and functioning of the living world.
There are strong foundations to deliver a rich and fruitful
research agenda, hastening both our understanding of present
and emergent issues and the development of practical solutions
capable of tackling the challenges of the 21st century and
beyond. We will rise to the collective challenge of maintaining
and restoring a flourishing biosphere that is the bedrock of
our civilisation.

CALL TO ARMS
Ecological research has a key role to play in developing
a more resilient, sustainable and equitable future in
which nature and people thrive. To achieve this, we
need to integrate fundamental and applied research
and work across traditional disciplines, geographies
and communities in these five priority areas.
The British Ecological Society is now looking for a
wide range of partners, communities, decision makers
and funders to join with us and realise this exciting
new vision.
www.britishecologicalsociety.org/FutureEcology

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APPENDIX

SCIENTIFIC STEERING
COMMITTEE
Nine experts guided the work and set out the vision for the Future of Ecological
Research in the UK. They have all made outstanding contributions to ecology in
the UK and bring expertise across a wide range of areas.

CHAIR: YADVINDER MALHI ROSIE HAILS JOSEPHINE PEMBERTON

PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY Professor Rosie Hails is Nature and Science Josephine Pemberton holds the Chair of Natural
Yadvinder Malhi is Professor of Ecosystem Science Director at the National Trust, holding honorary History at the University of Edinburgh. She is a
at the Environmental Change Institute, University chairs at Exeter and Cranfield universities. Her role molecular ecologist whose research lies at the
of Oxford and Director of the Leverhulme Centre is to develop the Trust’s nature strategy, research interface of ecology and evolution. For many years
for Nature Recovery. He explores the functioning portfolio and advise on science evidence relevant she has been involved in running the long term,
of the biosphere and its interactions with to Trust decision making. She leads teams focusing individual-based studies of red deer on the
global change, including climate on nature conservation, trees and Isle of Rum and Soay sheep on
change. Much of his work has woods, wildlife management, St Kilda.
focused on tropical ecosystems, land use, farming and public
but a recent focus has been on benefits delivered by nature.
nature recovery and biodiversity
restoration in the UK.

BRIDGET EMMETT JANE MEMMOTT NATHALIE SEDDON

Bridget Emmett is Head of Soils and Land Use Jane Memmott is a Professor of Ecology in the Nathalie Seddon is Professor of Biodiversity and
at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. She School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol. Director of the Nature-based Solutions Initiative
has over 30 years’ experience in environmental She runs a research group that uses ecological and Agile Initiative at the University of Oxford.
research focusing on understanding the impacts of networks as a tool for asking about the impact Her previous research focused on understanding
air pollution, climate change and land management of environmental change. She works in a variety the origins and maintenance of biodiversity and
for soils and ecosystems. of research fields including pollination ecology, its relationship with global change. Her work
agro-ecology, invasion ecology, now explores the effectiveness
urban ecology and restoration of nature-based solutions to
ecology. Field sites range from address societal challenges,
English meadows to Hawaiian both in the UK and globally.
swamps and from Scottish
islands to inner cities.

JABOURY GHAZOUL STEVE ORMEROD MARTIN SOLAN

Jaboury Ghazoul is Professor of Ecosystem Steve Ormerod is Professor of Ecology at Martin Solan is Professor of Marine Ecology at the
Management at ETH Zurich, a position he has Cardiff University. He is interested in global University of Southampton. He is a marine benthic
held since 2005. He recently joined the board change effects on freshwater ecosystems. ecologist with broad interests in understanding
of NatureScot, where he is using his scientific He is currently Deputy Chair of Natural biodiversity–environment interactions and the
knowledge to inform the implementation of nature Resources Wales, a committee member of ecosystem consequences of altered diversity and
conservation strategies in Scotland. Jaboury is environmental change. He champions strategic
the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee
a plant ecologist, with broader interests and applied interdisciplinary research in benthic
in forest and landscape ecology
and Vice-President of the RSPB. habitats, from coastal to
and management, working full ocean depth and across
in both natural and human environmental gradients.
dominated landscapes.

british ecological society.org 13

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