Experience

Footprint Ecology Ltd

• United Kingdom
• Environmental Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Senior Ecologist

  • Apr 2022 - Present



Plantlife International

• United Kingdom
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Magnificent Meadows Cymru Manager and Farmland Adviser (80:20 time split)

  • Aug 2021 - Apr 2022

  Overseeing the delivery, evaluation and reporting of a Wales-wide project focusing on the management, restoration and creation of wildflower grassland and health and wellbeing benefits. There are three main themes; i) Meadows Academy – upskilling and learning programme, ii) Our Meadows – engagement with Community Meadow Groups and iii) Health Routes – establishing two meadow walks from hospitals or centres of healthcare. This is an overarching role directing the project’s focus, maintaining and coordinating the partnership including the National Trust and Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, line-management of delivery staff, managing budgets and reporting to funders. Continuing specialist advice undertaking a number of defined projects for Plantlife, such as providing consultancy services for farmers, land managers and other eNGOs, writing a grassland learning programme as well as the other activities outlined below.

• Colour in the Margins Project Manager and Farmland Adviser (50:50 time split)

  • Jan 2018 - Aug 2021

  Overseeing the delivery, evaluation and reporting of an England-wide project focusing on ten threatened arable plants and three ground beetles and conserving other flora and fauna associated with arable farmland. Continuing specialist advice undertaking a number of defined projects for Plantlife, such as writing management guidance; contracted surveys on habitats and species and developing monitoring regimes; restoring and creating species-rich grassland and co-creating novel technological engagement tools; and evaluating the success of outreach activities for different audiences.

• Save Our Magnificent Meadows Adviser and Farmland Adviser (60:40 time split)

  • Sep 2014 - Dec 2017

  Two complementary posts providing ecological and habitat management advice. The range of work included providing advice on species-rich grassland to ten partner eNGOs; arable habitat management advice to farmers and land management advisers including running training days for professional ecologists; workshops for farmers and land managers; monitoring habitat change; engaging and overseeing contractors on the production of technical advice. Other responsibilities included provision of advice to Natural England for agri-environment scheme options on species-rich grassland, arable farmland and vascular plants of conservation concern; and representation of Plantlife on agricultural policy forums.

• Farmland Adviser

  • Apr 2012 - Aug 2014

  Developing Plantlife’s farmland work on grasslands and arable habitats, including project development, agricultural policy and advocacy, partnership development and landholder advice.Surveys and landholder advice: targeting and undertaking farmland plant surveys; landholder liaison and habitat management advice; production of materials on managing land for suites of plants; survey reporting and database management; assessment of sites to meet threshold designation criteria for Important Arable Plant Area Status Project management: budget responsibility for the farmland work, reporting against objectives for funders and statutory bodiesProject development: project targeting using species records to focus Plantlife’s farmland work; liaison with internal fundraising, communication and outreach staff and liaison with external partner bodies to develop projectsAgricultural policy and advocacy: Plantlife’s representative on Wildlife and Countryside Link’s Agricultural Working Group inc. commenting on joint statements and responses, CAP reform, development of the 2013-2020 RDPE and high nature value farming; Plantlife’s representative on the Welsh Enclosed Farmland Ecosystem Group inc. creation of key arable plant areas and targeting restoration and maintenance of low-intensity arable land management with the Countryside Council for Wales and liaison with the Welsh Government about Glastir; writing Plantlife’s vision statement for the conservation of farmland plants due publication in early 2013; plant specialist for Natural England’s Environmental Stewardship 2012-13 options review on the species and grassland groups (and watching brief on the arable group)

• Farmland Project Officer

  • Jul 2009 - Mar 2012

  Managing Plantlife’s portion of the Tir Gofal Monitoring Project analysing the affects of agri-environment scheme management on arable plants and grassland fungi in Wales.Developing survey methods for heathland species, arable plant and grassland fungi communities; site selection and assessment using GIS (ArcGIS and MapInfo); botanical surveying of rare heathland species and arable plants; support for subcontractors undertaking grassland fungi survey; multivariate statistical analysis of data using R (Residual plots for normality (inc. use of negative binomial and poisson distributions), GLMM (including analysis of paired sites), tree modelling and canonical correspondence analysis); production of material for the new Welsh Agri-environment schemes Glastir; responsible for budget management and project claims to the RSPB and Welsh Assembly Government; landholder liaison; volunteer liaison; report writing and presentation; project development to incorporate other areas of work such as arable bryophytes; Working with the partnership of organisations including the RSPB, Bat Conservation Trust, Butterfly Conservation and Welsh Wildlife Trusts. Other duties for Plantlife include writing site accounts for Important Plant Areas in Wales and England including a GIS overlap assessment of protected area and holdings by other NGOs and private landholders; development of Zones of Opportunity maps in suitable locations surrounding IPAs; liaising with other organisations about IPAs to take their conservation forward and development of fundraising bids to suitable bodies; representation of Plantlife on the Enclosed Farmland Ecosystem Group and targeting arable projects across Wales.



Somerset Wildlife Trust

• United Kingdom
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Mendip Living Landscape Manager

  • Apr 2008 - Jul 2009

  Managing the Mendip Living Landscape Team which was comprised of seven staff that are responsible for the management of reserves and wider countryside work across the Mendip Hills. Responsible for managing the teams overall budget in the region of £275,000 per annum; preparation and writing of fundraising bids with fundraising personnel at Somerset Wildlife Trust; team development to engage staff and volunteers to take forward action for wildlife across Mendip; personnel management including defining jobs within the team and direct line management of reserve and wider countryside personnel. Other duties inc. all the work noted in the Mendip Hills Living Landscape Project Manager post below.

• Mendip Hills Living Landscape Project Manager

  • Jan 2007 - Mar 2008

  Managing the Mendip Hills Living Landscape Project which aims to restore, recreate and reconnect BAP habitat in the Mendip HillsResponsible for achieving the aims of the project; management of the projects work plan and budget; targeting landowner liaison over 13000ha through provision of advice related to agri-environment schemes and other small grants; landowner advice including writing agri-environment applications; development of species surveying involving specialist species recording groups and implementation of botanical surveying to monitor habitat change in response brought about by the work of the project; detailed analysis of habitat change using ArcGIS; chairing the working group facilitating the project and managing the forum guiding the project’s work; presentation of the project to partner organisations and other bodies including verbal and written reports and use of BARS; writing of funding application with other fundraising personnel.



Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts

• United Kingdom
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Water Vole Coordinator

  • Oct 2005 - Dec 2006

  Coordination of the water vole work across 35 Wildlife Trusts Facilitation of the internal water vole specialist group and co-ordination of views on water vole issues by the Wildlife Trusts; representation of the partnership and production of policy documents to cover water vole work and mink control; production of national strategies to take water vole work forward within the Wildlife Trusts (key areas for water voles concept); representation of the Wildlife Trusts on the UK Water Vole Biodiversity Action Plan Group; provision of technical support for campaigns; input into the Wildlife Trusts Water for Wildlife initiative; report progress through BARS; facilitation of grants and technical advice to the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts; production of publicity material such as book chapters; creation of GIS maps showing regional mink control.



Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT)

• United Kingdom
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Water Vole Project Officer

  • Apr 2003 - Dec 2006

  Management of a species conservation project to protect and expand the declining water vole population within Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Development and implementation of strategic watercourse surveys; use of GPS and GIS to locate and map water vole field signs; data management, use of GIS software such as ArcGIS; design and execution of targeted predator control measures; liaison with landowners to develop predator control and habitat enhancement measures; communication and partnership work with academic institutes, environmental NGOs and government organisations; volunteer coordination; representation of BBOWT on the Berkshire Wetland HAP, Chiltern Chalk Streams Steering Group and River Thame and South Chilterns CAMS; working knowledge of legislation surrounding water vole conservation inc. protection and mitigation measures; budget management; grant applications; report production and publicity awareness campaigns.