Robert Hindson
Areas of interest
- Peatlands
- Palaeoecology
- Biogeochemistry
- Climate change
- Conservation
Research centres and groups
Landscapes, Climate and the Lived EnvironmentResearch projects
Evaluating changes in Holocene and Anthropocene biodiversity and healthiness of English Peatlands
The Natural England Long Term Monitoring Network (LTMN) aims to track environmental change across a range of habitats including peatlands. Data collection from nature reserves across England has been carried out since 2009, including vegetation, soil chemistry, mesofauna and microbes, and air quality. However, there is a poor understanding of the historical context and likely future development of the environment because of climate change. Key questions for the project to answer are (1) over what timescales were current environmental conditions established? (2) Do the peatlands represent healthy ecosystems? (3) Will predicted climate change initiate significant changes in peatland hydrology and biogeochemistry, and biodiversity, and what mitigation options might be explored to manage the problem? These are critically important questions because peatlands are important for a range of ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, water holding capacity and biodiversity.
Supervisors:
Professor Nick Branch (University of Reading)
Dr Steve Robinson (University of Reading)
Dr Barbara Silva (Natural England)