- Chair - Royal Entomological Society Pollination Special Interest Group
- Associate Editor - Insect Conservation and Diversity, Food and Energy Security, Agriculture and Forest Entomology
- Visiting Research Fellow – Western Sydney University
- Member - BBSRC Pool of Experts
- Jury President - European Landowners Organisation ‘European Bee Awards’
- Member - Defra Pollinator Advisory Steering Group
- Associate Fellow - Higher Education Academy
- Member of the British Ecological Society and the Royal Entomological Society.
Prof Michael Garratt
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+44 (0) 118 378 6149
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Research Professor
Areas of interest
My research focusses on invertebrate ecology in the agri-environment and primarily the impacts of farming practice and land management on the ecosystem services of pest control and pollination underpinning crop production. I have worked in many cropping systems including arable, soft fruit and top fruit production and my research is applied and often industry funded.
Specific areas of interest include:
- Pollination ecology and crop production
- Ecological intensification of smallholder farming systems
- Effects of agricultural practices on pests and natural enemies
- Trophic influences of soil fertility management in agricultural systems
- Integrated Pest Management
- Pollinator and pollination monitoring
Postgraduate supervision
Current PhD Students:
- George Allen (2023 – 2027) Reconstructing bee communities - the role of national parks in supporting pollination ecosystem services (Pollinis PhD)
- Anita Kopera (2022 – 2026) Biological control of major cocoa pest and disease in Indonesia (BBSRC MDLZ CTP)
- Vikki Rose (2023 – 2027) Bigger, better hedgerows – assessing hedge structure and landscape context for pollinating insects (NERC Scenario DTP)
- Christopher Hellerich (2022 – 2025) Ground-nesting wild bee in flower strips and the influence of ploughing on ground-nesting bee nests (University of Freiburg PhD)
- Joris Rockx (2022-2026) Precision Apiculture in UK Soft fruit
- Charlotte Howard (2020-2024) Wildflower habitat; Apples, Aphids, and Allies (FoodBioSystem DTP)
- Laura Reeves (2020-2024) Pears, pests and natural enemies: modelling tri-trophic interactions in a changing climate (BBSRC Waitrose CTP)
- Linn Vassvik (2021-2025) Sustainable Pollination of Norwegian Apples (Research Council of Norway, GreenRoad Project)
- Kiera Dymond (2019-2023) Sustainable crop production in Chile: Challenges, solutions and the role of biodiversity (BBSRC Waitrose CTP, Greencell)
Completed PhD Students:
- Nick Buck (2018-2022) Impacts of novel control strategies for Spotted Winged Drosophila on ecosystem services and crop production in raspberries (BBSRC Waitrose CTP, Berry World)
- Konstantinos Tsiolis (2018-2022) Bee nesting resources: the missing element of sustainable crop pollination (BBSRC Waitrose CTP, Worldwide Fruit Ltd)
- Louise Hutchinson (2017-2022): What is a bee really worth? Mapping the economics of crop pollination (NERC QMEE CDT)
- Victoria Wickens (2011-2015): Understanding and managing the flow of pest regulation services between protected areas and agroecosystems (EU 7th Framework funding)
- Zeus Mateos-Fierro (2016-2019): Sustainable production of sweet cherry: maximizing benefits from ecosystem services (Waitrose, Berry Gardens, University of Worcester)
Teaching
Lectures and practicals for Principle of Integrated Pest Management (AP3A102) and practical for Research Methods in Agricultural Ecology and Environment MRes (APMA 110). I supervise a number of undergraduate and MSc research dissertation students.
Research centres and groups
Centre for Agri-Environmental Research
Research projects
Current Projects:
- BioSmart Towards BIO-smart livestock farming in Colombia: cultural landscapes, silvo-pastoral systems and biodiversity (RCUK-CIAT Newton Fund 2018 - 2023)
- RestPoll Maintaining and restoring pollinators and pollination (H2020 2023-2027) services in European agricultural landscapes
- SAFEGUARD – Safeguarding European wild pollinators (H2020 2021 - 2024)
- GreenRoad - Sustainable growth of the Norwegian Horticulture Food System (The Research Council of Norway 2021 – 2025)
- PMRP Pollinator Monitoring and Research Partnership (Defra, JNCC, the Welsh Government, Scottish Government and project partners 2016-2023)
- Embedding Strategies and Action Plans for Climate Just Transitions in Communities (GRCF-UK PACT 2022-2024)
Completed Projects:
- TROPICAL - Translating Research Opportunities to enhance Pollination benefits to economically Important Crops And improve Livelihoods (BBSRC GCRF Translation Awards 2020 - 2022)
- NEOPOLL - Effects of Neonicotinoids and Temperature on Crop Pollination (The Research Council of Norway 2017 - 2022)
- SUPER FARM – Sustainable farming through effective pollination and pest regulation in India (GCRF Strategic Fund Substantial Research Projects 2019 – 2022)
- OptiSeed - Optimising agronomic and biological inputs for oilseed rape production (AHDB/BBSRC net-zero partnership 2021-2022)
- Close the Gap - Focusing on achieving bigger, healthier, better-connected hedgerows (Government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund 2021 - 2022)
- SMOOPS Sustainable Management of Orchard Pollination Services (BBSRC/NERC, Syngenta, Avalon and Worldwide Fruit 2016 - 2020)
- CLEANFRUIT - Towards zero residue fruit production: development of sustainable strategies for pest and disease control (EIT Food 2019 – 2020)
- Modelling Landscapes for Resilient Pollination Services (BBSRC Global Food Security - 2017-2020)
- Kenya EI Ecological Intensification of Smallholder Farms in Kenya (GCRF Development of Equitable Partnerships Projects 2018 - 2019)
- Biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services provision to improve economic, environmental and social performance in smallholder farms (British Council Researcher Links 2018)
- Promoting Productive and Sustainable Farming in the Indian Himalaya through Ecological Intensification (Royal Society 2018 – 2019)
- Better crop pollination and pest regulation for the Ecological Intensification of smallholder farmers in Argentina (British Council Researcher Links 2018)
- LIBERATION - Linking farmland biodiversity to ecosystem services for effective ecofunctional intensification (EU FP7 2014-2017)
- SUPER-B - Sustainable Pollination in Europe (EU COST Action 2014-2018)
- NPPMF - National Pollinator and Pollination Service Monitoring Framework (Defra 2014-2016)
- Sustainable Pollination Services for UK Crops – Insect Pollinator Initiative project: Sustainable Management of UK Crop Pollination Services (RCUK 2011-2014)
Professional Activities: