Browsing by Author "Sutherland, William J."

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    A 2017 horizon scan of emerging issues for global conservation and biological diversity
    (Elsevier, 2016-12-10) Sutherland, William J.; Barnard, Phoebe; Broad, Steven; Clout, Mick; Connor, Ben; Côté, Isabelle M.; Dicks, Lynn V.; Doran, Helen; Entwistle, Abigail C.; Fleishman, Erica; Fox, Marie; Gaston, Kevin J.; Gibbons, David W.; Jiang, Zhigang; Keim, Brandon; Lickorish, Fiona A.; Markillie, Paul; Monk, Kathryn A.; Pearce-Higgins, James W.; Peck, Lloyd S.; Pretty, Jules; Spalding, Mark D.; Tonneijck, Femke H.; Wintle, Bonnie C.; Ockendon, Nancy
    Open Access We present the results of our eighth annual horizon scan of emerging issues likely to affect global biological diversity, the environment, and conservation efforts in the future. The potential effects of these novel issues might not yet be fully recognized or understood by the global conservation community, and the issues can be regarded as both opportunities and risks. A diverse international team with collective expertise in horizon scanning, science communication, and conservation research, practice, and policy reviewed 100 potential issues and identified 15 that qualified as emerging, with potential substantial global effects. These issues include new developments in energy storage and fuel production, sand extraction, potential solutions to combat coral bleaching and invasive marine species, and blockchain technology.
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    A horizon scan of global conservation issues for 2014
    (Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam., 2014-01-31T00:00:00Z) Sutherland, William J.; Aveling, Rosalind; Brooks, Thomas M.; Clout, Mick; Dicks, Lynn V.; Fellman, Liz; Fleishman, Erica; Gibbons, David W.; Keim, Brandon; Lickorish, Fiona A.; Monk, Kathryn A.; Mortimer, Diana; Peck, Lloyd S.; Pretty, Jules; Rockström, Johan; Rodriguez, Jon Paul; Smith, Rebecca K.; Spalding, Mark D.; Tonneijck, Femke H.; Watkinson, Andrew R.
    This paper presents the output of our fifth annual horizon-scanning exercise, which aims to identify topics that increasingly may affect conservation of biological diversity, but have yet to be widely considered. A team of professional horizon scanners, researchers, practitioners, and a journalist identified 15 topics which were identified via an iterative, Delphi-like process. The 15 topics include a carbon market induced financial crash, rapid geographic expansion of macroalgal cultivation, genetic control of invasive species, probiotic therapy for amphibians, and an emerging snake fungal disease.
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    A Horizon Scan of Global Conservation Issues for 2016
    (Elsevier, 2015-12-11) Sutherland, William J.; Broad, Steven; Caine, Jacqueline; Clout, Mick; Dicks, Lynn V.; Doran, Helen; Entwistle, Abigail C.; Fleishman, Erica; Gibbons, David W.; Keim, Brandon; LeAnstey, Becky; Lickorish, Fiona A.; Markillie, Paul; Monk, Kathryn A.; Mortimer, Diana; Ockendon, Nancy; Pearce-Higgins, James W.; Peck, Lloyd S.; Pretty, Jules; Rockström, Johan; Spalding, Mark D.; Tonneijck, Femke H.; Wintle, Bonnie C.; Wright, Katherine E.
    This paper presents the results of our seventh annual horizon scan, in which we aimed to identify issues that could have substantial effects on global biological diversity in the future, but are not currently widely well known or understood within the conservation community. Fifteen issues were identified by a team that included researchers, practitioners, professional horizon scanners, and journalists. The topics include use of managed bees as transporters of biological control agents, artificial superintelligence, electric pulse trawling, testosterone in the aquatic environment, building artificial oceanic islands, and the incorporation of ecological civilization principles into government policies in China.
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    Identifying the science and technology dimensions of emerging public policy issues through horizon scanning
    (PLOS (Public Library of Science), 2014-05-30T00:00:00Z) Parker, Miles; Acland, Andrew; Armstrong, Harry J.; Bellingham, Jim R.; Bland, Jessica; Bodmer, Helen C.; Burall, Simon; Castell, Sarah; Chilvers, Jason; Cleevely, David D.; Cope, David; Costanzo, Lucia; Dolan, James A.; Doubleday, Robert; Feng, Wai Yi; Godfray, H. Charles J.; Good, David A.; Grant, Jonathan; Green, Nick; Groen, Arnoud J.; Guilliams, Tim T.; Gupta, Sunjai; Hall, Amanda C.; Heathfield, Adam; Hotopp, Ulrike; Kass, Gary; Leeder, Tim; Lickorish, Fiona A.; Lueshi, Leila M.; Magee, Chris; Mata, Tiago; McBride, Tony; McCarthy, Natasha; Mercer, Alan; Neilson, Ross; Ouchikh, Jackie; Oughton, Edward J.; Oxenham, David; Pallett, Helen; Palmer, James; Patmore, Jeff; Petts, Judith; Pinkerton, Jan; Ploszek, Richard; Pratt, Alan; Rocks, Sophie A.; Stansfield, Neil; Surkovic, Elizabeth; Tyler, Christopher P.; Watkinson, Andrew R.; Wentworth, Jonny; Willis, Rebecca; Wollner, Patrick K. A.; Worts, Kim; Sutherland, William J.
    Public policy requires public support, which in turn implies a need to enable the public not just to understand policy but also to be engaged in its development. Where complex science and technology issues are involved in policy making, this takes time, so it is important to identify emerging issues of this type and prepare engagement plans. In our horizon scanning exercise, we used a modified Delphi technique [1]. A wide group of people with interests in the science and policy interface (drawn from policy makers, policy adviser, practitioners, the private sector and academics) elicited a long list of emergent policy issues in which science and technology would feature strongly and which would also necessitate public engagement as policies are developed. This was then refined to a short list of top priorities for policy makers. Thirty issues were identified within broad areas of business and technology; energy and environment; government, politics and education; health, healthcare, population and aging; information, communication, infrastructure and transport; and public safety and national security.
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    Priority research questions for the UK food system
    (Springer Science Business Media, 2013-10-01T00:00:00Z) Ingram, John S. I.; Wright, Hugh L.; Foster, Lucy; Aldred, Timothy; Barling, David; Benton, Tim G.; Berryman, Paul M.; Bestwick, Charles S.; Bows-Larkin, Alice; Brocklehurst, Tim F.; Buttriss, Judith; Casey, John; Collins, Hannah; Crossley, Daniel S.; Dolan, Catherine S.; Dowler, Elizabeth; Edwards, Robert; Finney, Karen J.; Fitzpatrick, Julie L.; Fowler, Mark; Garrett, David A.; Godfrey, Jim E.; Godley, Andrew R.; Griffiths, William; Houlston, Eleanor J.; Kaiser, Michel J.; Kennard, Robert; Knox, Jerry W.; Kuyk, Andrew; Linter, Bruce R.; Macdiarmid, Jennie I.; Martindale, Wayne; Mathers, John C.; McGonigle, Daniel F.; Mead, Angela; Millar, Samuel J.; Miller, Anne; Murray, Calum; Norton, Ian T.; Parry, Stephen; Pollicino, Marilena; Quested, Thomas E.; Tassou, Savvas; Terry, Leon A; Tiffin, Richard; Pieter, van de Graaf; Vorley, William; Westby, Andrew; Sutherland, William J.
    The rise of food security up international political, societal and academic agendas has led to increasing interest in novel means of improving primary food production and reducing waste. There are however, also many ‘post-farm gate' activities that are critical to food security, including processing, packaging, distributing, retailing, cooking and consuming. These activities all affect a range of important food security elements, notably availability, affordability and other aspects of access, nutrition and safety. Addressing the challenge of universal food security, in the context of a number of other policy goals (e.g. social, economic and environmental sustainability), is of keen interest to a range of UK stakeholders but requires an up-to-date evidence base and continuous innovation. An exercise was therefore conducted, under the auspices of the UK Global Food Security Programme, to identify priority research questions with a focus on the UK food system (though the outcomes may be broadly applicable to other developed nations). Emphasis was placed on incorporating a wide range of perspectives (‘world views') from different stakeholder groups: policy, private sector, non-governmental organisations, advocacy groups and academia. A total of 456 individuals submitted 820 questions from which 100 were selected by a process of online voting and a three-stage workshop voting exercise. These 100 final questions were sorted into 10 themes and the ‘top' question for each theme identified by a further voting exercise. This step also allowed four different stakeholder groups to select the top 7-8 questions from their perspectives. Results of these voting exercises are presented. It is clear from the wide range of questions prioritised in this exercise that the different stakeholder groups identified specific research needs on a range of post-farm gate activities and food security outcomes. Evidence needs related to food affordability, nutrition and food safety (all key elements of food security) featured highly in the exercise. While there were some questions relating to climate impacts on production, other important topics for food security (e.g. trade, transport, preference and cultural needs) were not viewed as strongly by the participants.
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    What do we need to know to enhance the environmental sustainability of agricultural production? A prioritisation of knowledge needs for the UK food system
    (MDPI, 2013-07-17T00:00:00Z) Dicks, Lynn V.; Bardgett, Richard D.; Bell, Jenny; Benton, Tim G.; Booth, Angela; Bouwman, Jan; Brown, Chris; Bruce, Ann; Burgess, Paul J.; Butler, Simon J.; Crute, Ian; Dixon, Frances; Drummond, Caroline; Freckleton, Robert P.; Gill, Maggie; Graham, Andrea; Hails, Rosie S.; Hallett, James; Hart, Beth; Hillier, Jon G.; Holland, John M.; Huxley, Jonathan N.; Ingram, John S. I.; King, Vanessa; MacMillan, Tom; McGonigle, Daniel F.; McQuaid, Carmel; Nevard, Tim; Norman, Steve; Norris, Ken; Pazderka, Catherine; Poonaji, Inder; Quinn, Claire Helen; Ramsden, S. J.; Sinclair, Duncan; Siriwardena, Gavin M.; Vickery, Juliet A.; Whitmore, A. P.; Wolmer, William; Sutherland, William J.
    Abstract: Increasing concerns about global environmental change and food security have focused attention on the need for environmentally sustainable agriculture. This is agriculture that makes efficient use of natural resources and does not degrade the environmental systems that underpin it, or deplete natural capital stocks. We convened a group of 29 ‘practitioners' and 17 environmental scientists with direct involvement or expertise in the environmental sustainability of agriculture. The practitioners included representatives from UK industry, non-government organizations and government agencies. We collaboratively developed a long list of 264 knowledge needs to help enhance the environmental sustainability of agriculture within the UK or for the UK market. We refined and selected the most important knowledge needs through a three-stage process of voting, discussion and scoring. Scientists and practitioners identified similar priorities. We present the 26 highest priority knowledge needs. Many of them demand integration of knowledge from different disciplines to inform policy and practice. The top five are about sustainability of livestock feed, trade-offs between ecosystem services at farm or landscape scale, phosphorus recycling and metrics to measure sustainability. The outcomes will be used to guide ongoing knowledge exchange work, future science policy and funding.