Woodland management, invertebrates and the rewilding-management debate

About the Project

Proposed supervisory team

Dr Alvin Helden

Dr Steve Allain

Summary of the research project

In this project you will work collaboratively with the Wilderness Foundation to assess the invertebrate biodiversity of Mann Wood, an ancient semi-natural woodland with a history of coppicing with standards management. The aim of the project is to quantify the present patterns of biodiversity within the woodland, particularly in relation to past coppicing management, and to inform future management practices. The Wilderness Foundation is committed to a balance between biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, rewilding and human-nature connection. You will be instrumental in helping them determine how they can best manage Mann Wood in the context of these principles.

The wood has been well studied in terms of butterflies and to a lesser extent moths, but little is known about its other invertebrate inhabitants. You will use a range of sampling techniques to quantify invertebrate communities at multiple locations within the wood. The coppicing of the wood over the past 75 years has created a patchwork of plots of different ages that provides an almost unique opportunity to assess the effect of time after management on biodiversity. You will also be able to use other local protected woodlands as control comparisons for Mann Wood.

As well as the areas of forest cover there are also some smaller areas of open habitat, specifically open meadow and rides. These provide a contrast in habitat type and you will assess how important the presence and management of these are for the overall biodiversity of the site.

With the context of the climate and biodiversity crisis in which we find ourselves, it is important that we understand the consequences of our management choices. Your work will help to inform the present debate in ecology between those who advocate for a rewilding approach to woodland management, which involves as little intervention as possible, and those who favour repeated management to maximise biodiversity.

Where you'll study

Writtle

Funding

This project is self-funded.

Details of studentships for which funding is available are selected by a competitive process and are advertised on our jobs website as they become available.