Potential Masters Projects

Project Title: Can we identify climate change risk to peatland using satellite images?

Delivery Plan Objectives: Prioritising Restoration Areas

Background

Peatland ACTION provides funding from the Scottish Government to support on-the-ground peatland restoration activities. Scottish peatland stores 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon, 25 times more carbon than all the vegetation of the UK. In addition to their value as a carbon sink, peatland also plays a role in flood regulation, water quality and support nationally and internationally important biodiversity. Through peatland management practices, such as drainage, heavy grazing and burning, peatlands have become one of Scotland’s largest degraded ecosystems. As peatlands dry and degrade, they begin to release carbon, become a source of greenhouse gases rather than a sink.  

Climate change adds an additional level of risk, threat, and uncertainty to the restoration of peatlands. In addition to the damage already inflicted on this ecosystem, the ongoing effects of climate change will continue to degrade these systems and increase the release of carbon. This can occur through the warming of soils, increasing the rate of decay and increasing the rate of carbon release, or the increased risk and intensity of drought resulting in wildfires. These risks are already visibly impacting what remains of these ecosystems as well as impacting restoration projects.  

By identifying how peatland might be vulnerable to climate change hazards, we can prioritise restoration projects to address those areas of peatland that are most at risk first and protect them from further hazards posed by climate change. 

Description of proposed research (max 250 words)

Aims:

1. Explore the use of Geo.View, QGIS or Google Earth to map vulnerability features (e.g. roads, gullies, forests etc.) of peatland sites in Scotland.
2. Create a few case studies of the types of features identified and the associated climate change risk.
3. Summarise the findings of the study with recommendations for use. 

This is a desk-based project and so can be executed wherever is convenient for the successful candidate. They must have regular access to the internet to be able to perform map searches.

If useful, at least part of the student’s time on the project could be spent in a NatureScot office. We could also facilitate field visits to see relevant cases.

A comprehensive report on findings would be required, including a brief summary of each site mapped, and a summary of findings in line with the three-principle project aims outlined above. 

Supervision:

The University is expected to undertake most of the student supervision, NatureScot will provide a lead specialist contact who can provide guidance.

Project timescale limitations

This is a three-month study, and the student would need to be available between September 2024 and January 2025. 

Project Title: Carbon opportunities cost from deer grazing

MSc student to build on short ClimateXChange review, expanding literature review, on C implications from impacts of deer on woodlands, and seek to estimate the role of deer population reduction in achieving the net zero target, possibly developing some simple scenarios.

Measuring the impact of Outdoor learning on nature connectedness in young people

Using the nature connectedness index to explore whether outdoor learning increases nature connectedness in young people.

Evaluating the impact of Digital Outdoor learning apps on nature connectedness in young people

Explore the impact of digital outdoor learning apps, including for citizen science, in engaging young people with nature and increasing nature connectedness.

Outdoor learning and its impacts on families of children involved

What is the health and wellbeing impact on families of the children who experience regular outdoor learning, particularly in disadvantaged areas?

Health & wellbeing benefits to teachers engaging in Outdoor learning

What is the health and wellbeing impact on educators who regularly take learning outdoors?  

Attitudes to climate change adaptation measures in greenspace or parks

For a type, or range of types, of area (park or other greenspace, or peri-urban areas), find out more about the community’s attitudes to interventions such as SuDS, tree planting, Has it changed, and if so, how?  Has also it changed their opinions on climate change?

Monitoring local perceptions of the impacts of visitors on communities and wildlife

How do we best gather evidence of the local perceptions of the impacts of visitors on communities and wildlife, what are the key influences on these perceptions and how could this inform future visitor management?

Evaluating the impact of local signage on visitor behaviours

What evidence exists on the impact of signage on changing visitor behaviours and how does this contrast with the on-the –ground experience from the use of a range of signs in Scotland’s nature reserves and national parks?

The role of landscape character assessment (LCA) in planning for habitat connectivity and adaptation to climate change

Look into potential links between the 2019 landscape character types dataset and Habitat Opportunity mapping (in CSGN area).   How can LCTs helpfully influence measures to improve habitat connectivity? What does it tell us about future adaptation to climate change?

Quantifying the health & wellbeing benefits to NHS staff from using the NHS estate

Following the improvements to greenspace on the NHS estate, are staff using them more and why? What are the personal and organisational benefits which are resulting and how best can we quantify them?

Project Title: Impacts from construction on the biodiversity crisis.

Delivery Plan Objectives

Guidance and capacity raising; positive effects for biodiversity priorities; business engagement. 

Background

Environmental impacts during the construction phase, such as disturbance to peat, habitats, dust, and silt, have the potential to affect biodiversity both during, and after, construction. However, the assessment, and planning applications, of development projects on biodiversity often focus on the completed (operational / permanent) infrastructure, with less attention given to the short (temporary / construction) phases in terms of environmental commitments, and mitigation, despite the inherent high environmental risk associated with them.

Description of proposed research (max 250 words)

• Aim of the project

Using available consent documents, case studies and incident reports, assess and quantify the impacts of construction on the biodiversity crisis. This research aims to systematically analyse how construction activities contribute to biodiversity loss, as well as enhancement, offering quantifiable data to highlight the extent of the issue and inform strategies for mitigating these impacts and providing biodiversity enhancement. Opportunities and recommendations to drive up environmental compliance through effective monitoring should also be identified.

• Whether it is a desk-based piece of research or includes field research or both.

Desk based although day trips to an active construction site would be beneficial to review delivery /implementation compliance monitoring.

• what information/data NatureScot will provide 

Guidance on where to source environmental monitoring data from construction projects, if available.  

• desired outputs

A thesis discussing the impacts of construction on the biodiversity crisis, detailing the effects of construction, and the greatest construction risks to achieving environmental compliance. It should also detail positive effects construction can achieve through biodiversity enhancement. This research can be used to inform policy, guidance, regulatory reform and enhance construction mitigation strategies.

Project timescale limitations

No limitations. 

Project Title: Natural capital assessments for construction phases– pre, and post, construction.

Delivery Plan Objectives

Guidance and capacity raising; positive effects for biodiversity priorities; business engagement. 

Background

‘’Society and the economy depend on natural capital assets and services—including the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the food we eat—to function. However, natural capital has declined in recent decades. Infrastructure both contributes to and is impacted by this decline, but it can also help reverse it." – National Infrastructure Commission

Currently, the industry often requires environmental disciplines to carry out assessments in silos, which allows pre-consent environmental consultants to assess environmental impacts without fully considering their effects on ecosystems. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approach is fairly simplistic, often overlooking the complexity of interrelated environmental factors. Professional qualifying bodies, such as the Association of Environmental Clerks of Works, are advocating for a more holistic approach to environmental impact assessments. They emphasize that environmental disciplines are interconnected and complex, necessitating more robust assessments.

Hydrology serves as a prime example, as water influences peat, flora, and fauna, all of which are interlinked. Yet, these relationships are often oversimplified or ignored in current assessments. A more comprehensive approach is essential to accurately reflect the complexities of natural systems and to ensure that environmental impacts are fully understood and addressed.

Description of proposed research (max 250 words)

• Aim of the project

Using hydrology (or similar) as a case study, develop a research base to determine whether the current focus of natural capital assessments could be broadened. By incorporating insights from additional environmental disciplines, a more holistic and robust assessment can be achieved, which can then be used to inform policy and advocate for necessary changes.

• Whether it is a desk-based piece of research or includes field research or both.

Desk-based

• what information/data NatureScot will provide 

Natural capital assessments, if available.

• desired outputs

A thesis discussing natural capital assessments for construction phases, detailing the shortcomings in current methods and the infrequency of assessments.

• Project timescale limitations

Flexible

Project Title: Monitoring environmental compliance during construction.

Delivery Plan Objectives

Guidance and capacity raising; positive effects for biodiversity priorities; business engagement. 

Background

Based on the experience of Environmental Clerks of Work (EnvCoW) there are major issues with environmental compliance monitoring, which often avoids defining environmental compliance, as well as under-reporting it. This results in environmental outcomes that are more adverse than predictions and assessments in EIAs and planning applications. It is considered that the main issues are likely to be the roles/responsibilities and appointments of EnvCoWs, the role of construction contracts in compliance monitoring, as well as the absence of industry standards / regulation of development project compliance monitoring. 

Attaining consent for new development projects is a rigorous and thorough process. However, as identified by the Office of Environmental Protection in their review of the implementation of Environmental Assessment Regimes in England.

“We found recurring concerns over lack of post-decision ‘compliance’ monitoring to check that required actions have been taken, or of ‘effectiveness’ monitoring to ensure those actions have secured expected environmental outcomes.”

Description of proposed research (max 250 words):

Aim of the project: 

The effectiveness of environmental compliance monitoring of development projects depends on a variety of factors, with no industry standard, limited guidance, and no regulations in place. Analysing environmental compliance monitoring on consented projects will identify the issues, and effectiveness, of existing industry monitoring arrangements, including roles and responsibilities, as well as the structure of appointments for environmental specialists that are responsible for undertaking various monitoring requirements. Opportunities and recommendations to drive up environmental compliance through effective monitoring should also be identified. 

Whether it is a desk-based piece of research or includes field research or both: 

Desk-based, although  day trips to active construction sites would be beneficial, to identify, understand, and assess how env compliance is delivered/implemented on different projects.

What information/data NatureScot will provide 

Standing Guidance

Responses to applications

Desired outputs: 

A thesis discussing the effectiveness and impartiality of compliance monitoring during construction. This thesis can then be used to help inform policy, guidance and regulatory changes. 

Project timescale limitations

Flexible.

Project Title: Assess the effectiveness of, and alternatives to, mitigation used during construction.

Project title: The opportunities and challenges for nature in green hydrogen production

Delivery Plan Objectives

This project would support our objective to engage and influence planning and other regulatory systems to ensure they deliver nature and climate by helping identify opportunities and challenges for nature during green hydrogen developments.

Background

In order to help achieve net zero, the Scottish Government have set a target of 5 GW of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production by 2030 and 25 GW by 2045.  Increasingly green hydrogen proposals are being proposed as part of this yet we have still to fully understand the opportunities and challenges for nature that they pose.

Description of proposed research (max 250 words)

The aim of the project is understand what opportunities and challenges green hydrogen projects pose.

This could involve both desk-based and field research in order to pull together a minimum of five case studies identifying the opportunities and challenges. The location of these case studies should be within Scotland.

NatureScot can provide details of any advice it has given on the chosen projects. It would also be useful to review Environmental Impact Assessments and other responses from other bodies to understand other impacts or opportunities for nature.

By having a selection of case studies, NatureScot can then feed the results into forthcoming guidance on hydrogen and use lessons learned in other areas of work.

Project timescale limitations

The project can take place at any time of year.

Project title: Review of the use of peat in windfarm track verge and hard standing reinstatement

Delivery Plan Objectives

This project would support our objective to engage and influence planning and other regulatory systems to ensure they deliver nature and climate by helping to protect peatland habitats during wind farm development.

Background

Onshore wind farm sites are often located in upland environments where peatlands are present. Sites should be designed to avoid disturbing peatlands wherever possible but this still means that some peat is excavated. National Planning Framework 4 Policy 5 requires that sites need to be restored and enhanced  into a functioning peatland system capable of achieving carbon sequestration. This is significant challenge when reinstating the verges of wind farm tracks and hard standing areas with a variety of methods during handling and storage currently employed to varying successes.

Description of proposed research (max 250 words)

The aim of the project is understand what methods are currently employed, the rational for the chosen methods, how the different methods have impacted the adjacent peatland habitat and details of any mitigation.

This will require both desk-based and field research in order to pull together a minimum of five case studies. The location of these case studies should be within Scotland.

NatureScot can provide details of any advice it has given on the chosen projects. It would also be useful to review the Environmental Impact Assessments and contractor plans and specifications to understand the rational for the chosen method and any subsequent environmental impacts and mitigation.

By having a selection of case studies, NatureScot can then feed the results into forthcoming guidance on the protection of peatlands and use lessons learned in other areas of work.

Project timescale limitations

The project can take place at any time of year.

Project title: Comparison of the environmental impact of gravity based and piled wind turbine bases

Delivery Plan Objectives

This project would support our objective to engage and influence planning and other regulatory systems to ensure they deliver nature and climate by helping to understand a possible opportunity to further protect habitats during wind farm development.

Background

The Scottish Government have ambitious targets to increase onshore wind production. Many of these sites are located in upland areas on sensitive sites. Gravity bases for turbines requires significant excavations whereas the use of piled turbine bases can reduce the size of excavation.

Description of proposed research (max 250 words)

The aim of the project is to understand what the differences in environmental impact are between gravity bases and piled bases during the life of a windfarm from construction, repowering and decommissioning.

This would mainly involve desk-based research in order to pull together a minimum of three case studies identifying why the type of base was chosen, what environmental impacts occurred and what mitigation was used to address these impacts. There may be opportunities for field research where it would be useful to understand any on-site implementation aspects. The location of these case studies should be within the UK preferably in an upland environment however other sites may be considered.

NatureScot can provide details of any advice it has given on the chosen projects. It would also be useful to review the Environmental Impact Assessments and contractor plans and specifications to understand the rational for the chosen design and any subsequent environmental impacts and mitigation.

By having a selection of case studies, NatureScot can then feed the results into forthcoming guidance and use lessons learned in other areas of work.

Project timescale limitations

The project can take place at any time of year.

Project title:  Delivering NPF4’s policy ambitions for nature – how well is Development Management delivering in practice? 

Delivery Plan Objectives

This project would support our objective to engage and influence planning and other regulatory systems to ensure they deliver nature and climate.  It has particular relevance to our work supporting NPF4’s delivery of positive effects for biodiversity.

Background

NPF4 Biodiversity Policy 3 has introduced new requirements for development to enhance biodiversity, strengthening previous policy that only encouraged such actions.  Depending on the category of development, policy now requires development to contribute to restoring degraded habitats, strengthening nature networks, providing significant enhancements, leaving nature in a demonstrably better state than before, or including appropriate measures. 

The extent to which development will successfully deliver NPF4’s policy intent will largely depend on what, and how well, these biodiversity measures are implemented and managed in the longer term.  Earlier work and discussion with stakeholder suggests that standards are often poor.

Description of proposed research (max 250 words)

• The aim of the research is to examine current development management practice and experience in planning for and implementing actions to enhance biodiversity, assess the standard of their implementation, and identify key lessons and recommendations for improving practice.
• Research will involve desk based review of relevant development management documentation, interview / questionnaire of key stakeholders (planning officers, developers, factors), site survey of implementation on site.
• Proposed that a number of planning authorities are selected from anywhere in Scotland.
• NatureScot can provide the findings of an earlier study examining the implementation and management of biodiversity measures to be implemented by development.

Project timescale limitations

The project can take place at any time of year.

Project title: Carbon assessment in planning - how much peat disturbance is too much?

Under SPP 2010 the onus is on demonstrating minimisation of impact by avoidance in layout design and in construction methods, plus compensatory enhancement of degraded habitats / creation of new peatland habitats.  Can an equitable means of dividing up the sectoral carbon budgets (as allocated by the Committee on Climate Change) be devised for application to development management?   Presumably local authority contributions to emissions under Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) are for actual development – is it worth also considering projected emissions that already have consent but are not yet built?

Project title: Soil carbon, Peatland condition, Carbon emission savings and peatland restoration

Can we expand the required carbon assessment and/or peat management information to account for peatland condition, and use this with the emission factors used in the Peatland Carbon Code to estimate the carbon emissions savings associated with proposed restoration? Could this also be used in some way to look at the change in emissions after construction in the areas which have been reinstated and those which are now under the infrastructure footprint? 

Peatland Carbon Code emission factors:

Pre-Restoration

Category (Baseline)                Baseline Emission Factor (tCO2e/ha/yr)

Actively Eroding                      23.84

Drained                                   4.54

Modified                                  2.54

Near Natural                           1.08

For selected area, the condition categories on page 3 of the Peatland Code Field Protocol could also be used with aerial data (satellite, drone etc remote sensing) and image analysis to estimate the carbon emissions savings from restoring all the actively eroding haggs/gullies, or flat bare erosion features, or drainage (from artificial drains or from erosion features).

Project title: Expansion of the carbon assessment into all development management

What would accelerate the process? How accurate needed? What needs to be included? What most useful metric for decision making and determining how much compensation is required?

In Wales, NRW use the ratio of carbon lost from land to restoration gains. The NRW ratio includes the following terms from the carbon calculator:

• In losses from soil ecosystem (aka soil + vegetation): reduced carbon fixing potential (always trivial), DOC & POC leaching, soil organic matter, felling forestry
• In gains – improvement of degraded bogs, improvement of felled forestry (what does this mean?), peatland restoration/reinstatement in borrow pits

However, we frequently receive carbon calculator submissions where the applicant hasn’t included the carbon rich habitat restoration or habitat management information. This gives a worst case scenario but doesn’t give us anything useful in terms of the ratio. Any future tool should be a lot simpler than the carbon calculator and should keep the details of mechanisms of gains flexible to allow for innovation.

Use standard values for carbon emissions by peatland condition to estimate soil organic matter loss from soil ecosystems – could also allow for future expansion to other carbon rich soil.

Project title: How to accelerate the rate of peatland restoration through compensatory mechanism in Development Management (i.e. Planning)?

Currently consider the area of peatland habitat disturbed and volume of peat to be excavated:

•  permanent or temporary (e.g. temporary could be access track for construction period only; floated (no excavation, on geotextile) construction compound during construction phase)

•  direct loss (excavated/under infrastructure footprint) or indirect loss (due to changes in hydrology)

•  volume of peat soil (> 50 cm of peat) to be excavated and reused (total, acrotelmic, catotelmic)

Could a greater amount of restoration be required if using carbon gains from restoration activities? Would that require a greater effort to be delivered by the developer if based on the carbon (given that that is determined by the excavated peat volume, so a function of the peat depth as well as the surface area affected). How much additional effort will be require to consider volume of peat displace from other carbon rich soil (peat <50cm)?

Project title: Investigating potential light disturbance from cruise ships on petrels/shearwater and developing best practice guidance.

Light disturbance is a well-recognised pressure acting on petrels and shearwaters. Work is underway to consider this impact pathway with respect to offshore wind farm (OWF) development, but we are also aware that during the breeding season, cruise ships anchor off seabird islands overnight ahead of a land visit the following day. Ships remain fully lit up throughout the night and have the potential to disorientate petrels and shearwaters. The degree to which this is happening is not known and the level of impact poorly understood.

This project would take an initial look at identifying scale of occurrence, impact, and making recommendations for best practice to avoid/reduce light disturbance.

Project title: Assessing the resilience of Scotland’s MPA network to climate change.

Climate change will have a profound effect on global marine environments, with business-as-usual emission scenarios projecting temperature increases of 4.3°C above pre-industrial levels, pH decreases of 0.31–0.35 and increasingly frequent extreme weather events by 2100. Such changes will have significant impacts to marine ecosystems, for example, by causing changes in species composition and disrupting trophic pathways.

Scotland’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) network covers 37% of Scotland’s seas, hosting a range of species and habitats. The current MPA has been designed with current species and habitats distributions in mind with site-specific conservation objectives aiming to keep species and habitats at, or bring them to, favourable condition. The resilience of the current MPA network to climate change has not been assessed and it is not known if climate change will impact our ability to meet MPAs conservation objectives. A better understanding of this resilience is crucial for a strategic, rather than reactive, response to climate change.

This MSc project aims to assess the resilience of Scotland’s MPA network to climate change. We envision that the student will first trial different methods for assessing resilience, focusing on a specific MPA. The student may then wish to assess several MPAs and may wish to focus on a specific region (i.e., West Coast or North Sea) or compare MPAs in different regions that host similar species and habitats. Different IPPC scenarios may wish to be explored. As part of an initial literature review, the student may wish to explore how the resilience of MPA networks is being assessed in other countries. Along with the assessment, intended outcomes should include recommendations how to integrate climate change in Scotland’s MPA network design.

Project title: Fair Isle Demonstration and Research MPA baseline plankton survey analysis.

Ocean plankton plays a fundamental role in maintaining the health and structure of the marine environment. Phytoplankton in particular plays a key role in ocean cycles and supports a substantial portion of marine life including; zooplankton and vulnerable larval cycles.

Phytoplankton is globally important in that is contributes significantly to the global carbon cycle. The biological carbon pump is responsible for transporting particles of carbon from the ocean surface to ocean sediment. Physiology and structure of phytoplankton communities determine the efficacy of this atmospheric carbon transfer. Increased knowledge on the structure, processes and impacts on phytoplankton is vital in understanding their role as a source of organic carbon.

Significant changes of plankton structures have been noted to cause reduced survival rate of marine species. Of particular concern, is the impact of climate change on the synchrony between phytoplankton blooms and higher trophic levels. Variation in bloom initiation encompasses all levels of marine food webs, including the reduction of prey availability during critical breeding periods of top predators.

Plankton monitoring is a priority research area within the Fair Isle Demonstration and Research MPA programme. This project aims to utilise existing data streams from the Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey to build a picture of current plankton function and activity around Fair Isle. This analysis will help to generate baseline knowledge of phytoplankton and zooplankton; species presence, distribution and abundance, and assess organic carbon potential around Fair Isle.

The student will work with the Fair Isle Marine Research Organisation and the Fair Isle DR MPA research officer to develop specific research objectives and appropriate statistical analyses for this project.

Project title: Development of an indicator for fishery sustainability.

The overall health of our marine environment is assessed at regular intervals, both nationally (e.g. UK Marine Strategy Assessment 2019, the Scottish Marine Assessment 2020 and the State of Nature Scotland Report 2023) and internationally (e.g. Living Planet Report 2022 and the OSPAR Quality Status Report 2023). Such assessments consider the abundance and distributional trends of species including commercial fish stocks, as well as changes in the physical environment and the potential impacts of our activities.

The indicator used in such assessments for determining the sustainability of a fishery requires consideration of the spawning stock biomass and fisheries mortality. This indicates the health of the stock, and if both criteria are within expected thresholds, the fishery is considered sustainable. This approach takes no account of the fisheries impact on the wider environment (e.g. the bycatch of non-target species, some of which are also protected, or impacts on benthic habitats).

The aim of this project is to explore ways in which the current fisheries sustainability indicator can be combined with biodiversity indicators (e.g. those for determining Good Environmental Status or the Favourable Conservation Status of protected species) to develop a relatively simple metric for improving the determination of the ecological sustainability of Scotland’s fisheries.

Project title: Rum Manx shearwaters – exploring drivers of population dynamics to inform conservation management.

The Manx shearwater colony on the island of Rum is globally important, holding some 30% of world population. The drivers of population size and trends for this population are complex and include both intrinsic and extrinsic factors operating within the colony and in the birds' marine range, which includes wintering and prebreeding areas in the western Atlantic. At the colony, factors influencing breeding success include flooding of nest burrows during heavy rainfall and depredation of eggs or chicks by brown rats. Levels of rat activity at the colony may also be affected by climatic factors (e.g. winter temperatures). The development of large offshore wind farms (OWF) within the birds' foraging ranges may also impact birds from this population. A Bayesian state-space model of the colony population dynamics has recently been developed by Jason Matthiopoulos (under a ScotMer; ).

The aim of this MSc project would be:
a) to use the model framework to further explore how proximate factors, in particular rainfall patterns at the colony during the breeding season, may influence colony dynamics. Technically, this task can be thought of as an apportioning of the empirically inferred dispersion (the random effects), into the contributions of covariates.
b) to use the model framework to explore potential population outcomes under various scenarios of future change, including pulse and press perturbations (potentially operating in tandem) to key demographic parameters.

Project title: Global Biodiversity Framework and the development of the GB Red List for Marine Mammals.

Marine mammals are a ubiquitous feature of almost every international conservation convention. Although not specifically mentioned, the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is no different. For example through Target 4, Contracting Parties must ‘Ensure urgent management actions, to halt human induced extinction of known threatened species and for the recovery and conservation of species, in particular threatened species, to significantly reduce extinction risk, as well as to maintain and restore the genetic diversity within and between populations of native, wild and domesticated species to maintain their adaptive potential, including through in situ and ex situ conservation and sustainable management practices, and effectively manage human-wildlife interactions to minimize human-wildlife conflict for coexistence.’

On 1 August 2024, the UK submitted the indicators against which our progress to implementing the GBF targets will be measured, with the first progress report due in January 2026. These indicators included an ongoing commitment to the Red List Index. Previously, through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UK has been reporting against the Red List Index using the global level IUCN assessments rather than GB assessments. For GBF, however, it has been proposed that the UK will utilise GB level assessments. Currently there are no marine Red List assessments available at a GB level.

Red list assessments are objective and based on scientific information and ongoing research. This information can help make decisions about conserving biodiversity, but are not a list of conservation priorities per se. The aim of this project is to utilise existing assessments (e.g. those undertaken for the Scottish Marine Assessment 2020, the OSPAR Quality Status Report 2023 and the forthcoming Habitats Regulations reports) as a basis for producing GB Red List assessments for marine mammals, focusing on those species currently designated as Priority Marine Features in Scottish waters. In addition, the project will consider the potential for alignment across our various national and international reporting commitments for marine mammals, and how these might be streamlined for future assessments.

Project title: Fair Isle Demonstration and Research MPA – investigation of Passive Acoustic Monitoring methodologies for cetacean monitoring around Fair Isle.

Cetaceans are important indicators of the state of the marine environment and have a key role in maintaining the health of marine ecosystems. They provide a range of ecosystem services: preserving balance within marine and coastal food chains; reducing CO2 within our atmosphere; and boosting global economy. Understanding cetacean populations and distribution will help us to determine what impacts they face and what measures can be established to maintain and enhance their populations.

Cetacean monitoring is a priority research area within the Fair Isle Demonstration and Research MPA programme. Cetacean monitoring surveys aim to gather information on the species presence and distribution within and around the Fair Isle DR MPA using visual observations obtained through Shorewatch surveys and ad-hoc community observations. Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) methodologies will also be used to collect vocalisations to assess presence and absence of species. This click data will be analysed alongside visual sightings data in the long-term monitoring of cetaceans around Fair Isle.

This student will work with the Fair Isle Marine Research Organisation (FIMRO) to develop a cetacean monitoring programme for Fair Isle. This will also include refining deployment methodologies for PAM devices and investigating mooring designs which are suitable to withstand the challenging environmental conditions around the isle. 

Project title: Marine licensing in the Clyde – trends and policy drivers.

Marine plans and their policies provide a strategic framework that guides decision-makers, particularly for the licensing of marine developments. However, Scotland’s marine planning and licensing processes are relatively young, with scope for review and refinement. We have a two-tier marine planning system (national and regional); the national plan is undergoing revision, and the first of the regional plans being prepared (including for the Clyde marine region), so the opportunity to take stock is timely.

Research Proposal: Trends in marine licence applications and decisions (including licence conditions for environmental mitigation) for the Clyde region, the coherence of decisions with adopted marine plan policy (National Marine Plan), and the potential for emergent regional policy (draft-Clyde Marine Plan) to enable clearer plan-led decision-making.

This MSc research project opportunity would make use of a list of licence applications compiled by the Clyde Marine Planning Partnership (hosted by NatureScot), combined with publicly accessible information on marine licenses that are granted are available. It would involve sifting the materials to compile key information into a database, structured in a way suitable for tackling the chosen research questions. The analysis could then trigger appraisal and discussion of how to improve licensing processes and their relationship with marine plans as decision-making frameworks.

Research question may include (to be tailored and adapted by a student and supervisory team):
• Has the type and mix of marine development applications changed? Is there a spatial pattern to this within the Clyde marine region?
• Are there patterns/trends (spatially and temporally) to which type(s) of development application are licensed?
• Has/How has the use of license conditions for environmental mitigation changed over time? Are any of these changes particular to certain development types?
• Is the issuing of licences and license conditions consistent with (or contrary to) existing marine plan policy (NMP1), or is this hard to determine from the specificity of either policies or conditions? Would the draft policies for the Clyde Marine Plan help to plug any identifiable deficiencies in the marine licensing decisions and conditions?
• Is there consistent reference to policies within plans across applications for the same types of developments?) i.e. are applicants demonstrating awareness of policies that they should aim to be compliant with?

If access to other documentation is possible (e.g. from Marine Directorate Licensing and Operations Team) then it may be possible to explore further questions, such as:
• Do there appear to be re-occurring reasons for license rejections?
• Is there any evidence of enforcement or monitoring to determine if conditions have been applied and successful in mitigating environmental impacts?

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Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS)

Project Title: An Analysis of Post Construction Bird Monitoring and Habitat Management Planning at Onshore Wind Farms in Scotland.

Delivery Plan Objectives: Restoring Nature

Background

The climate emergency dictates rapid greening of Scotland’s energy supply, and in response the government has set ambitious targets for the expansion of onshore wind farm capacity. In line with EIA and planning legislation, post-construction bird monitoring is frequently required as a condition of consent for these developments, together with Habitat Management Plans to mitigate impacts on target bird species. 

This project is to identify all wind farms consented since 2015 that have bird monitoring or Habitat Management Plans (HMP) consent conditions, including which species are targeted and a simple means of characterizing the HMP. Once collated, this information needs to be integrated with a comparable dataset for consented wind farms up to 2015. Monitoring results for one species will be extracted and used to test impacts on that species, either due to collision, displacement or from barrier effects.

Description of proposed research (max 250 words)

Aims:

1. Compile and review post-construction monitoring and HMPs for wind farms in Scotland consented between 2015 to 2024, entering results on Excel in a format suitable for GIS mapping of species monitoring and HMP locations.
2. Where sample size is sufficient for robust analysis, obtain post-construction monitoring results for one species to test impacts of wind farm development on collision, displacement or barrier effects. A likely candidate is black grouse, in which case impacts on lek distribution and abundance of lekking males will be tested, expanding research by Zwart et al. (2015)[1] (using Bayesian generalised linear mixed models). 
3. The extent and nature of HMP works will also be assessed, specifically the extent to which proposed works have been implemented.

[1] Zwart, M.C., Robson, P., Rankin, S. Whittingham, M.J., McGowan P. J. K. (2015). Using environmental impact assessment and post-construction monitoring data to inform wind energy developments. Ecosphere 62 (2): 1–10.

This is desk-based work and can be executed wherever convenient for the successful candidate (providing they have internet access to search for wind farm EIA documentation from local authority and Energy Consents Unit planning portals). Some fieldwork may, however, be possible, depending on H&S requirements.

This project will be co-supervised by Dr Simon Zisman of Net Zero Ecology.

NatureScot could facilitate obtaining post-construction monitoring and HMP documents.

Required outputs from the study are a comprehensive report giving methods (data collation, analysis), results, discussion and conclusions, and Excel and GIS digital datasets of post-construction bird monitoring and HMPs.  Findings may be publishable, in which case the student and co-supervisors would be co-authors.

Project timescale limitations

There are no restrictions on the timing of the project other than when the student will be available.

Project Title: Evaluating agri-environment measures for red-billed chough.

Delivery Plan Objectives: Restoring Nature

Background

The red-billed chough (chough) is at risk of extinction in Scotland with only around 50 breeding pairs on Islay and Colonsay. This member of the corvid family is a farmland specialist, thriving on short-grazed pasture with cattle. They require an insect-rich diet, especially in the early stages of their first year, with leatherjackets and dung invertebrates preferred, but these groups have decreased in recent decades. The reduction in preferred food items has caused a decline in first-year survival rates, which has driven population decline. (See Trask et al. 2020).

The population is currently being supported by emergency supplementary feeding. Its long-term survival is dependent upon future financial support mechanisms known as agri-environment schemes (AES) which will facilitate suitable grassland management. Current AES support has been criticised by farmers and conservationists alike, and its efficacy has not been formally monitored.

Description of proposed research (max 250 words)

Aims:

1. Compare the use by chough of AES and non-AES pasture in known chough hotspots
2. Compare indices of habitat quality between these field types
3. Gather feedback from farmers on Islay regarding potential improvements to AES design

This information will inform future proposals for inclusion in the Scottish AES.

The successful candidate would be based on Islay where they would conduct field surveys to assess chough habitat use and engage with farmers. They must be able to drive and find their own accommodation.

Chough surveys would comprise timed observations over pre-selected AES and non-AES fields, which will be in chough hotspots.

Broad field characteristics, such as improved/unimproved, and recent management, will be recorded in liaison with the farmers. Habitat quality will be assessed by area-restricted counting of cow pats, plus counting invertebrates present in a sub-sample of pats. 

NatureScot is canvassing farmer opinions regarding AES, both in general and with specific reference to chough measures. This will be used to devise novel measures for the new AES (due to launch from 2027). The student will seek feedback from farmers on these new proposals via semi-structured interviews.

NatureScot will identify survey fields, facilitate farmer engagement and provide the use of a vehicle. There will also be in-person support on Islay and access to office facilities, with training provided as required.

Outputs must include an appropriate database(s) containing the raw field data in spreadsheet form (Excel). A comprehensive summary report of the interviews will also be essential.

Project timescale limitations

This project can be adapted to any time of year and would produce valuable data.

Project Title: Minimizing the impacts of forest expansion on breeding waders.

Delivery Plan Objectives: Restoring Nature

Background

Scotland supports internationally-important populations of breeding waders, but almost all species are declining fast. One of the pressures they face is expanding forestry which often occupies suitable wader breeding habitat, rendering it unusable. The impact of forestry on breeding waders extends beyond the forest boundary as new plantings can alter surrounding habitats and be a haven for potential predators of wader eggs and chicks.

Scotland has ambitious plans to expand forest cover further, increasing the likely conflict with breeding wader habitats. It has been suggested that the impacts of forests on waders could be minimized in a variety of ways, but it is unclear what the evidence for this is.

Description of proposed research (max 250 words)

Aims:

1. Review the scientific literature and NatureScot’s research reports and collate the types of impact trees/forests can have on breeding waders
2. Summarise the mechanisms by which these factors operate and, where possible, quantify their effects
3. Summarise any means by which such impacts can be mitigated.

This is a desk-based project and so can be executed wherever is convenient for the successful candidate. They must have regular access to the internet to be able to perform the literature searches.

If useful, at least part of the student’s time on the project could be spent in a NatureScot office. We could also facilitate field visits to see relevant cases.

A comprehensive report on findings would be required, including a brief summary of each relevant paper/report, and a summary of findings in line with the three principle project aims outlined above. The findings may be publishable, in which case the student and co-supervisors would be co-authors.

Project timescale limitations

There are no restrictions on the timing of the project other than when the student will be available.