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Agricultural Ecology |
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Agricultural Ecology
Aims
- To be a forum for exchange of information between ecologists, conservationists, agricultural researchers, land managers and policy makers
- To consider conservation in the farmed landscape, using ecological theory to address agricultural problems, economic and ecological sustainability of current farming systems, and the implications of agricultural policies.
- To do this: a) through meetings, workshops, field visits, an email bulletin board and a website; b) through contact with other societies.
The Agricultural Ecology Group at the BES Annual Meeting 2008
There will be a meeting of the Agricultural Ecology Group 9.30 -10.30 am on Thursday 4th Spetember in Room SALC 2, Sherffield Building. This will be a discussion meeting to establish priorities and objectives for the group. Please do come along and contribute your ideas.
We will be going to dinner on Wednesday evening. A great opportunity to meet each other in a sociable setting - all group members very welcome! Limited free wine will be provided. Please let us know in advance if you would like to come, restaurant details will be e-mailed closer to the time.
Recent Activities
Conference speakers and delegates at the AEG meeting organised by Lydia Smith (centre)
A one day symposium and field trip was held at NIAB, Cambridge on 18 July: 'Change in land use: does this relate to CAP reform and what are the agro-ecology repercussions.' The meeting was very well recieved and there was as a lively discussion following presentations. You can download the Programme (updated).doc . A report will be uploaded soon.
Background
Some of the major drivers in European agriculture have been subject to some profound changes in the past five years. The projected impact of CAP reform has been discussed in many fora and has already become manifest in some areas; including the removal of some land from agricultural production and the reallocation of grazing land to arable use. Some agriculturalists argue that a more important factor guiding farmers cropping choice is the recent profound rise in wheat prices. This is likely to affect, not just the proportion of UK land that is farmed, but also farmer’s enthusiasm for cultivation of the less mainstream crops that have recently been enjoying some interest. Other factors that cannot be ignored include (in no particular order) cultivation of crops for biofuel; future cultivation of GM crops and changes in set-aside legislation.
Aspects of these considerations were recently discussed in a public web-based ‘blog’ format under the banner of the ‘Great Land Use Debate’; it was part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science and National Science and Engineering Week. The debate, which ran from 7th-17th March, centred around three questions posted on the internet. The questions: 1) ‘Have we got the balance right between protecting the environment and producing food?’ 2) ‘Is rural land management the problem or the solution in our towns and cities?’ and 3) ‘What is rural land for?’ The RSPB’s Mark Tinsley opened discussion by suggesting that we need to take a holistic approach to land management incorporating social, economic and environmental considerations.
This 1-day conference cannot hope to address all these questions and considerations, but will seek to initiate discussions and views on some aspects of the debate and bring together academics and practitioners with an interest and stake in this area.
Secretary
Barbara Smith
Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
Burgate Manor
Fordingbridge, Hampshire
SP6 1EF, UK
Email: bsmith@gct.org.uk
Background to the Group
Agriculture is the predominant land use in Britain and the developed world. The pervasiveness of this type of land use and the fact that it involves fundamental changes in ecological processes means agricultural science is a very important subject in Britain and worldwide.
Because agricultural systems are both an economic and environmental resource agricultural research covers several subject areas which have traditionally remained quite separate. These include population, community and ecosystems ecology, conservation ecology, weed control, crop science, grassland production and forestry production.
There has long been a need for a forum for workers involved in these different areas to exchange information on subjects of mutual concern. The Agricultural Ecology Group aims to bridge the gap between ecologists working in agricultural systems, conservationists with an interest in agricultural systems, crop, grassland and forest scientists working on increasing economic production, weed scientists, and agricultural policy makers. It will integrate very different approaches (ecology, economic production, conservation) to agricultural systems to address common issues. Finally, it will enhance communication among scientists and others working on agricultural systems using meetings, workshops, BES Bulletin reports and an email forum.
The Committee
An informal committee has been formed to organise meetings and events. The committee comprises the following members:
| Member |
Affiliation |
Field of interest |
| Nigel Boatman |
Central Science Laboratory |
Arable weed ecology |
| James Bullock |
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology |
Plant ecology |
| Simon Butler |
CAER, University of Reading |
Farmland bird ecology and conservation |
| Georgianne Griffiths |
Imperial College (Silwood Park) |
Invertebrate ecology and ecosystems |
| John Holland |
Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust |
Beneficial invertebrates and farmland food-webs |
| Juliet Osborne |
Rothamsted Research |
Pollination ecology |
| Steve Peel |
Natural England |
Grassland ecology |
| Lydia Smith |
National Institute of Agricultural Botany |
Non-food crops |
| Jonathan Storkey |
Rothamsted Research |
Sustainable management strategies for arable plants |
| Juliet Vickery |
British Trust for Ornithology |
Farmland bird ecology and population biology |
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AREA OF INTEREST:
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