The Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, (IEEM) has published a report entitled ‘Closing the gap: Rebuilding ecological skills in the 21st Century’. The work, which was commissioned by IEEM, was undertaken by the Management Standards Consultancy and built upon initial IEEM research.
The report collated information from literature, surveys, interviews and workshops involving practicing ecologists and environmental managers at all stages of their careers, as well as other stakeholders, employers and graduates.
Investigation found a continuing skills gap and skills shortages in:
• Species identification, especially of invertebrates, fish and lower plants.
• Ecological survey, sampling, data assessment, evaluation and monitoring skills for fish and invertebrates.
• Habitat creation, restoration and management in marine, coastal and upland environments.
• Techniques to control the spread of invasive species and wildlife diseases.
In addition:
• There are knowledge gaps amongst ecologists regarding the application of environmental economics for the valuation of ecosystem services.
• Freshwater, coastal and marine systems and processes are poorly understood in comparison to terrestrial systems.
• Understanding of the application of spatial planning, as it relates to environmental planning, is weak.
• Understanding of environmental legislation and its policy implications is weak in some sectors.
Knowledge gaps found by the report have raised concerns that a lack of capacity among ecologists and consultants could have significant implications for the implementation of environmental policies and for meeting EU biodiversity targets. This comes at a time when knowledge is needed now more than ever as the ecosystem approach reaches the forefront of government thinking.
IEEM is now calling for Government to commit to policy and funding support for a new strategy to address the issue. IEEM suggest the new strategy should be government led, and involve education institutions, skills agencies, cross-sector employers, and societies to help encourage and train people to bridge the gaps in knowledge.
Timely post about a timely report. The skills gap is unsurprising given that so many ecologists are involved in surveying only those species required in planning applications. Not only do we need to ensure a wider range of species identification, survey and conservation/habitat-mangaement skills are developed, but there needs to be funding available so that professional ecologists can then be paid to use these skills. At present, it is very difficult to obtain funding to undertake a detailed species survey, especially when it is not attached to a proposed development. This has been the case for some time but has got worse since recent cuts were expected and then announced – suddenly, local authorities (for example) who were interested in having wildlife sites surveyed no longer have the money to pay for it. Seeking funds externally through small grants is equally difficult as they tend to focus on community-involvement projects and are unwilling to fund professional expertise even though this is required for detailed work and less popular species groups – not everything can, or should, be done by volunteers, however committed. The upshot is that in many cases, the only paid work available is that which relates to planning applications and so only the legal minimum of species etc are covered. If we want a sustainable skills base, then we need to make sure that if the skills gaps that are identified are filled by training, they will then provide income for ecologists. We may not get into ecology for the money, but we do need to make a living.
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