Event reports

Our workshop identified priorities, challenges and opportunities to shape our engagement with Brexit during 2017, and to inform the work of our Brexit Policy Working Group.

Workshop report by Rick Parfett, Policy Intern.

Our workshop on ‘Understanding the science-policy interface in Scotland’ included presentations from:

• Tom Edwards, Scottish Wildlife Trust
• Sarah Boyack, former MSP and Minister
• Debbie Bassett, Scottish Natural Heritage
• Rea Cris, RSPB

Read Rick Parfett’s blog post from the workshop

This report summarises the discussion held at the BES Scottish Policy Group Pie and a Pint, on the 26th October 2016 in Inverness.

The event was open to all BES-SPG members and policy relevant people. About 40 people attended from wide range of organisations.
The event was opened by three short 10 minute talks from the following people presenting their own perspectives on rewilding:

• Adam Smith of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust,
• Rob Brooker read a statement from Fenning Welstead from Alladale Estate as Fenning was unable to attend due illness
• David Balharry of Rewilding Britain

The group then split into four, with each group taking it in turns to address the four questions. The report summaries the key messages from each of the four groups.

On 20^th April 2016 the British Ecological Society’s Scottish Policy Group ran a ‘Pie and a Pint’ (PAAP) event on the topic “Beyond Protected Areas”. The document presented here is a note of the main themes and points raised during the evening’s PAAP discussion; it is not a minute of the meeting but hopefully accurately captures the balance of ideas and opinions presented.

The event started with introductory thoughts from four speakers:

• Adam Smith – Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust Director in Scotland
• Davy McCracken – SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) Professor of Agricultural Ecology
• Andrew Bauer – National Farmers Union Scotland, Deputy director for policy
• Lloyd Austin – Head of Conservation Policy for the RSPB in Scotland.

Following on from the presentations, the attendees split into four groups; the four speakers rotated between the groups every 10 minutes. The discussion from each group is written up in the report note.

This symposium brought together the ecological research community and those involved in policy and government, to assess the value and applicability of a range of techniques for improving the decision making process. By working together, we aimed to enable delegates to get greater impact from their research, and to improve policies and practice.

• Revisit the event on Storify
• Read blog posts from Camilla Morrison-Bell, Ruth Mitchell, Alice Plane, Paul Sinnadurai

Symposium report by Clive Mitchell (Scottish Natural Heritage) and Juliette Young (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology)

At our 2015 Annual Meeting, we held a public debate on GM crops, with speakers Pete Ritchie (Nourish Scotland), Helen Sang (Roslin Insitute), Joyce Tait (Innogen Institute), Rob Livesey (NFU Scotland) and Heather Ferguson (University of Glasgow). Chaired by Alan Gray (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology).

Report by Amy Fensome, Policy Intern

Our workshop at the 2016 Annual Meeting explored the tensions between biodiversity conservation and a focus on ecosystem services, in the context of Scotland’s 2020 Challenge for Biodiversity.

Workshop report by Rob Brooker (James Hutton Institute, Secretary, BES Scottish Policy Group)

Hosted by The Sibthorp Trust, The British Ecological Society and the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM).

People, Politics and the Planet: Any Questions brought together a panel of leading politicians to debate their environmental policies ahead of the 2015 UK general election, chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby.

The panellists were:

• Lord de Mauley TD (Conservatives, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Natural Environment and Science)
• Barry Gardiner MP (Labour, MP for Brent North and Shadow Minister for the Natural Environment)
• Baroness Parminter (Liberal Democrats, Environment Spokesperson)
• Natalie Bennett (Green, Party Leader and Parliamentary Candidate for Holborn and St. Pancras)
• Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP (Scottish National Party, MP for Banff and Buchan)
• William Cash (UK Independence Party, Heritage and Tourism Spokesperson)

Event report by Ben Connor, Policy Manager

Book now for People, Politics and the Planet 2016

The second Natural Capital Initiative summit aimed to:

1. Derive a common understanding of what natural capital really means
2. Understand in plain language the natural and social science behind it
3. Find and demonstrate ways in which sectors and initiatives can work, and are working, together to apply it
4. Identify ways of ensuring that practical responses have scientific rigour
5. Communicate recommendations for ways forward across the sectors.

All presentations and videos from the summit are available on the Natural Capital Initiative website

Summit report by the Natural Capital Initiative