The Cambridge contribution to the development of Global Ecosystems Models for use in IPBES and other global biodiversity assessments

I am Chief Scientist at BirdLife International where I lead a team who help to provide the scientific basis for the conservation programmes of the 115 Partners that form the BirdLife International Partnership. This includes assessing extinction risk for the world’s birds for the IUCN Red List, coordinating the standards and protocols for identifying and monitoring Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) globally, identifying key threats to birds and their habitats, determining the priority actions required (for species, sites, habitats and along flyways), understanding the how people depend upon the ecosystem services delivered by IBAs, developing biodiversity indicators based on bird data, and ensuring that sound science underpins BirdLife’s policy, advocacy and communications activities.

Professor of Conservation Science (Evolution, Behaviour and Environment, Sussex Sustainability Research Programme) at Sussex University. Previously worked as a Senior Scientist on the Biodiversityteam at UNEP-WCMC.

I am a tester and trainer of the Conservation Mapping Application.

I am an ecological modelling scientist with a strong interest in how the biological world interacts with nutrient cycles. My work primarily involves developing mechanistic models to project biodiversity futures. In particular, I am working with colleagues at WCMC and Microsoft Research to develop the Madingley model, a novel model of ecosystems. In addition, I work to construct and employ models that can provide insights and answers to specific conservation questions.

Tim is an ecologist, whose main interest is in understanding the impact of human activities on the ecological communities. He works on the PREDICTS project, and was also part of a team who built the first global mechanistic model of ecosystem structure and function, The Madingley Model. Tim studied Zoology and completed a PhD on Egyptian biodiversity at Nottingham University.

Derek is a marine specialist with expertise in ecology, biodiversity, and policy. He is a co-developer of the Madingley model. Derek has a PhD in biology from Dalhousie University, where he is also an Adjunct Professor. He has published over 30 scientific publications including multiple Nature and Science papers. His work has been covered by National Geographic, the BBC, the Times, the Guardian, and many other news outlets. Derek has also worked in the field on coral reefs around the world, including Palmyra Atoll, the Mesoamerican reef, and New Caledonia.

I focus on the use of computational models to explore environmental questions at local and global scales. Recent work involves both eco-system modelling using individual-based models, and agent-based models to represent society. The aim is to bring these together with models of the physical environment (e.g. hydrology and flooding) to try to understand human-environment interactions as a coupled dynamical complex system.