How and where should we expand UK woodlands to benefit people and biodiversity?

背景我们生活在一个由于气候崩溃、土地利用变化、生物同质化和物种减少而发生深刻环境变化的时代。英国政府承诺将林地覆盖率从~13%提高到~19%，以帮助在2050年实现净零碳排放。这也可能对保护产生重要影响，因为英国10%的林地物种面临灭绝的威胁，53%的物种正在减少。因此，我们如何以及在哪里扩大树木覆盖率是一个前所未有的机会，可以将我们的国家转变为更有利于人类和生物多样性的地方。这一博士学位将跨越多个学科(保护、生态学、人文地理学、环境心理学、环境经济学)，探索如何最大化社会效益和生态效益。研究目标和方法(1)使用混合方法(例如，焦点小组、公民陪审团、应急排名、Q方法)来评估私人土地所有者通过各种倡议(例如，林地创造赠款)保护、恢复或创造林地的意愿。(2)使用混合方法，了解和量化人们对不同林地类型(例如，本地/引进物种、古代林地、种植园)、物种(例如，稀有物种、他们可能遇到的物种)、可获得性(例如，离家距离、林地大小)的偏好。以及使用/非使用生态系统服务价值(例如，娱乐、碳封存和封存)。(3)利用现有的生物多样性数据和(1)和(2)中的研究结果，在空间保护优先排序软件中，确定在哪里最好地保护、恢复和创造林地，以最大限度地增加生物多样性和社会效益。培训根据候选人的背景，可能包括使用系统的保护规划软件(例如，Maxan，Zonation)、ArcGIS/QGIS、社会科学数据收集和分析(例如，参与式方法、问卷设计、NVivo，R)、学术技能(例如，撰写期刊论文)和可转移技能(例如，多媒体交流、时间管理)。这名个人还将与伍德兰信托公司的研究、证据和政策团队合作。

BackgroundWe live in a time of profound environmental change due to climate collapse, land-use change, biotic homogenisation and species declines. The UK government has pledged to increase woodland cover from ~13% to ~19% to help achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This could also have important implications for conservation, as 10% of UK woodland species are threatened with extinction and 53% are declining. How and where we expand tree cover therefore represents an unprecedented opportunity to transform our nation into a better place for people and biodiversity. This PhD will work across disciplines (conservation, ecology, human geography, environmental psychology, environmental economics) to explore how to maximise social and ecological benefits. Research objectives and methodology(1) Use mixed methods (e.g. focus groups, citizen juries, contingent ranking, Q methodology) to assess private landowner willingness to protect, restore or create woodland, through various initiatives (e.g. woodland creation grants).(2) Use mixed methods to understand and quantify the people's preferences for different woodland types (e.g. native/introduced species, ancient woodlands, plantations), species (e.g. rare species, species they can encounter), accessibility (e.g. distance from home, woodland size), and use/non-use ecosystem service values (e.g. recreation, carbon sequestration and storage). (3) Use existing biodiversity data, and the findings from (1) and (2), within spatial conservation prioritisation software to determine where best to protect, restore and create woodland to maximise biodiversity and social benefits.TrainingDepending on the candidate's background, training could include use of systematic conservation planning software (e.g. Marxan, Zonation), ArcGIS/QGIS, social science data collection and analysis (e.g. participatory methods, questionnaire design, NVivo, R), academic skills (e.g. writing journal papers), and transferable skills (e.g. multi-media communication, time management). The individual will also collaborate with the research, evidence and policy teams at Woodland Trust.