Investigating the history of Sussex kelp habitats and their impact on local communities (4462)

如果我们要真正了解我们沿海海域过去变化的规模，历史观点是至关重要的。越来越多的修复项目正在利用历史资源为修复目标提供信息，并将社区与当地的环境历史和遗产联系起来。海带床是海洋生态系统的重要组成部分，提供重要的生态系统服务，如许多重要商业物种的栖息地，并为沿海居民提供保护。西萨塞克斯的海岸曾经是一个广泛的、生物多样性的海带床栖息地，横跨30公里的海岸线。这个栖息地在20世纪末消失了，但现在正在由苏塞克斯海带恢复项目恢复。然而，我们对这种栖息地的空间范围、其消亡的时间和驱动因素的理解非常有限。该项目将采用以海洋历史生态学这一新兴领域为中心的多学科方法，研究这一栖息地的历史范围、用途和影响。它将检查各种数据集，从委员会记录到报纸头条，从遥感到捕鱼活动，并采访社区长老，以拼凑出这个栖息地的图片，它曾经是如何使用的，并评估其减少的原因。这些信息对于告知正在进行的修复项目的目标和期望，以及确保广泛的社区支持将具有重要意义。成功的候选人将利用自然科学、社会科学和历史的各种资源和方法，为他们提供学习和运用各种有价值的研究技能的绝佳机会。

Historical perspectives are vital if we are to truly appreciate the scale of past changes in our coastal seas. Increasing numbers of restoration projects are making use of historical sources to inform restoration goals and to connect communities to their local environmental history and heritage. Kelp beds are a critical element of a marine ecosystem, providing vital ecosystem services such as habitat for many commercially important species, and protection for coastal residents. The coast of West Sussex used to be home to an extensive and biodiverse kelp bed habitat spanning 30 km of coastline. This habitat was lost at the end of the 20th century, but is now being restored by the Sussex Kelp Restoration Project. However, our understanding of the spatial extent of this habitat, the timing and drivers of its demise, is very limited.This project will use a multi-disciplinary approach centred on the emerging field of marine historical ecology to examine the historical extent, uses and impacts of this habitat. It will examine a variety of datasets from council records, to newspaper headlines, remote sensing to fishing activity and interview community elders to piece together a picture of this habitat, how it was once used, and to assess the causes of its decline. This information will of importance to informing the goals and expectations of the ongoing restoration project, and to ensure wide community support. The successful candidate will exploit a range of sources and approaches from the natural sciences, social sciences and history, providing them with an excellent opportunity to learn and employ a wide variety of valuable research skills.