BSc (Hons) Ecology & Wildlife Conservation

Core units:

• Academic and Professional Study Skills: You will gain the fundamental academic and research skills required for degree-level study. The unit will introduce you to a broad grounding in professional academic writing skills, presenting, interpreting and using scientific research literature, literature review and methodological approaches. It will also support you in developing a critical and analytical approach to your work and identify areas for personal development. 
• Applied Sciences: You'll gain a basic understanding of some fundamental aspects of science underpinning more specific disciplines, and an appreciation of how various scientific disciplines impact human life. You'll understand the differences between pure and applied science, as well as the roles of different ways applied science can be funded, and implications of these funding mechanisms. 
• Introduction to Biology: Biology is the study of life. This unit introduces key themes in plant and animal cell biology, human, environmental and ecological sciences to provide a sound underpinning for a wide range of future study subjects. 
• Introduction to Psychology: This unit is designed to prepare you for advanced coursework in psychology. You will complete the unit with a good understanding of the various areas of psychology and how they seek to explain behaviour. 
• Mathematics in Science: You will build your confidence in mathematics, in order to perform calculations on a range of scientific data from biology, chemistry and psychology and to be able to represent the findings in an appropriate format, including graphs. In order to carry this out it is essential to be able to convert the data between systems of units and to understand how to present very large and very small numbers in standard form. Basic statistical analysis of tabulated data will be carried out to introduce the concept of confidence limits and familiarisation of statistical testing. 
• Foundation Year Project: You will carry out a research task on scientific topics chosen by the unit leader, which you will be able to conduct a scientific investigation on. You will devise your own investigation and produce a literature review as a final scientific report. ​

Core units

• Diversity of Life: Gain an understanding of the origin and diversity of life on earth, how the environment and selection have shaped the patterns of distribution of plants, animals and micro-organisms since life first originated some 3.5 billion years ago, and how biodiversity is increasingly being influenced by humans. You will gain insights into the basis for classifying organisms and in dealing with the relationships among major groups, and examine the organisation and structure of major groups of living (and some fossil) organisms (microbes, protists, higher plants, invertebrates and vertebrates). You will also cover aspects of body size and life history strategies.

• Ecology: You will learn about fundamental principles of ecology which underpin effective wildlife conservation practice. This unit will teach you evolutionary biology, how humans can impact on species and ecological systems and affect their conservation, and key ecological theory, principles and processes for wildlife conservation. You will participate in fieldwork; conducting habitat surveys and discovering how results can be interpreted in the context of ecological theory principles and processes. You will gain knowledge of abiotic factors and biotic interactions between species, and how these affect species distributions and community diversity.

• Exploring Nature from Cell to Landscape: This unit will introduce you to the physical, chemical and biological processes that shape ecological systems and determine how organisms will respond to environmental change. It will provide a foundation for other units on the programme and give you the broad interdisciplinary skill set and knowledge that will enable you to understand the complex environmental threats to nature - understanding that is essential to design conservation strategies.

• Scientific Research Skills: This unit builds the skills you need to succeed at uni and beyond. You’ll learn how to think critically, study independently, and understand how different science subjects connect. Through hands-on tasks, you’ll practise finding and using academic sources, building strong arguments, and sharing your ideas clearly in writing, presentations, and visuals. By the end, you’ll have a solid set of skills to carry out your own research and feel confident in both academic and professional settings.

• Residential Field Trip: This unit allows you to learn important field skills for your discipline and demonstrate your ability to work effectively as part of a team through experiencing the necessary conditions to conduct field research (both academically and socially). You will have four days of activities related to your discipline, followed by a final project day, where you will work on a team designed project of your choice..

• Wildlife Protection: The protection of our wildlife has never been more important. This unit gives you a broad understanding of the dangers to our fauna and flora and the methods that can be used to protect them. The unit aims to equip you with: evaluating priorities for conservation, an understanding of wildlife protection in both protected and unprotected areas, a wider perspective on local and global issues and how to protect species that have been re-located. It will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and field trips.

Core units

• Advanced Scientific Research Skills: Conservation is an area where being able to collect and analyse a vast amount of data correctly is vital in your research. This unit will equip you with the necessary survey, experimental design and data analysis techniques. Part of the learning process will be to discuss in small groups how to plan a successful independent research project and write a research proposal. The unit uses a wide range of learning techniques lectures, seminars, practical work and tutorials.

• Ecosystems: We will enable you to develop an awareness of the importance of a range of ecosystems and develop your understanding of how ecosystems can be managed to conserve them.

• Evolutionary Biology: Providing you with the fundamental understanding of evolutionary theory and population genetics, the unit gives you a broad overview of the factors involved in the species evolution, through an introduction to selection forces, heredity and Mendelian genetics. We will also introduce you to the concept of adaptation to a changing environment and how to apply this in future thinking.

Option units

• Wildlife Survey Skills: You will participate in 10 individual field work days, gaining practical field experience using a range of techniques for surveying wildlife. This will enable you to understand their relative value for producing data that informs wildlife conservation management. You will develop skills in species identification and habitat surveying using industry standard methods. You will also learn transferable report writing and verbal communication skills; invaluable for communicating as a professional practitioner.

• International Field Trip: Information on each trip will be provided during option selection sessions in the previous year or semester. Each trip will have a key theme or themes (e.g. conservation in practice in China; preparation for climate change in farming communities in Nepal). Much of the work will involve field-based lectures, discussions and also local speakers, but the bulk of activities will involve work on individual projects focussed on specific tasks within these broad concepts. Tutorial sessions will be available daily when on field work with the unit tutors. Please note that you may incur additional costs not covered by your tuition fee if you choose to participate in the International Field Trip. 

• Animal Biology: This unit addresses the developmental, regulatory, physiological, sensory and cognitive processes of a wide range of animals (vertebrates and invertebrates). It provides a sound basis of understanding important differences and similarities in ‘model’ organisms in biomedical research (and the strengths and limitations of using them), and also of how sub-organism or organism level biology influences how individuals act with each other and their environment.

• Environmental Pollution: You will learn to understand a range of polluting impacts that human activities have on the environment. The unit will provide an overview of the causes of environmental pollution, the harm caused to the environment and the strategies used to both reduce and ameliorate negative environmental impacts.

• Applications of Environmental Sciences: You will review a range of applied case studies in which environmental science is an important component. Topics likely to be covered are: air quality management, waste management and technology, Environmental Impact Assessment, renewable energy technology & policy, flood risk management & sustainable urban drainage systems, building efficiency & carbon management plans, environmental policy & legislation, concepts of sustainability, environmental economics.

• Behavioural Ecology: Concepts will include the evolutionary underpinning of behaviour, and an understanding of the ways in which organisms make behavioural decisions. Applications will include how behavioural ecology can be used to understand population ecology, and support nature conservation. Topics covered will include foraging and reproductive behaviour, and the interactions between competitors, and predators and prey. The unit will focus on animals, but will also stress how behavioural ecology can be applied to plants, fungi and protists.

• Environmental & Societal Challenges: Whilst you consider the relationships between humanity and the environment, you will be introduced to some of the big challenges faced by society today that stem from the impact of humanity on the earth system. By discussions about your place in society and your role in providing solutions to these challenges this unit will further your knowledge of science policy and application.

• Microbiology: Providing detailed knowledge of structure, organisation, metabolism, growth and evolution of viruses, bacteria, protists and fungi, information is also given on microbial motility, adhesion and on some of the diverse metabolic pathways present in microbes, including anaerobic micro-organisms. Selected aspects of microbial ecology, including the microbial loop, will be introduced to enable you to appreciate the roles of microorganisms in natural habitats and in some created by man. There will be a short formal treatment of sterilisation, disinfection, and cryopreservation. Climate change and past environments will be explained from a microbial perspective as well as microbial consortia (e.g. symbioses). Practicals will aim to further elucidate material covered in the lectures and to develop skills in handling, characterising and identifying microorganisms. Practicals will try to accommodate field work and/or a visit an industrial unit.

• Geospatial Science : Developing your expertise and knowledge in the area of geographic information systems (GIS) and geo-spatial science, we will provide you with an understanding of the principles underpinning spatial information science and its associated technology as well as its use in the real world to answer a wide variety of questions. You will manipulate and interrogate spatial data of various kinds whilst developing expertise in GIS and modelling. Emphasis is placed on data capture, analysis and the application of spatial information science for geographic and environmental decision making.

Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

You may choose to complete a 2-week placement during the course of your study and a minimum 30-week work placement on a sandwich-year course, which can be carried out anywhere in the world. The placement (sandwich) year offers a chance to gain experience and make contacts for the future. We encourage those not on a sandwich-year course to complete a short 2-week placement in their first and second year.

Core units

• Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation: You will critically evaluate currently important topics in wildlife conservation from a range of perspectives and develop i) your skills in evaluating ecological data in the context of conservation ecology ii) your powers of reflection on your own perspective and ability to appreciate and integrate other perspectives within conservation ecology.
• Independent Research Project: The Independent Research Project provides you with an opportunity to gain experience of research in a topic of your choice relevant to your degree and to demonstrate your ability to report that research. Such experience is considered essential for those students interested in pursuing academic and/or professional research at a higher level of responsibility and achievement.

Option units

Choose two units per semester, please check with the Programme Leader which option units are available in semester 1 and 2.

• Climate & Environmental Change: Combining the expertise of our lecturers and special guest lecturers, this unit will provide a scientific background in the causes of climatic change, both natural and anthropogenic, and the trends that characterise and attribute this. With a key focus on examining the environmental, social and economic impacts of climatic change, you will have the opportunity to explore and voice your predictions of future impacts and the inevitability of uncertainty of those predicted futures. Including a local field trip to investigate microclimates, this unit will allow you to critically evaluate the potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation and the role of policy makers in this.

• Emergence & Extinction - Reconstructing Pliocene & Pleistocene Environments: Giving you an understanding of past and current theories surrounding the nature and effects of environmental change during the last 10 million years, various lines of evidence are considered including geomorphology, palynology, ice cores, fossil flora and fauna and genetics. The unit will include aspects of evolutionary theory and will consider theories relating both the emergence and extinction of species to wider environmental change. Consideration will also be given to differing approaches to understanding broad ecological changes and to competing hypotheses regarding both individual and mass extinctions.

• Environmental Remote Sensing: The unit develops expertise and knowledge in the area of environmental remote sensing, providing a detailed understanding of the principles of remote sensing as a source of spatial information. You will learn to manipulate and interrogate remotely sensed data of various kinds whilst developing expertise in image analysis and integrated Geographical Information Systems. Emphasis is placed on data acquisition, analysis and the application of spatial information science for environmental assessment and decision making. Indicative topic areas include land cover mapping, climate change monitoring, coastal management, landscape ecology, habitat characterisation, urban modelling, archaeological prospecting, pollution or hazard mapping.

• Marine Conservation: This unit aims to enable you to critically evaluate approaches to the conservation and management of marine biodiversity including fisheries and protected areas. You will also examine legal processes and mechanisms that are applied to the conservation of marine and coastal environments.

• Ecological Genetics: This unit will provide you with the tools to understand and discuss the use of molecular tools in ecology. You will gain a broad overview of how genetic data can be used to investigate the ecological and evolutionary processes in natural populations.

• Wildlife and Ecotourism: This unit will enable you to critically appraise the philosophy and practice of nature, wildlife and ecotourism. You will use relevant case studies to explore the impact of tourism in a variety of natural settings to inform conservation and protect the natural environment, whilst maintaining the tourists' experience.

• Wildlife distribution and responses to change: This unit provides an in-depth investigation into the latest research on the biotic and abiotic factors and biological traits that influence species distribution patterns and their responses to environmental change. Emphasis will be placed on tropical wildlife and ecosystems. You will develop an understanding of which biological traits (e.g. behaviour, diet, morphology) drive species’ survival in different environments and their responses to changes in those environments. 

• Environmental Law: You will need a critical understanding of the body of law that is concerned with threats to environmental quality and ecosystems. In a complex world, functioning legal rules and other governance tools are mainstays of the movement towards environmental protection, security and sustainable development. Laws on permitting, standards, compliance and enforcement mechanisms, voluntary instruments, liability regimes and citizens’ environmental rights all play a part in translating policies, goal and social objectives into reality. In this unit, we aim to critically consider the dynamics of the legal and policy applications of environmental law and its role in environmental protection.

• Freshwater Resource Management: The aim of the unit is to present theory and practice for issues relating to the conservation and management of freshwater resources. It covers a range of aspects of freshwater resource management including sustainable development, conservation and key issues from a planning policy and decision making perspective. By providing a framework to actively make managerial decisions, the unit enables problems to be identified, analysed and solutions to be proposed including the promotion of sustainable communities and public participation in the planning process and environmental assessment.

• Sustainable Development & Globalisation: Exploring the inter-relationships between controversial and contested terms, sustainable development and globalisation, you will develop the knowledge and skills to analyse, interpret and evaluate, the current issues and debates related to both concepts. We will extend conceptual knowledge of how sustainable development might be achieved in a context where globalisation is the predominant development ethos and unsustainable development and social injustice are accepted. The concepts will be examined from a number of disciplinary perspectives to enable you to evaluate the potential for, and limits to, the development of alternative relationships between people and their environments in a rapidly globalising world.

• Parasitology & Epidemiology: The necessary tools to understand and discuss parasitology and disease epidemiology will be provided to present a broad overview of how parasites influence human and wildlife health, behaviour and population dynamics. You will learn to appreciate how policies are adapted to protect public health and the health of farmed and wildlife populations. Quantitative skills will be enhanced by performing survival analysis and evaluating potential disease impacts. Identification of parasites will also be covered.

Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

Fieldwork and site visits form an essential part of this course as fieldwork provides excellent opportunity for you to consolidate your learning through practical application.

We make extensive use of our unrivalled local environment, which has the greatest levels of biodiversity in Britain and includes the UNESCO Dorset and East Devon World Heritage Coast and the New Forest. You will learn through direct experience in the field how to investigate, understand and conserve wildlife in habitats ranging from sand dunes and coastal cliffs to rivers, forests meadows and heathlands.

You will be encouraged to participate in one or more of several ongoing projects set up between staff teaching on this degree course and local wildlife organisations. Full training is given for free and you will gain skills while directly helping wildlife conservation. Projects include surveys of birds, deer, fish, butterflies, bees, and small mammals such as dormice, investigations of how best to restore heathlands and forests and understanding the effects of invasive species and global warming on a range of terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

There are also a wide range of opportunities for you to learn through fieldwork by joining staff-led research projects overseas. Projects change each year; current projects include the conservation of Madagascar’s wealth of wildlife and plantlife, studies of bears and big cats in the cloud forests of Ecuador; plants, pollinators and wildlife in Spanish mountains, fish in Kenyan lakes and birds in the Mediterranean.

All fieldwork that is part of a credit-rated unit, with the exception of research projects, is included in your course fees. Overseas fieldwork is not included in your fees, but there may be travel bursaries available to successful applicants to support you to gain such valuable experience.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry.

If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively, please contact us for assistance.

With practical learning being integral to your degree, we provide industry standard specialist facilities. We continue to invest in our campuses so all our students can maximise their talents today and into the future. Visit our virtual tour to find out more and get a feel for where you’ll be studying while you’re based on our Talbot Campus.

A placement should be a highly rewarding experience for you and the employing company and we do our best to ensure that everyone involved feels that they have got the most that they can from the experience.

Placements provide a great opportunity to make your first career steps and enhance your employability while you’re completing your studies. You’ll get the opportunity to:

• Put the theory learnt throughout the course into professional practice
• Enhance your study and help you decide on subject options (where appropriate)
• Learn a wide range of skills such as time management, problem solving and team work (all of these are important to succeed in any career)
• Make contacts, as it is not uncommon for our students to be offered permanent positions to return to after graduating
• Gain a real insight into how the industry operates in roles that would be almost impossible to achieve for an outsider.

Many of our students, during their placement, are given responsibilities normally associated with graduate trainees.

All students are encouraged to complete work placements to gain valuable employment skills, contacts and real world experience with a wide range of local and international opportunities, making contacts for the future. You can complete your first optional short 2-week placement before the start of your second year of study. You can then either complete another short optional 2-week placement after your second year or you enter your optional placement year which consists of a work placement of at least 30 weeks.

The faculty running your course will offer the support of a Placement Co-ordinator.  

Through timetabled sessions and one-to-one appointments, they’ll help support you in your placement search including advice on finding a placement, information and advice on all aspects of job searching and job applications, as well as ensuring your proposed placement meets the requirements of your course.  

Our CareersBU service is also available throughout your time at BU, offering services like CV checking and careers fairs to meet employers.  

Placement Development Advisors will support you once you have started your sandwich placement – so you will be able to maintain contact with the university throughout.

• Wildlife trusts
• The National Trust
• The Royal Society of the Protection of Birds
• Environmental consultancy firms.

Placements may be paid, although some employers may offer expenses only. Our students have chosen placements with international organisations working on a range of conservation issues such as orangutan conservation in Borneo, bear conservation in America, or the conservation of rain forest and coral reefs in a number of sites across the globe.

AccessBU: AccessBU provides you with the opportunity to tell us about your circumstances that are not always evident in your UCAS application. This widening access initiative also considers relevant criteria such as being in care or if you live in an area with a low participation rate in Higher Education - if you are eligible, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS tariff points below the published tariff.

Apprenticeships: We recognise the transferable knowledge and skills gained through apprenticeships and welcome applications from students with a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship recognised by the Institute for Apprenticeships. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Deferred entry: We are happy to consider eligible applicants for deferred entry. If you have already submitted your application, please submit your deferral request through our website.

Direct entry: We welcome applications from students who have previously studied at degree level at other institutions and wish to transfer onto a BU course. Our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) procedure enables credit awarded from one institution to contribute to a BU award, subject to an application process. Please visit our RPL webpage for more information.

Mature applicants: We recognise that mature applicants may have a wealth of experience rather than formal qualifications, so we’ll consider your application on these merits if included in your application. You’ll need to apply to BU in the usual way through UCAS and you may be invited to an interview to discuss your suitability for the course based on the experience you tell us about in your application.

We are looking for students who are keen to develop their intellectual skills by gaining a sound scientific understanding of conservation ecology and who wish to also develop a broader cross disciplinary awareness of the role of human societal issues in wildlife conservation.

We particularly encourage applications from people who have an enthusiasm for developing practical field biology skills such as species identification and habitat survey techniques that are considered to be key attributes by many employers. Students on this degree course will typically have a wide range of interests and have strong science backgrounds which could include biology, geography and chemistry.

We select candidates for this course by looking at your application; there are usually no interviews or selection activities needed. For that reason, make sure your application really stands out from the crowd, and leave us in no doubt as to why you should be joining BU. You can find some handy hints about filling in your UCAS form on our how to apply web pages.

We look at individual applications and make a tailored offer based on your potential to succeed on the course considering a range of factors, including your academic achievements, work and other experience, reference and personal statement, and in some cases, your performance at an interview or a portfolio review. Typically, we make an offer at the bottom of the tariff range.

If you are unable to meet the entry requirements, we may be able to make you an offer through AccessBU if you meet certain criteria e.g. you have been in care or live in an area where fewer people typically progress to Higher Education. If you don't meet our published tariff, we will accept you at least 8 points below if your personal circumstances match our AccessBU criteria. 

Our offer-making will typically be based on your most recent qualifications, including any required subjects where applicable. We'll consider all qualifications when assessing your application, although these may not be part of our offer.

If you do not meet the criteria of your original offer, we may still offer you a place. We will review your whole application and consider all academic qualifications (including those not in the offer) to see if you have the academic potential to succeed on the course. If we feel the answer is yes, we will confirm your place.

These courses have compulsory elements involving working with dangerous substances in laboratory conditions and/or undertaking field trips in less accessible environments.  Students must complete a health and safety risk assessment taking part in these activities, for their safety and that of others.  As part of that assessment students provide information about any conditions or disabilities that might affect their ability to undertake these activities fully or safely. 

If you have such a condition or disability, please let us know as soon as possible.  You can contact our Additional Learning Support (ALS) service about this before or after making an application.  We will then work with you to identify any support or adjustments you would need.  Our ALS team works with the Faculty to seek to put in place reasonable adjustments and health and safety plans. 

Exceptionally, it may not be possible to arrange for a student to access these courses without either over-riding their core standards or competencies or creating unacceptable risks to health and safety.  If that is the case we will help you explore alternative course choices.

Among the organisations you can go on to work for are:

• Wildlife trusts
• Natural England
• The RSPB
• The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
• The Environment Agency
• The National Trust
• Local authority departments and international conservation NGOs

• Ecology
• Conservation
• Environmental management
• Education

Once you have completed an undergraduate Honours degree, you can further develop your education by studying for a postgraduate degree. Please visit our postgraduate section for further details about our range of taught Master’s degrees (we offer two in this subject area) and Masters by Research degree. For details visit the dedicated MRes Degree pages and look under Life & Environmental Sciences for topic ideas. 

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course, including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement if this is part of your course of study
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus while you are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibility restrictions
• Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team
• Loan of lab coats and safety glasses.

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Unions shop stock stationery supplies in both campuses.
• Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website. 
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass can be purchased alongside your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately.
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website.
• Travel costs for optional field trips, outdoor wear and footwear for mandatory and optional field trips (if applicable).
• You will need to meet the cost of any Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if required by your placement setting, including any Post Office or Digital ID verification changes. 
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study.
• SportBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full-time fee.

Amanda's research focusses on how climate and human disturbance influence primate distribution patterns and survival; Eco-tourism; conservation; disease transmission and human-wildlife conflicts.

Prof Diaz is a conservation ecologist who enthusiastically supports wildlife conservation by integrating her research and professional practice activities with mentoring student partners co-creating new knowledge. Anita has a core research interest in conserving the wildlife of cultural habitats such as heathlands, meadows and woods.

Prof Stillman is an applied ecologist with an interest in predicting how environmental change and management influence animal populations. His research aims to advise policy makers, conservationists and industry on the best ways of reconciling the interests of wildlife with those of humans.

Prof Stafford is a marine biologist and academic based at Bournemouth University. His research is currently focussed on understanding and protecting the marine environment in a holistic manner.

Prof. Esteban's research interests focus on biodiversity at the microbial level in order to understand and predict the functioning of aquatic systems by characterising microbial biodiversity at local and regional scales, and by defining the role played by microbes in the natural environment and food webs.