Professor Nils Bunnefeld

Professor

Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA

Professor Nils Bunnefeld

Contact details

About me

I work at the interface between biodiversity and society combining natural and social sciences to improve our understanding of decision making from local to global levels in relation to natural resource use, climate change, people's livelihoods and sustainable development. I also contribute to science policy links on biodiversity through the European Eklipse initiative and the UNEP Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds.

Brief biography:

2017-present Professor, Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling

2016-2017 Reader/Associate Professor, Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling

2015-2016 Senior Lecturer, Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling

2012-2015 Lecturer, Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling

2010-2012 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Imperial College London

2008-2010 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Umeå

2008 PhD, Imperial College London

2003 MSc, University of Groningen, Netherlands

1999 Vordiplom, University of Goettingen, Germany

I am currently working on two EU HorizonEurope funded projects. The RestoreID project (Restoring Ecosystems to Stop the Threat Of Re - Emerging Infectious Disease https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101134969) will run from 2024 until 2027 with the objective to understand how ecosystem restoration might impact wildlife disease and emergent spillover risk. The RestoreID project has now published a new online game called Restore, play it here https://glitchers.itch.io/restore.

The Eco-Ready project (2022-2026) will work towards "Achieving ecological resilient dynamism for the European food system through consumer-driven policies, socio-ecological challenges, biodiversity, data-driven policy, sustainable futures" (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101084201). I work on Eco-Ready through a part-time secondment to the science-policy organisation Alternet/Eklipse (https://alterneteurope.eu/)

I am currently involved as a mentor in the Beacon project (https://www.thebeaconproject.net/) led by Dr Isabel Jones and funded by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship. The Beacon Project is an interdisciplinary scientific research programme that uses large hydropower development as a model system to investigate trade-offs between different United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Between 2016 and 2022, I held a European Research Council Starting Grant called ConFooBio (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/679651): Resolving conflicts between biodiversity conservation and food security under uncertainty. The project was mentioned in EU "Frontier research for Food 2030" contributing to governance and system change (https://erc.europa.eu/projects-statistics/mapping-erc-frontier-research/frontier-research-food-2030) as well as in "Frontier research for biodiversity" highlighting the importance of understanding conflicts between food security and biodiversity conservation (https://erc.europa.eu/projects-statistics/mapping-erc-frontier-research/frontier-research-biodiversity). In 2023, the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) mentions ConFooBio in their Scientific Opinion publication containing a set of recommendations that includes the removal of conflicting policy interventions (https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/29369). In 2024, The ERC Frontier Research series published "Transformative change for a sustianable future". ConFooBio was mentioned as one of the projects tackling conflicts and trade offs, such as between biodiversity conservation and food security https://erc.europa.eu/projects-statistics/mapping-erc-frontier-research/frontier-research-transformative-change.

Community Contribution

AEWA - Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds
United Nations Environment Programme
https://www.unep-aewa.org/en
I am a member of the Technical Committee (TC) which is a subsidiary body to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). TC's main purpose is to provide scientific and technical advice and information to the Meeting of the Parties and, through the Agreement Secretariat, to Parties. AEWA is an intergovernmental treaty dedicated to the conservation of migratory waterbirds and their habitats across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, Greenland and the Canadian Archipelago. Developed under the framework of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), AEWA brings together countries and the wider international conservation community in an effort to establish coordinated conservation and management of migratory waterbirds throughout their entire migratory range.

Conservation and Sustainability Consortium of Academic Institutions (CASCADE)
https://www.cascade.ac.uk/home
Biodiversity conservation is one of the defining issues of our age, and the UK government has made clear its ambition for global leadership in this area; for example by initiation of the Leaders' Pledge for Biodiversity, by commitment to deforestation-free supply chains in the Environment Bill, and in its ambitious 25-year Environment Plan. UK universities have expertise and experience in interdisciplinary conservation science; in research, training and capacity-building. Based in the UK, the Conservation And Sustainability Consortium of AcaDEmic institutions (CASCADE) brings together organisations working on finding solutions to one of the biggest challenges facing humanity, the biodiversity crisis. We believe that only through sharing resources and knowledge and acting in partnership with other research institutions, government agencies, NGOs and industry will we be able to work towards finding solutions to issues of global significance. Our vision: To use CASCADE's expertise in people-orientated conservation science to support the development of principles, policies and practices that meet CBD goals in the UK and partner countries in an equitable, socially-just and inclusive way. Our mission: We will achieve our vision through a network of UK and international partner institutions carrying out innovative inter- and transdisciplinary research and education on conservation policy and practice, allowing us to discover, devise and disseminate the actions required for transformational change in biodiversity conservation whilst helping train and support the next generation of conservation scientists.

Eklipse - Bridging the gap between policy and knowledge on biodiversity in Europe
https://eklipse.eu/
Eklipse is a European mechanism for science-policy on biodiversity and has a fourfold approach: 1) Answering questions from decision-makers by synthesising the best available knowledge. 2) Facilitating evidence-based decisions through a transparent, proven, and robust request process. 3) Creating a European network of experts and knowledge holders recognised for their work. 4) Increasing citizen engagement in science-policy interface activities. Since 2023, I am the Co-Chair of the Knowledge Coordination Body of Eklipse (KCB) which is responsible for selecting together with the Strategic Advisory Board (SAB) the requests Eklipse will process. In close collaboration with the Eklipse Management Body (EMB), its main responsibility is ensuring that requests from policy and other societal actors are answered through the coordination of joint evidence processes. The KCB also coordinates the identification of research priorities and emerging issues and encourages societal engagement. The role of the KCB is to act at the interface between the Expert Working Groups (EWGs), the different governance bodies, as well as with the requesters and possible end-users of Eklipse.

Scotland National Goose Forum
https://www.gov.scot/groups/national-goose-forum/
We established the National Goose Forum (previously, the National Goose Management Review Group, NGMRG) in May 2000 to implement the national policy framework and to advise Scottish Ministers on goose management in Scotland. The Forum is required to conduct a multi-disciplinary review of the national policy framework every five years, and to report its findings to ministers. Its core objectives are to: - meet the UK's nature conservation obligations for geese, within the context of wider biodiversity objectives - minimise economic losses experienced by farmers and crofters caused by geese - maximise the value for money of public expenditure on geese management

Mentor

Mentor for Dr Isabel Jones - UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship
https://www.thebeaconproject.net/
The Beacon Project is an interdisciplinary scientific research programme that uses large hydropower development as a model system to investigate trade-offs between different United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mentor for Dr Isla Hogdson for NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellowship
http://gotw.nerc.ac.uk/list_full.asp?pcode=NE%2FX001873%2F1
This knowledge exchange fellowship will transfer conflict research to stakeholders involved in the management and governance of Scotland's MPA management network, using the Conservation Conflict Curve (Cusack et al., 2021) as both a diagnostic tool to assess conflict intensity and a conflict management tool to bring stakeholders together and share understanding of conflicts in the area.

University Contribution

Director of Centre for Policy, Conflict and Cooperation Research (CPCCR)
https://www.stir.ac.uk/…erationresearch/
The CPCCR seeks to bring together international and domestic politics and history, environmental management and climate science, policy making and theory, as well as the advancement of professional practice and theoretical developments. We regularly engage with professionals in diplomacy, military, international development, environmental protection and biodiversity conservation and other related areas, both in our teaching and in our research. This Centre is co-hosted by the Division of History and Politics and Biological and Environmental Sciences. At the heart of what our Centre does is the interaction between theory and practice. We explore how conflict and co-operation work in practice and we are keen on developing insights on how our research can help in real-life situations. We are happy to offer our global experiences for consultancy and training sessions to public and private sector clients.

Director of MSc Environmental Management (Conservation)
https://www.stir.ac.uk/…ntal-management/
Our Masters degree will give you a solid grounding in the scientific principles that underpin Environmental Management. We cover topics including the ecological, economic, social, political and legal aspects of environmental management. We give comprehensive training in quantitative, theoretical, analytical and practical skills. Environmental managers play a vital role in the protection and sustainable use of resources. You’ll learn to address issues such as adaptation to climate change, biodiversity and sustainable energy management. At the local level, Environmental Management focuses on conservation and protection of land and water resources and natural habitats. You’ll also benefit from employability skills training, a residential field skills course and the chance to carry out an environmental management related dissertation project which may include working collaboratively with a business.

Research programmes

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Research themes