Published on 24 February 2014
Inaugural awards for outstanding conservation research unveiled at new event
The UK needs to push forward an ambitious programme of cutting-edge science if we are to save some of our most threatened species.
That’s the message from the RSPB’s chief scientist Dr David Gibbons as the organisation launches the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science at the Royal Society in London tonight (February 26th). This new initiative – which includes an online science hub – is dedicated to discovering solutions to 21st-century conservation problems and celebrating the achievements of some of the country’s top conservation scientists through a new series of awards.
The RSPB has a team of more than 60 scientists in the UK and overseas involved in field research, species monitoring, testing conservation solutions and then publishing their findings in peer reviewed journals – pushing back the boundaries of our knowledge on wildlife.
This year sees a busy programme of projects including plans to attach cameras and GPS trackers to Lesser Black-backed Gulls to look at their interaction with wind farms and utilisaing thermal imaging drones to count birds. Other projects include research aiming to get to the bottom of declines in Turtle Doves, Northern Lapwings and Nepal’s Red-headed Vultures.
Dr David Gibbons, head of the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, said: “These projects are fantastic examples of researchers using the latest technology to investigate why species are declining and how we can save them.
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