For the fourth time in a row the Poaceae walk took place between Marske and Saltburn, early June. This event is organised through the BSBI (Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland), who for the first time managed the booking this year - so a great thank to the support team. We were fully booked, 18 people turned up including the VC 62 botany mascot Benny who features the pictures below.

A massive thanks to my employer and the partners that make delivering this training possible: Teesside University, Field Studies Council, RSPB Saltholme, the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, the Chartered Institute for Ecology and Environmental Management, without forgetting the owners of the field sites visited during the courses and the employers of the attendees that appreciated the great value of the courses.

Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) is consulting on proposals for the Local Nature Recovery Strategy to be implemented across the region. Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) were established b...

What a privilege to survey ecology and habitat change following beaver introduction with this repeat surveys from 2019, 2021, 2024 and now 2026. Thank you to Forestry England for leading this fascinating beaver trial and for facilitating these surveys. The key findings so far have been published in Smith et al 2026 and in this wider public brochure. Thanks for help in the field to Edward and Miles this year, to Austine and Ezekiel in 2024 and to Ed in 2019.

In June and July 2026, I was fortunate to meet and train 20 professional ecologists during Field Studies Council courses. We focussed on botanical skills to identify families of flowering plants, including the notorious grasses, sedges and rushes, but we also tried to go beyond and explored a variety of plants, characters to watch out for and the link with habitat types.

This CPD course delivered from Middlesbrough and visiting quality habitats in the local area was attended by a terrific bunch of ecologists, PhD students, conservationists, reserve warden, etc. Despite the heatwave, we had time to practice making sense of vegetation, this big green wall that appears impenetrable at first to the eye, and identify the individual plant species, classifying habitat types using plant species assemblages, indicator species, etc.

The studentship that supports PhD candidate Ed Hearn is now featuring the latest good news for the University and was picked up by the BBC! This work falls within my interest in monitoring change during rewilding and will strengthen existing research in this area. It reads as follows: The four-year project, a collaboration between the conservation team at RSPB Saltholme nature reserve and PhD researcher Ed Hearn, will examine how rewilding can reverse bird declines and shape future conservation work across the UK.

A four-year project is set to analyse the benefits the presence of Tamworth pigs has on other species.

In 2026 I am offering an even greater range of opportunities to skyrocket your botanical skills: Plant and Habitat Identification Skills short course at Teesside University: Three-day Course / 24th…

Smith, M. W., A.Puttock, M. J.Klaar, H. Thomas, L.L. Handley, R. Brazier, G. Bradbury, A. Baker, A. Hanson, N. Gibbons, K. Gittens, T. Spencer, C. Bashforth (2026). Whole System Ecohydrological Change Following Natural Flood Management and a Five-Year Beaver Reintroduction Trial. Ecohydrology 19, no. 4: e70238. ABSTRACT Once-common beavers have been absent from the British landscape for centuries, but wild beaver populations have returned in recent years as part of reintroduction schemes, including releases into monitored enclosures.

I am still buzzing from this opportunity for Austine and I to present some of our research work on rewilding to such a lovely and enthusiastic audience. It was so nice to see a diverse crowd, including past students and colleagues. Off the Ground, the hosting venue was excellent and packed, as I understand tickets sold out. I'll come back again when it is less busy!

Join this Rewilding SIG event dedicated to presenting and sharing research between PhD students.

We’ve developed Britain’s first framework for monitoring rewilding progress, demonstrating its vital role in creating ecological, social and economic…

As the we are nearing spring and the sun is finally showing itself, I thought I'd provide a more information about the 3-day course I am offering in June. Full details and booking following this link. The classroom element is on Teesside University campus, and everyday we’ll visit one or two relevant site(s) of botanical interests. The exact sites and structure of the days will depend a little bit on the weather; but this will be set on the first day and communicated so that the learners know what to expect.

J Denis Summers-Smith Research Studentship: How to promote abundant and diverse bird resources during transition to rewilding | Research | Teesside University Application Deadline: 13/03/2026 5:00PM Anticipated Interview Date: 17/03/2026 Staff name: Dr Ambroise Baker Start date: Successful applicants will be expected to start in May or October 2026. This PhD project aims to study early management interventions during the transition from agriculture to rewilding, with a special focus on the provision of bird habitat and resources, such as seeds and invertebrate abundance.

This was an extremely productive and refreshing workshop, a true opportunity to brainstorm with a range of practitioners. Organised by Forestry England, Forest Research and CEH, this one-day meeting demonstrated some of the challenges and opportunities when it comes to understand the impacts that large herbivores may have on nature recovery landscapes such as those led by Forestry England. taking part energised and strengthened my enthuse in relation to monitoring change during rewilding, a piece of work I have been developing at Teesside University in collaboration with PhD candidate Austine Otabor and the RSPB at their site of Wild Saltholme. Thank you to the organisers for putting up such a great workshop.

I am thrilled to offer a new 3‑day botany course from Teesside University. The Plant and Habitat Identification CPD Masterclass is an in‑person course taking place in the Tees Valley in the Northeast of England in June 2026 – More details following this link. The idea behind this course is to offer participants skills, practice, and access to resources that will help them gain independence in their learning…

Fantastic time at #BIBConf25, catching up in person with BSBI friends, making new botany friends, hearing from early career people, listing to interesting talks and debates, ... 150% BSBI fun with a full range of exhibits, talks and posters, ... well over 100% on the account that there was sooo much to see and learn! I was fortunate to be allocated exhibit no 8 and brought information about mint (genus Mentha) and I got lots of tips from people on how to develop this work. The poster I presented can be downloaded from here.

In 2026 I am offering an even greater range of opportunities to skyrocket your botanical skills: Plant and Habitat Identification Skills short course at Teesside University: Three-day Course / 24th-26th June 2026. Sharpen your botanical expertise with our CPD masterclass in plant and habitat identification. Perfect for ecologists aiming to deliver BNG surveys, boost their FISC scores, or advance their careers, this structured course blends hands‑on field learning and classroom sessions with access to an extensive range of resources.

Biological recording is the discipline of writing down natural history observations of a correctly identified species, in a specific location, on a specific date, by a named individual. Simple enough,...

Download the beaver trial report It is very exciting to see Forestry England's report about the Yorkshire beaver re-introduction trial, featuring monitoring from a variety of universities and natural history groups - including Teesside University! While the chief aim of the trial is to assess how beaver can reduce flood risk, I am very privilege to monitor aquatic plant colonisation and ecosystem changes over time, as well as to supervise students developing a variety of novel research for their final year project.

While in 2023 and 2024, we came very close to observing 50 species of grasses during the walk, this year, we came even one inch closer to 50 mark! Here is a link to the species that have been observed this year and in previous years. This list should also be useful to get ready for next year. As you can see, 50 taxa were observed, however, only if the…

Very proud to report that my application for full membership of CIEEM, the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, has been accepted. Full membership is awarded to "senior professionals with a high degree of knowledge, experience, skills and professionalism" in the field of ecology and environmental management. During the application, I demonstrated proficiency in the following competencies:

Over the summer 2025, I was fortunate to meet and train about 30 professional ecologists during Field Studies Council courses. We focussed on plant and habitat identification as well as discussed surveys practicalities. This was an opportunity to apply some of my specialised skills in botany and vegetation science, in a variety of policy-relevant contexts - such as Biodiversity Net Gain, tree planting schemes, priority habitats, etc.