Trees and ferns above a stream

Conservation@Bangor

We are living through a biodiversity crisis. Conservation@Bangor does research relevant to the policy and practice of nature conservation, with the aim of delivering benefits for both people and nature.

On this page:
green chameleon on a leaf about to eat a red bug
Flap-Necked Chameleon with insect prey, Tanzania
Credit:Leejiah Dorward

Our research

Our research is highly interdisciplinary, including insights, expertise and methods from biology, ecology, psychology, economics, sociology, geography, land systems science, and policy amongst others.

We work globally, from the mountains of Snowdonia to the coral reefs of the Caribbean, from rainforests to savannahs and beyond. We undertake applied research which addresses the diverse threats facing species and ecosystems worldwide.

Working across disciplines

Our research spans a range of taxa, from African primates to red squirrels, rare British trees to reptiles, epiphytic ferns to insect pollinators, and mangroves to reef fish. 

We collect social and ecological data from locations across the globe, undertake laboratory work, and use sophisticated computer modelling to tackle questions at a range of spatial scales, from individual organisms through to global systems. Collaborating with a diversity of universities, conservation organisations, government agencies and local community groups in the UK and around the world, we work across disciplines to inform conservation practice.

Our strengths

We have particular strengths in nature-based solutions to environmental change, the intersection between biodiversity conservation, human behaviour and poverty, impacts of agriculture on biodiversity, rewilding, robust impact evaluation, conservation conflict, and the contribution of ex-situ efforts to conservation goals.

Hummingbird with iridescent feathers hovering on front of a yellow flower
Biodiversity in restored forests will differ from old-growth forests - Bangor University researchers work to understand how restoration may impact biodiversity.
Credit:Eleanor Warren-Thomas

Find out more about some of our researchers. A full list of staff and students can be found below.

Conservation@Bangor researchers

Featured projects

Find out about current Conservation@Bangor projects by reading our project pages and blogs:

Conservation@Bangor projects

Our projects have global reach, using the diverse expertise of Bangor staff, research students, and collaborators.

Our research around the world

Opportunities

Envision DTP logo
Envision DTP logo

Conservation@Bangor researchers supervise PhD researchers through the Envision Doctoral Training Partnership, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

find out more 

If you are interested in completing postgraduate research (MRes or PhD) with Conservation@Bangor, whether through Envision or an alternative route, please contact individual staff members to discuss. 

Recent Publications

A selection of recent publications from Conservation@Bangor researchers is listed here, but for all the latest publications, please check individual researcher pages linked above.

  • Widespread extinctions of co-diversified primate gut bacterial symbionts from humans. Sanders, J.G., Sprockett, D.D., Li, Y., Mjungu, D., Lonsdorf, E.V., Ndjango, J.B.N., Georgiev, A.V., Hart, J.A., Sanz, C.M., Morgan, D.B. and Peeters, M., 2023.  Nature Microbiology, pp.1-12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01388-w
  • Topic sensitivity still affects honest responding, even when specialized questioning techniques are usedIbbett, H., Dorward, L.J., Kohi, E.M., Jones, J.P., Sankeni, S., Kaduma, J., Mchomvu, J., Mawenya, R. and St. John, F.A., 2023.Conservation Science and Practice, p.e12927. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12927
  • Resolving Land Tenure Security Is Essential to Deliver Forest Restoration. Rakotonarivo, O.S., Rakotoarisoa, M., Rajaonarivelo, H.M., Raharijaona, S., Jones, J.P.G., and Hockley, N. 2023.Communications Earth & Environment 4, no. 1, 179. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00847-w.
  • Introducing a common taxonomy to support learning from failure in conservation. Dickson, I., Butchart, S.H., Catalano, A., Gibbons, D., Jones, J.P., Lee‐Brooks, K., Oldfield, T., Noble, D., Paterson, S., Roy, S. and Semelin, J., 2023. Conservation Biology37(1), p.e13967. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13967
  • Credit credibility threatens forests. Balmford, A., Brancalion, P.H., Coomes, D., Filewod, B., Groom, B., Guizar-Couti ño, A., Jones, J.P., Keshav, S., Kontoleon, A., Madhavapeddy, A. and Malhi, Y., 2023. Science380(6644), pp.466-467. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh3426
  • Towards a standardized framework for managing lost species. Martin, T.E., Bennett, G.C., Fairbairn, A. and Mooers, A.O., 2023. Animal Conservation26(1), pp.29-30. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12865
  • Applied winter biology: Threats, conservation and management of biological resources during winter in cold climate regions. Reeve, C., Robichaud, J. A., Fernandes, T., Bates, A. E., Bramburger, A. J., Brownscombe, J. W., Davy, C. M., Henry, H. A. L., McMeans, B. C., Moise, E. R. D., Sharma, S., Smith, P. A., Studd, E. K., O’Sullivan, A., Sutton, A. O., Templer, P. H., & Cooke, S. J. 2023. Conservation Physiology, 11(1), coad027. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coad027
  • Impacts of herbivory by ecological replacements on an island ecosystem. JMoorhouse‐Gann, R.J., Vaughan, I.P., Cole, N.C., Goder, M., Tatayah, V., Jones, C.G., Mike, D., Young, R.P., Bruford, M.W., Rivers, M.C. and Hipperson, H., 2022. ournal of Applied Ecology59(9), pp.2245-2261. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14096
  • Rewilding—The farmers’ perspective. Perceptions and attitudinal support for rewilding among the English farming community. Mikołajczak, K.M., Jones, N., Sandom, C.J., Wynne‐Jones, S., Beardsall, A., Burgelman, S., Ellam, L. and Wheeler, H.C., 2022.  People and Nature4(6), pp.1435-1449. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10376
  • Impact of landscape configuration and composition on pollinator communities across different European biogeographic regions. Bottero, I., Dominik, C., Schweiger, O., Albrecht, M., Attridge, E., Brown, M.J.F., Cini, E., Costa, C., De la Rúa, P., de Miranda, J.R., Di Prisco, G., Dzul Uuh, D., Hodge, S., Ivarsson, K., Knauer, A.C., Klein, A.-M., Mänd, M., Martínez-López, V., Medrzycki, P., Pereira-Peixoto, H., Potts, S., Raimets, R., Rundlöf, M., Schwarz, J.M., Senapathi, D., Tamburini, G., Talaván, E.T., Stout, J.C., 2023. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1128228
  • Small effects of family size on sociality despite strong kin preferences in female bottlenose dolphins. Foroughirad, V., Frère, C.H., Levengood, A.L., Kopps, A.M., Krzyszczyk, E. and Mann, J., 2023. Animal Behaviour195, pp.53-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.10.011
  • Model ensembles of ecosystem services fill global certainty and capacity gaps. Willcock, S., Hooftman, D.A., Neugarten, R.A., Chaplin-Kramer, R., Barredo, J.I., Hickler, T., Kindermann, G., Lewis, A.R., Lindeskog, M., Martínez-López, J. and Bullock, J.M., 2023. Science Advances9(14), p.eadf5492. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adf5492
  • Differential effects of vegetation and climate on termite diversity and damage. Wu, D., Seibold, S., Ellwood, M.F. and Chu, C., 2022. Journal of Applied Ecology59(12), pp.2922-2935. https://doi-org.bangor.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14282
  • The effects of population management on wild ungulates: A systematic map of evidence for UK species. Barton, O., Gresham, A., Healey, J.R., Cordes, L.S. and Shannon, G., 2022. Plos one17(6), p.e0267385. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267385
  • Gas compressor noise does not influence tree swallow nestling condition or immune response. JMacLeod, K.J., Naugle, L., Brittingham, M.C. and Avery, J.D., 2022. ournal of Zoology318(1), pp.1-9.  https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12997
  • Widespread variation in functional trait–vital rate relationships in tropical tree seedlings across a precipitation and soil phosphorus gradient. Browne, L., Markesteijn, L., Manzané‐Pinzón, E., Wright, S.J., Bagchi, R., Engelbrecht, B.M., Jones, F.A. and Comita, L.S., 2023. Functional Ecology37(2), pp.248-260.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.1421
  • On track to achieve no net loss of forest at Madagascar’s biggest mine. Devenish, K., Desbureaux, S., Willcock, S., & Jones, J. P. G. (2022). Nature Sustainability, 5(6), 498–508. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-00850-7