Beckie George

Beckie George

Profile

Beckie holds a BSc in Environmental Biology from the University of Nottingham (2020) and an MSc in Island Biodiversity & Conservation from the University of Exeter (2021). For both her undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations she undertook ornithological research with conservation implications which helped form an interest in the relationship between avian conservation and land use. This includes her Master’s dissertation titled ‘Differences in artificial nest survival demonstrate how European nightjar use nest site selection as a predator avoidance strategy.’

After gaining her MSc, Beckie gained experience as a Rewilding Officer at an organic farm turned rewilding project. During this time, she researched the current changes in agricultural policy and the implications this would have for the rewilding project, both ecologically and financially. She also established communication channels with local farmers looking to manage farmland for both food production and biodiversity. This position solidified an interest in the link between biodiversity conservation research to society and broader issues around policy and people.

Beckie George

PhD title: Designing a future UK landscape to assist British bird conservation

Beckie’s project is part of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, titled ‘Designing a future UK landscape to assist British bird conservation’. The project is funded by the Faculty of Science Studentship at the University of East Anglia. Beckie will be exploring how to maximise synergies between climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation in the UK, using birds as an indicator. Specifically, she will be analysing the evidence provided by the British Trust for Ornithology’s Breeding Bird Survey.  The project broadly relates to decisions about land use management and land use change in the UK, and seeks to explore potential alignment of conservation policies, including agricultural policies, with net zero targets. Therefore, the project has implications for addressing the climate and biodiversity crises together, as greater understanding of the two in tandem will help reduce their separation within policy frameworks. It relates particularly to the ‘Agri-Environment and Water’ and ‘Ecology and Biodiversity’ themes of ARIES.

Awards and prizes

For her undergraduate dissertation she was awarded the Campbell Scientific Prize from the Board of the School of Biosciences (University of Nottingham) for the best dissertation containing elements of environmental instrumentation, measurement, and mathematical modelling.

She was awarded a Distinction with a Dean’s Commendation for Exceptional Performance in MSc Island Biodiversity and Conservation from the University of Exeter.

Other information

Beckie has been a Bird Ringing Trainee for the British Trust for Ornithology since 2021. In the past she has assisted in the conducting of annual nightjar surveys on her local heathland and coordinated the annual fixed-point winter bird surveys at Lower Sharpham Farm Rewilding Project. She has also taken part in Devon Rewilding Network community engagement events.

ORCiD

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1224-0648