Biodiversity
The huge variety of life provides a multitude of services from providing food and fuel, purifying water, regulating climate, disposing of waste, to less tangible benefits that inspire people. This theme is aimed at understanding the role of biodiversity in key ecosystem processes.
Environmental change makes this research more pressing because it can lead to loss of biodiversity that plays a key role in the resilience of ecosystems.
Theme leader
Professor Ken Norris has very broad research experience, from the solid foundation of basic science provided by the research councils to the policy-led, applied research on biodiversity that is supported by organisations such as Defra and the wider user community. His research interests span a range of individual, population, community and ecosystem approaches to understanding how biodiversity responds to environmental change. For the past four years he has directed the strategic and operational management of the multi-disciplinary Centre for Agri-Environmental Research at the University of Reading.
Action plan
NERC's governing Council has approved action plans for each theme.
Reports
Large-scale biodiversity, environmental gradients and ecosystem sustainability - combined workshop report.
Valuation of Biodiversity scoping studies reports.