28 May 2021, Starts: 12:30, Ends: 14:00

Natural Capital Laboratory at Birchfield (& Beyond!)

About this event

The Lifescape Project is a not-for-profit organisation designing and undertaking conservation projects aimed at supporting wildlife, transforming landscapes, and helping to provide a future for all life.

Event Overview

In this 'Thoughtscape' webinar event, we will introduce you to the origins and the work of the Natural Capital Laboratory ("NCL") based at Birchfield. This will include a short film about the site, hearing from artists inspired by the site and information on:

aquatic surveys and the use of eDNA;

virtual reality ecology; and

rewilding and missing species.

This session will be chaired by Emilia Leese, author, lawyer and now actively involved in rewilding as the landowner at Birchfield. Her first book, 'Think Like a Vegan' is out now from Unbound.

Register for this event

Various information links

Panellists

Erin Gianferrara

Erin Gianferrara is an Environmental Economist at AECOM with a background in natural capital accounting, nature-based solutions, and ecosystem service assessments. She is currently a technical lead for AECOM's Natural Capital Laboratory, Deputy Chair of a local gardening charity and is passionate about exploring the use of advanced technologies in rewilding and conservation.

Pete Cowley

Pete Cowley is an associate Acquatic Ecologist and leads AECOM's nationwide acquatic ecology team. He has over a decade of experience in the environmental sector both in terrestrial and acquatic ecology with a specialism in acquatic invertebrates and crayfish, and in the monitoring and maintenance of biological water quality and habitat quality for all aquatic and riparian species. Peter advises the construction and regulatory industries on legislative requirements and environmental mitigation, including the Environmental Investigation Agency.

Benjamin Barca

Benjamin works with NatureMetrics to integrate DNA-based tools into biodiversity monitoring strategies on behalf of AECOM. He is a conservation scientist and practitioner with experience in running tropical field bio-monitoring programs, grant and project management roles.

Ashley Welch

Ashley is a green Infrastructure & biodiversity specialist with AECOM with keen interest in nature based solutions, biophilia and biodiversity design. He is also particularly interested in Immersive tech to visualise the benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Max Heaver

Max is a Lifescape trustee who is passionate about the proper application of environmental and ecological economics in business and policy contexts. Max is focusing on rewilding and missing species with respect to the NCL. His career to date has included work on environmental policy, environmental economics, advocacy and briefly in ecological consultancy. Outside of his Lifescape role he currently works for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on biodiversity and land use policy.

Louise Smith

Louise is a singer and songwriter known as 'EVER'. EVER's newest release, Counting Flowers, was written during her retreat at Birchfield. EVER will release even more music written at Birchfield this summer.

Roland Arnison

Roland is a film-maker, expedition leader, and environmental consultant. His film-making follows his interests in natural history, environmental and adventure stories. Roland has a degree in environmental science and has spent many years working as an environmental researcher, communicator and consultant.