Hey Everyone, my name is Annabel. Having recently completed my MSc in Ecology and Conservation at the University of Aberdeen, I’m delighted to be returning as part of the QUADRAT DTP. Through exploring, working and undertaking research in the Scottish Cairngorms, I’ve developed an interest in landscape management and conservation. I’ve pursued this within past research on the habitat requirements for native Upland birchwood and Caledonian pine forest restoration and investigating the palaeoecological history of an upland blanket bog to reveal how environmental and human-induced changes have altered local landscapes.

I’m looking forward to getting started with my new project researching the palaeoenvironmental history of ancient deciduous woodlands in Scotland and Ireland, supervised by Dr Ed Schofield. With the recent increasing interest in rewilding and reforesting, this project is an exciting opportunity to improve our understanding of long-term changes in composition and dynamics of these woodlands, which can provide vital insights for their future management and restoration.

Taken during fieldwork on the Mar Lodge Estate, Aberdeenshire