PhD Studentship: Restoration of temperate rainforests in the Southwest of England – Are blue ground beetles the key to success?, NERC GW4+ DTP PhD studentship for September 2025 Entry

About the Partnership

This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the NERC Great Western Four+ Doctoral Training Partnership (GW4+ DTP).  The GW4+ DTP consists of the Great Western Four alliance of the University of Bath, University of Bristol, Cardiff University and the University of Exeter plus five Research Organisation partners:  British Antarctic Survey, British Geological Survey, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology,  the Natural History Museum and Plymouth Marine Laboratory.  The partnership aims to provide a broad training in earth and environmental sciences, designed to train tomorrow’s leaders in earth and environmental science. For further details about the programme please see http://nercgw4plus.ac.uk/

For eligible successful applicants, the studentships comprises:

• An stipend for 3.5 years (currently £19,237 p.a. for 2024/25) in line with UK Research and Innovation rates
• Payment of university tuition fees;
• A research budget of £11,000 for an international conference, lab, field and research expenses;
• A training budget of £1,000 for specialist training courses and expenses.

Project details

For information relating to the research project please contact the lead Supervisor via n.j.royle@exeter.ac.uk

Project Aims and Methods

Blue ground beetles (BGBs) are habitat specialists with a very restricted, fragmented UK distribution, mostly across Devon and Cornwall, that are dependent on old growth temperate rainforest (a globally rare habitat where damp, Atlantic coast oak-dominated woodland where plants, such as ferns, grow on other plants), making them a good indicator of forest health. They are also an umbrella species. Protect them and by doing so many other species will also be protected. 
Restoration and reconnection of these forest fragments to build resilience is a central aim of conservation stakeholders in the region, but little is known about the quality of the available habitat and its suitability for BGBs and other temperate rainforest species. This is vital to assess if habitat is to be reconnected and restored across the wider landscape.  
This project will bring key stakeholders together, including CASE partners Natural England and Dartmoor National Parks Authority, to address these issues using a combination of complementary approaches including site surveys and species distribution modelling to assess suitability of habitat for BGBs across Devon and Cornwall and identify potential sites for re-introduction/translocation, genetic differentiation of populations and radiotracking of individuals that have been translocated to monitor behaviour and success. 

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