Making Connections: Reflecting on the Landscape Ecology UK
Landscape Ecology UK PhD Rep Andrew Irving reflects on his first Landscape Ecology UK conference
The 2025 Landscape Ecology UK conference was my first, and I hope the first of many. Over three days, speakers showcased their contributions to cutting-edge methods, projects, case studies, and reflections. The overarching conference theme of ‘Monitoring Ecosystem Recovery at the Landscape Scale’ focused on scaling ecological monitoring, restoration exemplars, and technological innovations. These areas created a sense of technicality, rigour, and focus. A mix of academics, policymakers, and practitioners as both speakers and audience made for well-rounded discussions. Questions flowed easily, probing the science while also exploring practical applications – shaping our appreciation of how we may enhance our collective efforts across both literature and landscapes.
A full and engaging programme of thirty-five speakers, eleven posters, and ample networking opportunities proved a sense of energy and pace within Edinburgh’s busy centre. However, what struck me most was the atmosphere created within the field trips. I joined the party travelling into the Borders hills to visit the Carrifran Wildwood Regeneration Project. There, we received a tour from Wild Heart Project Officer, Andy Wilson. The combination of walking through a living example of restoration in action, and Andy’s calm and thoughtful personality as our guide, provided a grounding conclusion to the conference. It set the tone for conversations on the trail that shifted in character from earlier discussions of the intricacies of the science being presented to wider reflections on how we were collectively inspired by the setting and the finding of connections through shared colleagues and projects. As we boarded the coaches to begin travelling home we left not just with reinvigorated knowledge of the latest developments in the sector but a bolstered sense of purpose and community.
So, despite this conference being my first with Landscape Ecology UK, it was obvious that this balance and variety was intentional, reflecting the organisation's commitment to fostering work across boundaries; physical in landscapes, disciplinary in research and practice, and relational in how we connect knowledge with experience. High praise to the team for organising a fantastic conference and demonstrating an approach that I will endeavour to continue when supporting our student members in my new role as PhD Rep on the committee!
Andrew Irving
