Our organisation
Landscape Ecology UK is a not-for-profit membership organisation run by volunteers, which actively recruits members from science, policy and practice with interests in landscape ecology. This page provides more information on our History, Aims, Vision and Committee.
History
In the early 1990s, UK members of the newly established International Association for Landscape Ecology (IALE) decided to establish ialeUK as a regional chapter. A key aim recorded at the inaugural meeting in November 1991 was to ‘actively organise events and conferences for the further interaction between scientists, managers and planners in the field of landscape ecology’. In subsequent years, as reflected in a recent journal paper written about the first 25 years of ialeUK, we have built a reputation for organising friendly and welcoming events that bring together science, policy and practice to discuss and share a wide range of themes. In 2024 we changed our name to Landscape Ecology UK to more easily communicate our focus.
Aims & Vision
The core aims of Landscape Ecology UK are:
To promote interest, learning and understanding of landscape ecology
To promote inter-disciplinary research across the many fields in landscape ecology
To encourage communication between scientists, policy makers, planners and practitioners concerned with landscape ecology.
Our vision is to see:
Research in the UK furthers knowledge of landscape ecology
Legislation, policies, regulations, incentives and best practice are informed by landscape ecology
Those with an interest in protecting, planning, or managing land, water or associated ecosystem goods and services share a good understanding of landscape ecology.
Our Committee
Landscape Ecology UK is led by an enthusiastic committee of volunteers who share responsibilities for achieving our aims. The committee prides itself on its open and inclusive culture, representation from research and practice, and full participation of landscape ecologists in all career stages. Please consider volunteering to join the committee.
The current committee is formed of:
Prof. Marc Metzger | President | Professor of Environment and Society at the University of Edinburgh | president@iale.uk
Dr Jessica Neumann | Secretary | Associate Professor of Physical Geography at University of Reading | secretary@iale.uk
Dr Vanessa Burton | Treasurer | Conservation Adviser at the Woodland Trust | treasurer@iale.uk
Prof. James Millington | Membership & Website | Professor of Environmental Geography at King’s College London | membership@iale.uk
Dr Chris Foster | Comms. Officer | Lecturer in Animal Ecology at University of Reading
Dr Caitlin Lewis | Comms. Officer | Environmental Scientist at Forest Research
Dr Jess Williams | Comms. Officer | Imperial College Research Fellow at Imperial College London
Dr Jenny Knight | Comms. Officer | Stump Up For Trees
Leanne Sargeant | Webinar Organiser | Senior Ecologist at Forestry England
Dr Chloe Bellamy | Webinar Organiser | Senior Spatial Scientist at Forest Research
Andrew Irving | Postgraduate Representative | PhD Researcher at the University of Edinburgh | students@iale.uk
Dr Mike Image | ordinary member | Associate - Natural Capital at AtkinsRealis
Jonathan Porter | ordinary member | Technical Director at Countryscape
Dr Becks Spake | ordinary member | Associate Professor at the University of Southampton
Dr Matt Dennis | Conference Organiser | Senior Lecturer at The University of Manchester
Prof. Jonny Huck | Conference Organiser | Professor of Computational Geography at The University of Manchester
Committee Overview
Landscape Ecology UK committee members are not renumerated but legitimate expenses to fulfil committee roles are reimbursed. The committee meets 3-4 times a year and each committee member should be prepared to attend at least 2 meetings per year. The committee comprises officers with specific roles (described below) and ordinary members. Officers are required to submit a report for each committee meeting and an annual report for the Annual Meeting. Roles require a varying degree of commitment, with a minimum of 3 days per year for meetings and activities (e.g. ordinary member). Officers are expected to arrange and orderly handover to their successors.
Committee Roles
The descriptions of roles below are intended to indicate the type of activities associated which each role (use the + symbol to read details). These role descriptions were last updated 25 November 2025.
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Chair committee meetings and the Annual Meeting.
Liaise with the secretary about the timing and arrangement of committee meetings.
Consider items to be discussed at meetings and prepare the agenda in collaboration with the Secretary.
Promote and represent ialeUK, including liaison with external organisations.
Liaise with IALE and IALE-Europe and represent the views of ialeUK internationally.
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Ensure the accounts balance.
Note all items of income and expenditure.
Liaise with membership secretary concerning membership payments.
Pay IALE and IALE-Europe annual subscription fees.
Pay committee expenses in line with the <<expense policy>>.
Be a company director.
Liaise with accountants and Companies House regarding the end of year accounts.
Submit a report for each committee meeting and an annual report at the Annual Meeting.
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Coordinate logistics for committee meetings and circulate the agenda.
Produce a full record of committee meetings and any resulting actions.
Notify members of the Annual Meeting and opportunities to join the committee.
Produce a full record of Annual Meetings.
Collate and manage contact details of committee members, inform web manager of email addresses for the committee email
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Maintain an up-to-date record of members.
Manage membership payments and liaise with the Treasurer regarding membership income.
Organise membership renewal reminders and encourage membership.
Send up-to-date membership information to IALE and IALE Europe.
Manage compliance with GDPR legislation.
Submit a report for each committee meeting and an annual report at the Annual Meeting.
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Manage social media accounts and use them for publicity.
Publish newsletters.
Work with Conference Organisers, Webinar convenors and others to publicise events.
Encourage members (and others) to submit content for the website and social media.
Produce a newsletter for circulation to members.
Request information and articles from the committee and members.
Approach potential authors for special features for the newsletter.
Submit a report for each committee meeting and an annual report at the Annual Meeting.
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Manage the website, considering content, design, and functionality.
Manage committee email lists
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To network, engage and support postgraduate students and early career landscape ecology professionals within 5 years of their last degree.
Recruit new student members and maintain relationships with existing members.
Organise an annual Early Career event.
Manage Student Travel Awards, including advertising collating reports from student receiving awards.
Contribute Early Career related items to the newsletter
Submit a report for each committee meeting and an annual report at the Annual Meeting.
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Organise the conference with support from the Committee.
Pass information on to the next conference organiser and remain on the committee as an ordinary member until all conference business is concluded.
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Organise the Landscape Connections webinars with support from the Committee.
Work with Communications Officers to publicise webinars
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Attend committee meetings to engage in discussion about the future direction and governance of ialeUK.
Uphold the interests of ialeUK and promote the principles and practise of landscape ecology to members and the wider community.
Limited Company
Landscape Ecology UK is a limited company and not-for-profit organisation. The current directors are Vanessa Burton and Jessica Neumann. Legitimate committee expenses to fulfil committee roles are reimbursed following our expenses policy [pdf] but are not paid for their time and all other income is used to pursue our aims.
Join Us
Join us to connect with landscape ecologists from the UK and around the world. Receive and contribute to a regular newsletter. Get discounted registration at annual conferences, workshops and events run by Landscape Ecology UK and other IALE chapters around the world. Early career members can apply for travel awards to our meetings.
Volunteer
Landscape Ecology UK is run by volunteers and we’d love for you to contribute. Consider joining the committee to help shape our ambitions. Contribute a News Story or speak at one of our Landscape Connections webinars. Add to our Image Library or host an event, like a conference or workshop. So many ways to contribute!