Centre for Sustainable Solutions

RESPECT is focused on two areas, the Forth Catchment in Scotland and the Humber Catchment in England.

In these areas, we are:

1. Identifying where sustainable peatland management would make the biggest difference. We are doing this by collating historic and new scientific data to understand how peatlands have changed over time.
2. Talking and listening to landholders and local communities to learn what encourages or discourages them from getting involved in peatland restoration. We are also interested in the perspectives of local communities and how sustainable peatland management may benefit them.
3. Building a practical tool called the Peatland Triage Tool. This will help landholders make informed choices about restoring peatland on their land by providing clear, practical advice based on the latest data.
4. Looking at how current policies help or hinder sustainable peatland management. We’ll provide suggestions that could better support landholders and make it easier to restore peatlands across the country.

RESPECT was awarded £4.5 million by the UKRI Land Use for Net Zero Research programme over three years.

The project is co-funded by the UKRI, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (on behalf of England and Wales), the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in the Northern Ireland, and the Scottish Government. 

The RESPECT project has been co-designed to meet the needs of partner organisations, as well as a set of wider stakeholders. Project partners take part in regular stakeholder meetings and they provide access to data, assistance with site visits and advice that is invaluable to the project’s success.

Project partners also play a key role in the dissemination of research outputs. Findings will be shared with partners and presented at relevant conferences, such as those organised by Community Land Scotland, the IUCN UK Peatland Programme, Natural England and NatureScot.

We are grateful to be able to draw on this support and would like to thank each of the project partners for their participation.

The 11 project partners of the RESPECT project are:

• Community Land Scotland
• Forth Rivers Trust
• Historic England
• Historic Environment Scotland
• IUCN UK Peatland Programme
• National Centre for Resilience
• National Trust
• National Trust for Scotland
• Natural England
• NatureScot
• National Farmers Union, Scotland

Jill Robbie is a Professor of Property Law and the Natural Environment in the School of Law at the University of Glasgow. She is the Principal Investigator of the RESPECT project, a co-lead of Work Package 4 and a contributor to Work Packages 2 and 3. 

Adrian Bass is a Reader in Biogeochemistry in the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow. Adrian is a co-lead of the RESPECT project and work package 1, and a contributor to work package 3.

Jane Bunting is a Reader in Geography in the School for Environment and Life Sciences at the University of Hull. She is a long term ecologist with research interests focused on better understanding of the long term ecological dynamics of cultural landscapes, mostly from pollen records. Jane is a co-lead of the RESPECT project and a contributor to work package 1.

Deborah Dixon is a Professor of Geography in the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow. She is an internationally recognised scholar in feminist geopolitics. Deborah is a co-lead of the RESPECT project and work package 2, and a contributor to work packages 3 and 4. 

Graham Ferrier is a Professor of Earth Observation Science in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Hull. His research seeks to develop new insights into sustainability, impacts of climate change, environmental processes and anthropogenic effects on the environment at a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Graham is a co-lead of the RESPECT project and work package 3, and a contributor to work package 1.

Nick Hanley is Chair in Environmental and One Health Economics in the School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine at the University of Glasgow. He is an environmental economist who mainly works on the application of economic methods to biodiversity conservation, one health problems and measures of sustainability. Nick is a co-lead of the RESPECT project and a contributor to work packages 2 and 3. 

Larissa Naylor is a Professor of Geomorphology and Environmental Geography in the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow. She is a coastal geomorphologist who works at the interface of geomorphology, ecology and engineering. Larissa is a co-lead of the RESPECT project and work package 4.

Amy Proctor is a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Rural Economy at Newcastle University. She is a social scientist whose research on sustainable land and livestock management focuses specifically on the role and expertise of farmers and their advisers. Amy is a co-lead of the RESPECT project and a contributor to work packages 2 and 4.

Katherine Simpson is a Lecturer in One Health and Environmental Economics in the School of Health & Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow. She has over ten years of research experience in interdisciplinary collaboration with ecologists, environmental scientists and policy specialists. Katherine is a co-lead of the RESPECT project and work package 2, and a contributor to work package 3.

Jens-Arne Subke is a Professor in Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Stirling. He is an ecosystem scientist interested in understanding the response of terrestrial ecosystems to changes in environmental conditions. Jens-Arne is a co-lead of the RESPECT project and work package 3, and a contributor to work package 1.

Nicki Whitehouse is a Professor of Archaeological Science in the School of Humanities at the University of Glasgow. She is an archaeological scientist working within environmental archaeology and palaeoecology and has particular expertise in the archaeology and palaeoecology of peatlands, wetlands, agriculture and land use. Nicki is a co-lead of the RESPECT project and work package 1, and a contributor to work packages 2 and 3. 

Jiren Xu is a Lecturer in Remote Sensing & GIS in the School of Social & Environmental Sustainability at the University of Glasgow. He is an environmental scientist with an interdisciplinary background. Jiren is a co-lead of the RESPECT project and a contributor to work packages 1 and 3.

Phil Barratt is a Research Associate and an Affiliate Researcher in Archaeology in the School of Humanities at the University of Glasgow. Phil is a contributor to work package 1 of the RESPECT project. 

Stuart Brown is a Research Associate in the Centre for Rural Economy at Newcastle University. Stuart is a contributor to work package 4 of the RESPECT project.

Devon Burke is a Centre Administrator and Project Coordinator at the University of Glasgow. She is the Project Administrator of the RESPECT project.

Alex Currie is a Research Associate in the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow. He is a contributor to work package 2 of the RESPECT project. 

Miranda Geelhoed is a Research Associate in the School of Law at the University of Glasgow. Her background is in law and governance, with a focus on agriculture, land, biodiversity, climate and human rights. Miranda is a contributor to work package 4 of the RESPECT project.

Muhammad Jehanzaib is a Research Associate in the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Stirling. His research expertise includes peatland hydrology, hydroclimatic extremes, and the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence in hydrology. He is a contributor to Work Package 3 of the RESPECT project.

Stuart Munro is a Geospatial Technician in Archaeology in the School of Humanities at the University of Glasgow. He has an interest in archaeological fieldwork methodology, remote sensing primarily employing drone-based survey solutions, digital landscape modelling, and GIS and spatial analysis. Stuart is a contributor to work package 1 of the RESPECT project.

Mary Nthambi is a Research Associate in the School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine within the College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow. She is a contributor to work package 2 of the RESPECT project.

Adeline Shaw is a PhD Candidate in the School of Law at the University of Glasgow. Her PhD examines the motivations and barriers faced by landowners, farmers and other stakeholders in adopting peatland restoration practices and is part of the RESPECT project. She is a contributor to work package 2.

Wenguang Tang is a Research Associate in the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow. He is a contributor to work package 1 of the RESPECT project.