Research and Conservation

PhD Research

In Europe, 90% of semi-natural grasslands have been lost in the last 80-100 years partially due to intensified agricultural and commercial forestry. This is a major contributor to the decline in pollinating insects, such as wild bees, which rely on this habitat and the availability of diverse floral resources. The restoration of semi-natural grasslands has become an important focus in the efforts to conserve and recover pollinator populations. To successfully restore these landscapes, it is integral that keystone species - species which have influential roles that impact the functioning of an ecosystem or its community structure - are also recovered.

Yellow meadow ants (Lasius flavus) occur abundantly in many semi-natural grassland ecosystems across the UK. Lasius flavus is a keystone grassland species, influencing soil ecology, increasing heterogeneity of the grassland, creating microhabitats and even influencing soil chemistry, with the consequence that their mounds are crucial to the persistence of certain grassland plants and insects.

Gabrielle's research, at the University of York, aims to answer novel questions about the ecology of L. flavus and whether it is beneficial to pollinators, such as bees, butterflies and hoverflies, in the form of providing thermal and nectar resources - particularly in early spring. Additionally, conservation translocations have been performed to better understand how L. flavus influences restoration of grasslands and how its presence affects soil microbial communities, plants and pollinators in semi-natural grasslands undergoing the restoration process.

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This research is funded by the John Lewis Partnership Foundation and is a partnership PhD with the University of York, UKCEH and the National Trust. She is also working with RSPB Scotland and the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust.

European Red List of Hoverflies

As European Biodiversity Conservation Officer, Gabrielle lead the production of the European Red Lists of Hoverflies during 2020 and 2021, including: liaising with experts and monitoring their progress in delivering high quality assessments, coordinating the organization of assessment workshops with support from the Biodiversity Conservation Assistant, reviewing species assessments, drafting project reports and support project progress meetings with funders, the European Commission.

EU Pollinators Initiative

The EU Pollinators Initiative was launched in 2018, designed to assess the status of pollinators, generate knowledge about reversing their decline and inspire action by the citizens of Europe. In 2020 and 2021, Gabrielle worked for the IUCN Brussels Team as the European Biodiversity Conservation Officer, who were leading the implementation of the EU Pollinators Initiative. Gabrielle supported the coordination of the project and worked on the creation of guidance on pollinator conservation for various sectors. Image source.

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Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms

Gabrielle was Project Officer for the LEADER funded Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms project from 2017 till 2019. The project focussed on the conservation of six rare insect species. Duties included invertebrate surveying, data collection and management, habitat monitoring, team management, public engagement, stakeholder engagement, science communication and reporting to funders. She worked closely with land owner and local authorities to facilitate sustainable land management.

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The project was publicised on BBC Landward, BBC Springwatch, local newspaper the Badenoch and Strathspey. The project recieved a UK National Park Volunteer award and was shortlisted for a Nature of Scotland award.