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Welcome
The disciplines of Biological Field Studies and of Ecology have been embedded in UCL from the early days of both the College and the sciences themselves. From John Lindley to Francis Oliver to Edward Salisbury to Georgina Mace, UCL has been home to some of the most transformative thinkers in Ecology.
There are many universities with excellent science departments, architecture departments, computer science departments, geography departments etc.
But we are not aware of any other institutions that has in one place the #1 ranked Biological Sciences department in Europe, the 8th ranked Life Sciences Faculty in the world, the #1 institution in the world for architecture/built environment, 6th in the world centre for public health research, #1 in the world centre for computer science research, a world-leading research on biodiversity and climate change and one of the leading Artificial Intelligence research institutions in the world
The People and Nature Lab will take UCL’s nearly two centuries of ground breaking work in the fundamentals of biosciences and CBER’s elemental work in Ecology to the next level with a completely unique approach to biodiversity and the environment. This will be delivered through cutting edge research, teaching and a living experiment at Queen Elizabeth Park.
Our People and UCL's History in Ecology
What is the People and Nature Lab?
UCL’s People and Nature Lab is an exciting expansion of the Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research (CBER). CBER was established in 2012 by the late Prof Georgina Mace to be a world leading centre of excellence for the study of the impact of rapid environmental change on biodiversity, how species are adapting to anthropogenic change, and how the degradation of nature impacts people and society.
More about CBER
Traditionally problems have belonged to one discipline – medicine, architecture, psychology etc. However, resolving our environmental crisis is a much more complex problem with multiple inter-dependencies that requires expertise from across disciplines.
The People and Nature Lab will focus on expanding CBER's research in the critical theme of Consqeuences of Biodiversity Loss and its impact on people's wellbeing.
CBER continues to conduct ground-breaking research in biodiversity and the environment that is commonly highlighted by the media and policy makers.
A Unique Campus
UCL East is the biggest UCL Project since the University was founded in 1826. This new campus in East London builds on UCL’s progressive history, positive impact and disruptive thinking. UCL East is the University Campus of the future with ground breaking research, technology and innovation.
This represents the biggest cultural project in London since the building of the museums in Kensington in 1851. In addition to the UCL East Campus, the site will be home to Sadler’s Wells, the Smithsonian, BBC Music, London School of Fashion and the V&A.
The park aims to be a 21st century model of city life. In addition to parklands, new homes, offices and open spaces have been designed and developed in a way that embeds a long-term vision for sustainable communities and the best practice principles of design.
Study
First of its type, Participation of the general public in scientific projects has experienced rapid growth over the past decade. From policy-makers and funders, to city councils and governments, interest and investment in citizen science projects is global.
Ecology describes the interactions and relationships between organisms and their environment, yet little is understood about the way ecology could shape our resilience to environmental change. Nature-based solutions provide the opportunity to solve complex problems around sustainability, the built environment and climate adaptation but what data are appropriate, and how should they be collected and analysed?
As NatureSmart is seeking to answer questions and develop methodologies in a new way unsurprisingly there is a lack of the mix of technical skills required to progress this work. Data science is the critical set of tools that will be used to solve nexus problems so it sits at the core of all the programmes.
