Our Organising Team members from the four partners are:
The conference is being organised by NatureScot, the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.
It is being hosted by the University of Edinburgh.
Martin Gaywood, NatureScot + University of the Highlands and Islands Inverness
Dr Martin Gaywood is Species Projects Manager at NatureScot, Scotland’s conservation agency, and a Senior Researcher at the University of the Highlands and Islands Inverness. He has led a wide range of species conservation projects, in particular those involving conservation translocation work, and has been closely involved in beaver reintroduction to Scotland since 2000. He has provided the secretariat role to the National Species Reintroduction Forum since its inception, is a member of the IUCN SSC Conservation Translocation Specialist Group and was lead editor for ‘Conservation Translocations’ published by Cambridge University Press.
Catherine Whatley, NatureScot
Dr Catherine Whatley works for NatureScot as the reptile and amphibian policy and advice officer, as well as assisting with the conservation translocation roll. She has many years of experience of working with reptiles and amphibians in captive settings, in research settings, and in the wild. She has a PhD in amphibian ecotoxicology, and is a trustee of the British Herpetological Society (BHS) and an associate editor for the Herp Bulletin journal. As part of her role, she also sits on the UK working groups for adder, great crested newts, and natterjack toads.
Kat O’Brien, NatureScot
Kat O’Brien is species adviser for Bryophytes, Lichens and Fungi at NatureScot, and also provides support for conservation translocation work. She has project managed the translocation of a moss from its only site in the UK, and carries out the long-term monitoring of a couple of other cryptogam species. She is in the process of collating case studies of cryptogam translocations to create a document of best practice.
Katie Beckmann, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh
Katie is a veterinary specialist in wildlife population health and a Lecturer in Wildlife Health and Conservation Medicine at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK. In this and previous roles in conservation organisations Katie has worked as part of multi-disciplinary teams on conservation translocation projects for a broad range of species, mainly in the UK but also internationally. Katie completed a part-time PhD about wildlife health (disease) risk analysis and decision-making methodology for conservation translocations in 2024. Alongside other projects, she is currently supporting colleagues who are conducting health risk analyses for species reintroductions in South East Asia and South America, and is also collaborating on a project about health risks in the wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and release sector.
Rob Ogden, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh
Professor Rob Ogden is Director of Conservation Science at the University of Edinburgh where he leads a research group, composed of wildlife vets and conservation geneticists, who conduct research to inform the conservation management of species across Scotland and internationally. A wildlife geneticist by training, he has collaborated on numerous conservation translocations including working with beavers and golden eagles in Scotland and the reintroduction of scimitar-horned oryx to Chad.
Aline Finger, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Dr Aline Finger is a senior scientist at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE). She leads RBGE’s conservation translocation work for threatened plant species, with a focus on Scotland. She identifies priority species and sites where natural recovery is unlikely, designs genetically appropriate sourcing strategies, and works with RBGE’s horticulture team to maintain ex situ collections specifically for restoration. Using a science led, strategic approach, she delivers largescale translocations for many threatened plant species. This work is highly collaborative, involving numerous partner organisations to achieve the highest possible conservation success and impact.
Pete Hollingsworth, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Professor Pete Hollingsworth is Director of Science and Deputy Keeper at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. His own research focuses on understanding and conserving plant biodiversity. He has a particular interest in using DNA to understand the natural world, include understanding disease threats to wild plant species, and developing best-practice for translocations. He is a member of the IUCN Conservation Translocation Specialist Group. He is an Honorary Professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming Institute of Botany, and a Visiting Professor of the University of Edinburgh, and Herriot Watt University, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Helen Senn, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
More information on the organisations can be found via the links below.
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