Prof. Melanie Smith
Visiting Professor
I have a background in landscape ecology and biodiversity management, working primarily in academia, but also the public and charitable sectors. My research and education interests have focused on understanding long term ecological change, and species population dynamics to inform monitoring and management for biodiversity conservation. My career in academia started in 1994 developing a Landscape Ecology degree, moving to focusing on developing and leading in tertiary education and research, mostly in UHI Inverness from 2003-2023, where I led the development of a successful research capacity (evidenced by a strong REF result in 2021), including two research centres; the Institute of Biodiversity and Freshwater Management (formerly the Rivers and Lochs Institute) and the Centre for Living Sustainability. In 2022 I achieved a professorial chair position with UHI in Biodiversity Conservation and Education, and I hold an Honorary Professorial position with the SCENE, University of Glasgow. IN 2023 I decided to return to my roots and work directly in environmental conservation, firstly as Research Director with the Atlantic Salmon Trust from 2023-25, and most recently supporting project development with Skye and Lochalsh Rivers Trust and as Research Co-ordinator for Action Oak, a UK initiative to protect the UK’s oak trees.
Research Interests:
- Long term ecological change and management
- Woodland history and forest management
- Wild migratory fish species conservation and management
- Landscape ecological processes to inform biodiversity restoration and long-term ecological monitoring
- Socio-ecological interdisciplinary research
Flagship publications:
Rodger et al. (2024) Determinants of riverine migration success by Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolts from rivers across the UK and Ireland, J.Fish Biology 1-16 https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15884
Davies, A., Smith, M.A., Froyd, C.A., McCulloch, R.D. (2017) Microclimate variability and long-term persistence of fragmented woodland. Biological Conservation, 213, 95-103
Braidwood, D., Taggart, M., Smith, M., Anderson, R. (2017) Translocations, conservation, and climate change: use of restoration sites as protorefuges and protorefugia. Restoration Ecology, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 20–28
Martin, A., Fischer, A., McMorran, R., Smith, M. (2021) Taming rewilding - from the ecological to the social: How rewilding discourse in Scotland has come to include people. Land Use Policy, 111.
Anderson, D., Binney, H., & Smith, M. (1998) Evidence for abrupt climatic change in northern Scotland between 3900 and 3500 calendar years BP. The Holocene 8,1. 97–103
Bowditch, E., Santopuoli, G., Binder, F., del Río, M., La Porta, N., Kluvankova, T., Lesinski, J., Motta, R., Pach, M., Panzacchi, P., Pretzsch, H., Temperli, C., Tonon, G., Smith, M., Velikova, V., Weatherall, A., Tognetti, R. (2020) What is Climate-Smart Forestry? A definition from a multinational collaborative process focused on mountain regions of Europe. Ecosystem Services, 43, 101113
Bowditch, E. McMorran, R., Bryce, R. Smith, M. (2019) Perception and partnership: Developing forest resilience on private estates. Forest Policy and Economics, 99, 110-122
Studentships supervised:
Ph.D.
Director of Studies
2007 – 2010 Barron, E. Quantitative analysis of active compounds found in Arnica montana and Arnica chamissonis in relation to varied provenance, environmental and agronomic factors.
2011 – 2016 Bowditch, E. Walking the Land: Examining an Ecosystem Approach through the lens of woodland expansion.
2015 - 2022 Bence, S Factors controlling the abundance of pine-tree lappet moth, Dendrolimus pini, in north-east Scotland.
2018 - 2023 Martin, A. Governance and land ownership in rural Scotland and implications for, and of, rewilding.
Supervisor
2016 – 2020 Sybenga, J Seeing the Woods for the Trees: A palaeoecological investigation of past woodlands to inform present and future woodland conservation management strategies in northern Scotland.
2013 – 2017 Coker, H. Understanding Pedagogic Collaboration in the Online Environment.
2014 – 2019 Braidwood, D. Remediation and restoration of ocean exposed cliff-top in the context of Dounreay (Scotland) nuclear power plant decommissioning.
2015 – 2018 Hospitality in adventure tourism: Being, dwelling, guiding.
1998 – 2005 Carlisle, B. Modelling the spatial distribution of DEM Error.
MRes completed
Director of Studies
1999 - 2001 Biological control for Malus domestica var. pests (University of Greenwich).
2017 – 2019 Crutchley, N Evaluation and optimization of molecular methods to monitor and survey Najas flexilis (Willd.) Rostk. & Schmidt.
Supervisor
2019 - 2022 Fitzpatrick, D. Spatial ecology of grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in an urban environment.