Personal profile
Research overview
My research focuses on long-term human-environment interactions and their implications for biodiversity and conservation, and how we deal with biocultural legacies in contemporary environmental management. Current and recent projects include: methods for tracking the role of large herbivores as ecosystem drivers, valuing intact tropical peatlands, and textiles as biocultural heritage.
Better understanding between palaeoecology and ecology is central to my interests. To support this I co-chair the British Ecological Society Palaeoecology Group, and set up the informal Palaeoenvironmental and Archaeological Sciences Scotland (PALASS) Network to connect researchers working in and on Scottish environments.
Teaching activity
My main teaching responsibilities:
- Second year environmental geography (GG2014) and biodiversity and sustainable development (SD2006)
- Third year environmental/physical geography research methods and residential fieldtrip (GG3213)
- Dissertation supervision
- MSc Sustainable Development contributor (GD5802)
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 2 Zero Hunger -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water -
SDG 15 Life on Land -
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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A new tephrochronological record of a raised bog in eastern lowland Scotland
Wang, L., Roucoux, K. H., Davies, A. L., Zhang, S., Sun, C., Streeter, R. T., Hutchison, W. & Lawson, I. T., 1 Feb 2025, In: Quaternary Geochronology. 86, 15 p., 101647.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Applying a unified framework to compare taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity in Holocene pollen records
Penny, A. M., Chao, A., Davies, A. L. & Magurran, A. E., 6 Aug 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Ecology. Early View, p. 1-18 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Legacies of loss: is there a place for intangible perceptions in the palaeoecology of the Scottish Highlands?
Davies, A. L., Feb 2025, A Place for the Heathlands?: Human-Health Relations in Deep-Time and Contemporary Perspectives. Løvschal, M. & Grønneberg, K. (eds.). Højbjerg, Denmark: Jutland Archaeological SocietyResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
Open Access -
Social and cultural considerations for the restoration of ‘lost’ tree species: the fall and rise of elm
West, F., White, R. M., Davies, A. L., Buggs, R. & Marzano, M., 4 Dec 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: People and Nature. Early View, 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Sustainable management of non-timber forest products in Peruvian Amazonia: lessons learnt from participatory use of smartphone technology
Wheeler, C. E., Davies, A. L., Andueza, L., Cole, L. E. S., Dávila, N., Del Águila, J., del Aguila Villacorta, M., Draper, F. C., Evans, C. L. D., Honorio Coronado, E. N., Laurie, N., Loja, E., Brañas, M. M., Mitchard, E. T. A. & Roucoux, K. H., 1 Sept 2025, In: Journal of Environmental Management. 391, 11 p., 126198.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile
Datasets
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Foundations for the Future: Learning from the Past, 2007-2010
Davies, A. (Creator), UK Data Service, 2019
Dataset
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Geochemical and physical property data for sediment cores extracted from Loch Sunart Scotland
Smeaton, C. (Creator), Austin, W. E. N. (Creator), Davies, A. L. (Creator), Baltzar, A. (Creator), Abell, R. E. (Creator) & Howe, J. A. (Creator), British Geological Survey, 8 Nov 2016
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveryMetadata/13607031.html
Dataset
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Applying a unified framework to compare taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity in Holocene pollen records: Code and data
Penny, A. (Creator), Chao, A. (Creator), Davies, A. (Creator) & Magurran, A. (Creator), Zenodo, 5 May 2025
Dataset
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The Elm Action Map (TEAM): empowering communities to protect nationally important treescapes
White, R. (PI) & Davies, A. (PI)
University of St Andrews Impact & Innovation Fund
1/06/25 → 1/06/26
Project: Standard
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Making museums productive spaces for climate adaptation: a Peruvian and Guatemalan exchange
Davies, A. (PI), Brown, K. (PI), Laurie, N. (PI), Valdez, A. (Other), Palacios, M. C. (Other) & Calle, O. (Other)
University of St Andrews Impact & Innovation Fund
3/10/22 → 31/03/23
Project: Standard
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Oil Exploitation and Peatlands: Oil exploitation and peatlands in indigenous territories: the impacts of oil at the extractive frontier in the Peruvian Amazon
Davies, A. (PI), Lawson, I. (CoI) & Roucoux, K. (CoI)
1/12/20 → 1/05/21
Project: Standard
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SFC GCRF 2020-21 Consolidator - AD: Biocultural heritage and community voice in Amazonia
Davies, A. (PI) & Roucoux, K. (CoI)
7/10/20 → 31/07/21
Project: Standard
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Timothy Stojanovic - SFC GCRF 19/20: Community Capabilities and Marine Protected Area Governance: Scaling up and Capacity development
Stojanovic, T. (PI), Davies, A. (CoI) & Dornelas, M. (CoI)
1/08/19 → 31/12/20
Project: Standard
Activities
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Girls in STEM - Dundee Science Centre
Roucoux, K. (Participant) & Davies, A. (Participant)
8 Mar 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in or organising a public festival/exhibition/event
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Impact lunch completing impact related activities on PURE
Okafor-Yarwood, I. (Participant) & Davies, A. (Chair)
22 Feb 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in or organising a conference
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Climate change, conservation and palaeoecology
Davies, A. (Speaker)
2 Nov 2023Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Counting sheep: new insights into herbivore dynamics in Atlantic heathlands
Davies, A. (Speaker)
2 Sept 2023Activity: Talk or presentation types › Presentation
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British Ecological Society Annual Meeting 2022
Davies, A. (Chair) & Roucoux, K. (Chair)
19 Dec 2022Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in or organising a workshop, seminar, course
Prizes
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British Ecological Society Outreach Grant
Cole, L. (Recipient), Roucoux, K. (Recipient) & Davies, A. (Recipient), 2020
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Press/Media
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Sunday Times Article - Glorious Mud
Smeaton, C., Austin, W. E. N. & Davies, A. L.
19/11/17
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Relating to Research