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Dr Ben Phillips

Dr Ben Phillips

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

 01326 259468

 Environment and Sustainability Institute 

 

Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK

Overview

I'm an environmental scientist who is interested in how we can balance the needs of both people and nature.

To date, my research has focused on (i) public engagement with nature, (ii) the environmental and social benefits that we get from nature ('ecosystem services'), and (iii) pollinator conservation. My research has used many different approaches, including ecological surveys and experiments, evidence synthesis, spatial modelling, and social science methods. However, a common theme of my research is that it is practical and solution-oriented - finding ways to benefit nature, whilst taking into consideration the needs and constraints of land managers, local communities, and other stakeholders.

Currently, I'm working on the RENEW (Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach) project. The project aims to put people at the centre of action on biodiversity renewal and build expertise across different sectors and communities to address the environment and climate crisis. I am working with Prof Kevin Gaston, Dr Becca Lovell, Dr Lewis Elliott, Dr Jo Garrett, and colleagues at Natural England, the National Trust and other partner organisations. Our role on the project is to better understand individuals' engagement with nature to improve the effectiveness of the methods used by environmental organisations to develop support for nature recovery.

In my previous role (2021-2022), I worked as part of a team to develop a Species Conservation Strategy pilot for hazel dormice, led by Prof Robbie McDonald, and funded by Natural England.

For my PhD (2017-2021), I studied the potential of road verges for conserving nature, and for providing broader environmental and social benefits, such as storing carbon, mitigating pollution, and improving people's access to nature. This work was supervised by Prof Juliet Osborne, Prof Kevin Gaston and Prof James Bullock. I worked in partnership with the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) unit, and with various conservation organsations and highways managers, to develop and communicate road verge management guidance. For a summary of this research, see the webinar linked below that I led alongside partners from Plantlife and Butterfly Conservation.

Previously, I've been involved in projects across broad disciplines within the Environment and Sustainability Institute whilst working as the Research Impact Coordinator. Wherever beneficial, I take an interdisciplinary approach throughout my own research.

Qualifications

2021 PhD in Biological Sciences, University of Exeter

         Thesis: "Roads, verges and nature".

2017 MSc by Research in Biological Sciences, University of Exeter

         Thesis: "Pollinator community and function: in oilseed rape fields and in drought-stressed grassland".

2013 BSc (Hons) Biology, University of Bristol

Career

2021-Present Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter

2021 (Jan-Apr) PhD Intern, Connecting People with Nature Programme, Natural England

2017-21 PhD Researcher, Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter

2017 Research Impact Coordinator, Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter

2015-17 MSc by Research, Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter

2015-16 Research Technician, Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter

2012-13 Research Technician, University of Bristol

Links

Research

Research interests

  • Nature conservation
  • Public engagement with nature
  • Ecosystem services
  • Pollinator conservation
  • Road verges, hedgerows and road ecology

Links


Publications

Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year

Publications by category


Journal articles

Phillips B, Bullock J, Osborne J, Gaston K (In Press). Ecosystem service provision by road verges. Journal of Applied Ecology
Phillips B (In Press). Monitoring public engagement with nature using Google Trends. People and Nature Abstract.
Gaston K, Ackermann S, Bennie J, Cox D, Phillips B, Sanchez De Miguel A, Sanders D (In Press). Pervasiveness of biological impacts of artificial light at night. Integrative and Comparative Biology
Phillips B, Navaratnam A, Hooper J, Bullock J, Osborne J, Gaston K (In Press). Road verge extent and habitat composition across Great Britain. Landscape and Urban Planning
Phillips BB, Bullock JM, Osborne JL, Gaston K (In Press). Spatial extent of road pollution: a national analysis. Science of the Total Environment
Phillips BB, Crowley SL, Bell O, McDonald RA (2022). Harnessing practitioner knowledge to inform the conservation of a protected species, the hazel dormouse. <i>Muscardinus avellanarius</i>. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 3(4).
Ollerton J, Trunschke J, Havens K, Landaverde-González P, Keller A, Gilpin AM, Rech AR, Baronio GJ, Phillips BJ, Mackin C, et al (2022). POLLINATOR-FLOWER INTERACTIONS IN GARDENS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN OF 2020. Journal of Pollination Ecology, 31, 87-96. Abstract.
Phillips B, Bullock J, Gaston K, Hudson-Edwards K, Bamford M, Cruse D, Dicks L, Falagan C, Wallace C, Osborne J, et al (2021). Impacts of multiple pollutants on pollinator activity in road verges. Journal of Applied Ecology
Hutchinson LA, Oliver TH, Breeze TD, Bailes EJ, Brünjes L, Campbell AJ, Erhardt A, de Groot GA, Földesi R, García D, et al (2021). Using ecological and field survey data to establish a national list of the wild bee pollinators of crops. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 315 Abstract.
Shaw RF, Phillips BB, Doyle T, Pell JK, Redhead JW, Savage J, Woodcock BA, Bullock JM, Osborne JL (2020). Mass-flowering crops have a greater impact than semi-natural habitat on crop pollinators and pollen deposition. Landscape Ecology, 35(2), 513-527. Abstract.
Knapp JL, Phillips BB, Clements J, Shaw RF, Osborne J (2020). Socio-psychological factors, beyond knowledge, predict people’s engagement with pollinator conservation. People and Nature
Phillips BB, Gaston KJ, Bullock JM, Osborne JL (2019). Road verges support pollinators in agricultural landscapes, but are diminished by heavy traffic and summer cutting. Journal of Applied Ecology, 56(10), 2316-2327. Abstract.
Phillips BB, Shaw RF, Holland MJ, Fry EL, Bardgett RD, Bullock JM, Osborne JL (2018). Drought reduces floral resources for pollinators. Global Change Biology, 24, 3226-3235.
Phillips BB, Williams A, Shaw RF, Osborne JL (2018). Shared traits make flies and bees effective pollinators of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). Basic and Applied Ecology
Doran C, Newham ZF, Phillips BB, Franks NR (2015). Commitment time depends on both current and target nest value in Temnothorax albipennis ant colonies. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 69(7), 1183-1190.
Gottlieb D, Phillips BB, Sendova-Franks AB, Franks NR (2013). Individual and social information gathering are fine-tuned to the internal state of the group. Animal Behaviour, 85(6), 1479-1484.

Publications by year


In Press

Phillips B, Bullock J, Osborne J, Gaston K (In Press). Ecosystem service provision by road verges. Journal of Applied Ecology
Phillips B (In Press). Monitoring public engagement with nature using Google Trends. People and Nature Abstract.
Gaston K, Ackermann S, Bennie J, Cox D, Phillips B, Sanchez De Miguel A, Sanders D (In Press). Pervasiveness of biological impacts of artificial light at night. Integrative and Comparative Biology
Phillips B, Navaratnam A, Hooper J, Bullock J, Osborne J, Gaston K (In Press). Road verge extent and habitat composition across Great Britain. Landscape and Urban Planning
Phillips BB, Bullock JM, Osborne JL, Gaston K (In Press). Spatial extent of road pollution: a national analysis. Science of the Total Environment

2022

Phillips BB, Crowley SL, Bell O, McDonald RA (2022). Harnessing practitioner knowledge to inform the conservation of a protected species, the hazel dormouse. <i>Muscardinus avellanarius</i>. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 3(4).
Phillips B (2022). Monitoring public engagement with nature using Google Trends (dataset).
Ollerton J, Trunschke J, Havens K, Landaverde-González P, Keller A, Gilpin AM, Rech AR, Baronio GJ, Phillips BJ, Mackin C, et al (2022). POLLINATOR-FLOWER INTERACTIONS IN GARDENS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN OF 2020. Journal of Pollination Ecology, 31, 87-96. Abstract.

2021

Phillips B, Bullock J, Gaston K, Hudson-Edwards K, Bamford M, Cruse D, Dicks L, Falagan C, Wallace C, Osborne J, et al (2021). Impacts of multiple pollutants on pollinator activity in road verges. Journal of Applied Ecology
Phillips BB, Bullock JM, Gaston KJ, Hudson-Edwards KA, Bamford M, Cruse D, Dicks LV, Falagan C, Wallace C, Osborne JL, et al (2021). Phillips et al (2021) “Impacts of multiple pollutants on pollinator activity in road verges” J Applied Ecology (dataset).  Abstract.
Phillips B (2021). Roads, verges and nature.  Abstract.
Hutchinson LA, Oliver TH, Breeze TD, Bailes EJ, Brünjes L, Campbell AJ, Erhardt A, de Groot GA, Földesi R, García D, et al (2021). Using ecological and field survey data to establish a national list of the wild bee pollinators of crops. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 315 Abstract.

2020

Shaw RF, Phillips BB, Doyle T, Pell JK, Redhead JW, Savage J, Woodcock BA, Bullock JM, Osborne JL (2020). Mass-flowering crops have a greater impact than semi-natural habitat on crop pollinators and pollen deposition. Landscape Ecology, 35(2), 513-527. Abstract.
Knapp JL, Phillips BB, Clements J, Shaw RF, Osborne J (2020). Socio-psychological factors, beyond knowledge, predict people’s engagement with. pollinator conservation (dataset).
Knapp JL, Phillips BB, Clements J, Shaw RF, Osborne J (2020). Socio-psychological factors, beyond knowledge, predict people’s engagement with pollinator conservation. People and Nature

2019

Phillips BB, Gaston KJ, Bullock J, Osborne JL (2019). Phillips et al (2019) "Road verges are pollinator hotspots in agricultural landscapes, but are diminished by heavy traffic and summer verge cutting" J Applied Ecology (dataset).  Abstract.
Phillips BB, Gaston KJ, Bullock JM, Osborne JL (2019). Road verges support pollinators in agricultural landscapes, but are diminished by heavy traffic and summer cutting. Journal of Applied Ecology, 56(10), 2316-2327. Abstract.

2018

Phillips BB, Shaw RF, Holland MJ, Fry EL, Bardgett RD, Bullock JM, Osborne JL (2018). Drought reduces floral resources for pollinators. Global Change Biology, 24, 3226-3235.
Phillips BB, Williams A, Shaw RF, Osborne JL (2018). Shared traits make flies and bees effective pollinators of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). Basic and Applied Ecology

2016

Phillips B (2016). Pollinator community and function: in oilseed rape fields and in drought-stressed grassland.  Abstract.

2015

Doran C, Newham ZF, Phillips BB, Franks NR (2015). Commitment time depends on both current and target nest value in Temnothorax albipennis ant colonies. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 69(7), 1183-1190.

2013

Gottlieb D, Phillips BB, Sendova-Franks AB, Franks NR (2013). Individual and social information gathering are fine-tuned to the internal state of the group. Animal Behaviour, 85(6), 1479-1484.

Ben_Phillips Details from cache as at 2023-03-21 18:13:17

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