Overview

I am an applied ecologist broadly interested in understanding how humans have changed the biological world, and how we might protect and enhance the world’s remaining biodiversity. I have a particular interest in using ecological theory to make smart decisions about how to do this.  I am committed to finding practical solutions to environmental problems and work closely with researchers in other disciplines and local, national and international policy-makers and practitioners to achieve this. 

You can view my Google Scholar account here.

Qualifications

2005 PhD Ecology and Socio-Economics (UEA) 
1998 BSc in Environmental Sciences (UEA)

Career

2023 to present. Professor of Global Change Biology at University of Exeter

2019 to 2023 Associate Professor of Global Change Biology at University of Exeter

2016 to 2019 Senior Lecturer in Natural Environment, University of Exeter

2012 to 2016 Lecturer in Natural Environment, University of Exeter

2009 to 2012 Post-doctoral Research Associate, University of Exeter

2008 to 2009 Senior Research Ecologist, British Trust for Ornithology

2004 to 2008 Research Ecologist, British Trust for Ornithology

Links

• Google Scholar
• Microclimate Research
• Follow me on Twitter @IlyaMaclean
• Flickr
• LinkedIn

Research group links

• Environmental Biology
• Ecosystems

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Research

Research interests

Climate change and microclimate

Most studies of climate biology rely on data derived from standard weather stations, but conditions measured by weather stations differ vastly from those that eroganisms experience in nature. This discrepancy is a major source of uncertainty in studies of climate impacts. My research group has pioneered the development of microclimate models for application in biological research. This has included the development of software and tools for modelling microclimate and fine-scale hydrology and work demonstrating that microclimate significantly moderates perceived responses to climate change, alters crop-pest disease risk and dictates where high-value crops can be grown. We are studying how knowledge of microclimate can be used to adapt conservation and agriculture to climate change.

Adapting landscape-scale conservation to the twenty-first century

Landscape-scale conservationists typically advocate creating bigger and better areas for wildlife, improved connectivity among sites, and a greater number of sites in total. In reality conservation resources are finite, and one can rarely do all. We conduct both extensive and intensive studies of the trade-offs between these strategies and what they mean for conservation responses to accelerating environmental change. We use a combination of theoretical modelling and rigorous field assessment to come up with practical conservation solutions and work closely with policymakers and practitioners to implement these. Our work spans a plethora of ecological systems, including butterflies in temperate heathlands, birds in tropical wetland and plants in temperate grassland and savanna.

The problem of scale in Ecology

Scale is often considered a central problem in ecology, marrying basic and applied ecology. It is surprising, therefore, that the implications of scale are often ignored when assessing how biodiversity is responding to environmental change. Our work has shown that predicted range shifts in response to climate, for example, are drastically altered if fine-scale climate data are used to make predictions. Almost always species can find suitable climate without having to traverse large distances over hostile habitat. Estimates of observed distribution changes are equally susceptible to problems of scale. If distributions are mapped on a coarse-resolution grid, the extinction of many local populations must occur before a grid cell is deemed empty; thus, declines are likely to be underestimated. We are studying the implications of this problem and devising ways in which fine-scale data can be incorporated into large-scale studies.

I am particularly interested in applied research and am the Director of Impact (Biology, Penryn Campus) and Impact Lead (Environment and Sustainability Institute).

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Publications

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External Engagement and Impact

Committee/panel activities

Expert panel member for UK Government Biodiversity 2020 climate change evaluation (2018 to present)

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Nature Partnership Board Member (2017 to present)

External examiner for MSc Conservation Ecology, Oxford Brookes (2016 to present)

British Ornithologists Union Grant Committee Member (2016 to present)

Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly advisory board (2014 to present)

External Assessor for Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong (201t to present)

Cornwall Wildlife Trust Strategy Committee (2014 to 2017)

External Reviewer for BirdLife International’s Conservation Leadership Programme (2009 to 2015)

Editorial responsibilities

Editorial Board, Ornis Fennica (2007 to 2014)

Invited lectures

2018 Eden Project

2018 European Congress of Conservation Biology

2018 University of Sheffield

2016 UK Climate Change Adaptation Programme

2016 Cornwall Wildlife Trust

2016 Falmouth Aquarium

2015 University of Reading

2012 Aspen Global Change Institute

2012 INTECOL International Wetlands Conference

2010 Helford Voluntary Marine Conservation Area Group

2009 University of East Anglia

2009 African Bird Club

2008 Welsh Ornithologists Union

2008 Plenary Lecture, University of Lisbon

2007 British Wind Energy Association

Media Coverage

My work regularly results in media coverage in both print and broadcast media. Examples include:

Novel crops and climate change in the Independent and Times

Subtropical climates in Cornwall in the Daily Mail (the comments section is good for a laugh)

Extinction risk and climate change in the Independent and Time Magazine

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Teaching

Modules

2024/25

• BIOM4049 - Biodiversity and Conservation

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Supervision / Group

Research Fellows

Postdoctoral researchers

Postgraduate researchers

Alumni

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