The institute, named after Scottish geologist James Hutton, one of the leading figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, combines existing Scottish expertise in agricultural research, soils and land use, and works in fields including food and energy security, biodiversity, and climate change. With more than 600 employees, the institute is among the largest research centres in the UK. It is a registered charity under Scottish law.The institute has its main offices in Aberdeen and Dundee with farms and field research stations at Glensaugh and Balruddery. The Dundee site also hosts the Plant Sciences department of the University of Dundee.The James Hutton Institute also formally contains Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS) which has staff based in Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Ayr. BioSS undertakes research, consultancy and training in mathematics and statistics as applied to agriculture, the environment, food and health. Strategic oversight of the development of BioSS is provided by a Strategic Planning Group composed of senior representatives from BioSS' principal stakeholders.BioSS and the James Hutton Institute are two of a family of six organisations termed the Main Research Providers for the Scottish Government Rural and Environment Research and Analytical Services Division (RESAS).In 2012, the institute announced that it was formally joining the Natural Capital Initiative, a leading UK partnership that brings together policymakers, scientists, business, industry to find the most effective ways safeguard important ecosystems and natural capital.Projects led by the institute to establish an International Barley Hub and an Advanced Plant Growth Centre in Dundee have been supported through the Tay Cities Deal with a £62m investment..
Land-use change is increasingly altering the structure and function of soil fauna. However, how forest conversion shapes the functional composition and diversity of soil nematode communities is still poorly understood in subtropical forests. This study investigated the response of soil nematode communities to the conversion of natural forests into chestnut (Castanea henryi) plantations, with particular attention to the role of slope aspect in subtropical forest ecosystems. Our results showed that converting natural forests into chestnut plantations led to a pronounced reduction in soil nematode density, diversity (Shannon–Wiener index), and genus richness by 67.6%, 12.2%, and 24.4%, respectively, particularly on north-facing (shady) slopes. Additionally, soil nematode co-occurrence networks in chestnut plantations were reduced robustness compared with natural forests by 60.7%. South-facing (sunny) slopes increased total nematode and omnivore-predator abundance by 36.9% and 71.9%, respectively, and amplified the negative impact on herbivorous nematodes from land conversion. These findings emphasize the critical role of considering slope aspect in chestnut plantation management to mitigate negative impacts on soil nematode communities and maintain soil health in subtropical forests.
As rural development becomes increasingly shaped by industries that draw on place-based identities, cultures, and environments, understanding how their benefits are distributed within host communities is increasingly important. This paper examines the interconnected whisky and food-and-drink tourism sectors in Speyside, Scotland, where both industries derive value from the symbolic and material qualities of place. In such contexts, place itself becomes part of the product, forming what we conceptualise as a brandscape.We argue that a mismatch can emerge between the value extracted from rural places through branding, production, and tourism, and the benefits retained within those places. To explore this issue, we combine value chain analysis with a brandscape perspective to develop a new conceptual framework for understanding the relationships between large rural industries, communities, and place. Drawing on multiple sources of qualitative data, we examine the economic, socio-cultural, and environmental values and benefits associated with the interconnected whisky and tourism sectors in Speyside.Our findings demonstrate that while these industries generate substantial benefits for the region, the distribution of those benefits is uneven and does not always reflect the contributions made by local communities and environments. We therefore argue for a more reciprocal relationship between industry, community, and place, in which the value generated through place-based branding is more effectively retained within rural areas.
Peatlands are globally important habitats, covering an estimated 4.23 million km2 worldwide. The significance of peatlands to climate change, and across ecosystem services, makes their protection a key policy area across Europe. The large areas and long timescales needed for peatland management means that both private and public funding is required. Additionally, links with society, development, and culture mean that stakeholder involvement in decision making is central to the success of peatland policy. To ensure that peatland policy and management is legitimate and able to persist in the long-term, understanding individual preferences for outcomes is therefore vital. To this end we carried out a choice experiment in Scotland, UK, supported by a literature review and expert workshop. We build on previous choice experiments to investigate preferences for outcomes of management, including: climate change, impacts on drought and flood risk, timber restocking and wind farms. Final analysis included 762 valid responses, which showed no significant difference to the characteristics to the Scottish population for all demographic variables measured with the exception of education. Our sample under-represented those with education below secondary level, and above bachelors level. All choice experiment attributes were significant, with the exception of community owned timber. A positive willingness to pay for management in general was estimated. Value was not impacted by familiarity with peatlands, but higher willingness to pay was associated with more positive environmental attitudes. Overall, our results support the Scottish and global policy agenda on peatland management to combat climate change. However, preferences are also shown for both wind farms and timber restocking, which may run counter to this.
Evidence in economics highlights the importance of the design of agri-environmental contracts for farmers' participation. However, there is little evidence on Western European farmers' preferences between alternative public and private contracts and labels, and on their synergies with participation in farmer clusters. In addition, cultural or institutional differences may lead to variation in contract design preferences across countries. Thus, we apply a discrete choice experiment using an online survey to estimate farmers' preferences for the contract organiser (government, retailer, NGO), the payment method (fixed per hectare payment, price premium associated with a label), and participation in a farmer cluster including technical assistance by a facilitator as part of the contractual arrangement (no farmer cluster, optional participation, mandatory participation) in the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands. Based on a sample of 767 farmers, respondents prefer, on average, government-organised contracts to contracts from retailers or NGOs. Farmers prefer fixed per hectare payments over price premiums associated with a label and contracts granting the option to join a farmer cluster. The results vary between farm types and countries.
Aim European grasslands rank among the most species-rich ecosystems at small spatial scales, yet their biodiversity and functioning face significant threats from climate change and land-use intensification. Functional traits more effectively explain ecosystem functions (EFs) than species identity or diversity. This study examines how future climate and land cover changes will shape grassland functional composition, addressing gaps in trait-environment relationships and large-scale functional predictions.Location Europe.Time Period 1971-2000 and 2081-2100.Major Taxa Studied 4406 distinct grassland plant species.Methods We used Boosted Regression Trees to model trait-environment relationships based on vegetation plot data from sPlotOpen, GrassPlot, and the Nordic-Baltic Grassland Vegetation Database (NBGVD). We mapped the 17 trait community-weighted means (CWMs) and three functional richness (FRic) metrics under historical conditions and two future climate scenarios to assess temporal and spatial changes in grassland functional composition.Results The trait-environment relationships are highly trait-dependent: structural and size-related traits such as plant height, leaf area and seed number were consistently well-predicted, whereas other traits were less well predicted. Mean annual temperature emerged as the strongest predictor of grassland functional composition. Climate and land cover change were predicted to drive significant spatial shifts in trait CWMs and FRic. Specifically, leaf area was predicted to decline in the Baltic Sea region and Pannonian Basin, while plant height was expected to increase across Europe. Seed number was predicted to rise at higher latitudes and in mountainous regions. Moreover, FRic was expected to decrease in temperate grasslands but increase at high latitudes and mountainous regions.Main Conclusions Our findings reveal distinct spatial patterns in functional shifts, reflecting plant adaptation to future environmental conditions. The increase in FRic at high latitudes and mountainous regions also signals ecosystem transitions that may pose additional threats to further complicate grassland conservation efforts.
