David has had an amazing and varied career in wildlife conservation for over 40 years, having been appointed Oxford University’s first Professor of Wildlife Conservation in the 1980s.  David also established the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) in 1986, which seeks to undertake original research to solve practical problems of wildlife conservation and environmental management.   

Part of the vital work that Earthwatch Europe does is working with teachers and students to inspire and empower the next generation to take action to save our planet. One way we’ve done this is through the Catch Me If You CAM project, which engaged children in the Scottish Highlands with their local biodiversity through the use of trail camera technology.

This project was brought about by Dr Keri Langridge, who when camera trapping with a local primary school for the elusive Scottish wildcat realised that many were unable to identify even common species such as wood pigeons. She entered the Earthwatch competition ‘Lost connection – how can we re-engage people with nature?’ and won a £5,000 grant to take her camera-trap project forward.

The pilot study results of RiverWatch: Plastic Pollution are in!

Through this project, volunteers count the number of plastic items they find in a sample area along a waterway. The data submitted can help us to identify the biggest sources of plastic pollution, and potential solutions for reducing it at a national and international level. 

You can join RiverWatch: Plastic Pollution, along with other exciting citizen science projects, by signing up to Earthwatchers.

The UK Government’s Environmental Audit Committee met on 10 March to hear evidence for their enquiry into water quality in rivers.

One thing we were particularly pleased to see mentioned is the importance of citizen science, including our very own FreshWater Watch programme, for helping to solve problems with water quality.