Dr. Allan Watt

Allan's research includes developing methods for quantifying and monitoring biodiversity and ecosystem services, the impact of land use change, climate change and other drivers of biodiversity loss, identifying and managing conflicts between human activities and the conservation of biodiversity, and the biodiversity science-policy interface.

He coordinated the EKLIPSE project with Juliette Young, an EU H2020 project whose aim was to set up a European support mechanism for evidence-informed decision-making. He coordinates the ALTER-Net summer schools on biodiversity and ecosystem services held in Peyresq each year.  

Allan has been involved in over 15 EU-funded projects on biodiversity and he has previously worked on biodiversity in tropical forests. He has researched forest pests, including the pine beauty moth and the mahogany shoot borer, agricultural pests and coypu — Myocaster coypus — the invasive rodent.

He is a project coordinator on EKLIPSE, Knowledge and Learning Mechanism on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, BioAssess — developing tools for assessing biodiversity and quantifying the impact of land use change on biodiversity in Europe, and BIOFORUM — a forum for scientists and stakeholders concerned about conflicts between the conservation of biodiversity and human activities. Allan has also previously worked on: SPIRAL, Science-Policy Interfaces for Biodiversity: Research, Action, and Learning, EU FP7; KNEU, Developing a Knowledge Network for European expertise on biodiversity and ecosystem services to inform policy making and economic sectors EU FP7; and, ALTER-Net, A Long-Term Biodiversity, Ecosystem and Awareness Research Network, EU FP6 Network of Excellence.