New Lake District laboratory to advance nature recovery research

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 15:02 · Archive

A new RSPB laboratory has opened at Wild Haweswater in Cumbria to support scientific study of upland nature recovery.

The RSPB Laboratory for Upland Research has opened at Wild Haweswater in Cumbria to support scientific study and nature recovery in the region's upland landscapes. The facility was made possible through a legacy from the estate of Denis Summers-Smith, a renowned ornithologist whose lifelong work on house sparrows advanced understanding of bird behaviour.

The laboratory will serve as a dedicated base for scientists, universities and students investigating how upland environments respond to conservation efforts. It aims to become a central hub for upland science, bringing together researchers and conservationists to conduct fieldwork, exchange knowledge and develop new collaborations.

Dr Mo Verhoeven, conservation scientist at Cumbria Connect, said Cumbria's uplands contain grasslands, peatlands, woodlands and temperate rainforest, playing important roles in carbon storage and water management. He added: 'We hope this laboratory will give researchers, students and conservationists a place to work together and build the evidence needed to guide restoration, both here in Cumbria and in upland landscapes further afield.'

Wild Haweswater, where large-scale restoration is already underway, covers 3,000 hectares around Haweswater Reservoir. The site is managed by the RSPB and owned by United Utilities, and includes one of the UK's largest native tree nurseries and Naddle Forest, a rare fragment of temperate rainforest.

How it is being reported

• New Lake District laboratory to advance upland nature recovery researchA new research laboratory has opened to support scientific study and nature recovery in Cumbria’s upland landscapes.Cumberland News · 21 Oct, 13:58
• New Lake District laboratory to advance upland nature recovery researchA new research laboratory has opened to support scientific study and nature recovery in Cumbria’s upland landscapes.Westmorland Gazette · 21 Oct, 13:58

In this story: RSPB · Wild Haweswater · Cumbria · Denis Summers-Smith · United Utilities · Cumbria Connect

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