Professor Alison Hester
Head of Safeguarding Natural Capital, James Hutton Institute
Professor Alison Hester is Head of ‘Safeguarding Natural Capital’ at the James Hutton Institute. Her role includes horizon-scanning global issues and pressing needs in natural capital research; identifying and involving the institute where appropriate in new and existing initiatives in this area.
She is a member of the Secretariat of the Natural Capital Initiative (NCI), a leading UK forum bringing together scientists, policy-makers, business, industry and others, to discuss how the ecosystem approach might be implemented in practice. The NCI achieves this through organising workshops, debates and seminars, and communicating the findings through reports, briefing notes and direct engagement. The NCI is a partnership between the Society of Biology, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the British Ecological Society and the James Hutton Institute.
Alison's own research experience is in applied biodiversity research, conservation and range management. In recent years she has taken a lead role in bringing together and managing diverse teams of scientists in biodiversity-ecosystem-related research, for example leading the Scottish Government-funded Workpackage on "Management of Biodiversity Change" 2006-2011 and the "Ecosystem Services" Research Programme, 2011-2016.
She is an active council member of the European biodiversity network: ALTER-Net, and is involved in a range of other global initiatives. Alison is a fellow of the Society of Biology and serves on a range of other Committees, Boards of Management and Steering Groups.
She is a member of the Secretariat of the Natural Capital Initiative (NCI), a leading UK forum bringing together scientists, policy-makers, business, industry and others, to discuss how the ecosystem approach might be implemented in practice. The NCI achieves this through organising workshops, debates and seminars, and communicating the findings through reports, briefing notes and direct engagement. The NCI is a partnership between the Society of Biology, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, the British Ecological Society and the James Hutton Institute.
Alison's own research experience is in applied biodiversity research, conservation and range management. In recent years she has taken a lead role in bringing together and managing diverse teams of scientists in biodiversity-ecosystem-related research, for example leading the Scottish Government-funded Workpackage on "Management of Biodiversity Change" 2006-2011 and the "Ecosystem Services" Research Programme, 2011-2016.
She is an active council member of the European biodiversity network: ALTER-Net, and is involved in a range of other global initiatives. Alison is a fellow of the Society of Biology and serves on a range of other Committees, Boards of Management and Steering Groups.