News and events
NBN Conference 2025 – speaker information
Please click on the names for more information and details of the individual speakers and their presentations:
- Duncan Allen – Plant pest scientist and risk analyst, Defra (Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) – “From Observation to Action: Using iNaturalist to help Monitor and Elevate Plant Health Awareness in the UK”
- Dr Carlos Bedson – Quantitative spatial ecologist, Natural England – “Designing a climate change resilient landscape connectivity network from a multi-species perspective”
- Dr Lauren Cook – Molecular ecologist, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) – “Translating environmental DNA (eDNA) for monitoring nature”.
Lauren is also an award-winning artist and science communicator and as well as giving a presentation she is joining the NBN Conference as our Conference artist, sketching taxa featured in talks and hosting a “Draw Your Study Organism / Favourite Species” corner with guidance and tutorials. See more information below.
- Tim Corner – Manager, Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre – “Kestrel’s fluffy ears”
- Tom Gray – Head of Nature, BBC – “Engaging the Widest Audience for Nature”
- Martin Harvey – Coordinator of Zoological Data, UKCEH Biological Records Centre (BRC) – “From field observation to global data: (some of) the many links between recorders, schemes, organisations and portals”
- Dr Ben Holt – Marine biologist and CEO, The Rockpool Project – “The Big Rock Pool Challenge – A UK wide marine citizen science adventure”
- Dr Kate Ingenloff – Scientific Officer, GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) – “Advancing Biodiversity Data Sharing in GBIF”
- Katie-jo Luxton – Executive Director, Global Conservation, The RSPB – Sir John Burnett Memorial Lecture – “Making data work for nature; the value of monitoring and recording to inform State of Nature reporting, drive recovery action and influence systemic change”
- Dr Damian McFerran – Records Centre Manager, Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR), National Museums NI (NMNI) – “CEDaR, what has it all been about?”
- Simon Pickles, Chair of Trustees, National Forum for Biological Recording (NFBR) and Director, North and East Yorkshire Ecological Data Centre – “Rooted in Data, Growing Through Time”
- Emma Squire and Devmini Bandara – PhD students, University of Exeter (RENEW Biodiversity Programme: Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach) – “iNaturalistUK User Survey and Observation Records”
- Christine Tansey – Biodiversity Data Manager (NBN Atlas), NBN Trust – “The NBN Atlas: building capacity and connections”
- Dr Gareth Thomas – Chief Executive Officer, NBN Trust – “Sharing a vision for the future” and “Engaging the Widest Audience for Nature”
- Dr John Tweddle – Head of Centre for UK Nature, Natural History Museum – Keynote Address – “Looking back, looking forward: reflecting on 25 years of partnering with the NBN Trust”
The final programme is available to download.
