About 100 environmental research scientists and sixty support staff will lose their jobs at the UK's well-regarded Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) over the next two years as a result of a controversial restructuring plan that was confirmed on Monday (March 13).Mark Avery, director of conservation at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said that the restructuring was "a devastating blow" to the science of biodiversity in Britain. "UK wildlife is now much more threatened as a result of these announced cuts," he told The Scientist.Scientists at the CEH currently research subjects such as biodiversity and climate change at eight research stations dotted across the UK. But in December last year, the center's parent body, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), announced its intention to close four of those sites and reduce overall staff levels from 600 to about 400.The plan triggered widespread concern among scientists...
make some modificationsEnglish NatureThe ScientistAlan ThorpeThe Scientist spincock@the-scientist.comhttp://www.ceh.ac.uk/index.htmlhttp://www.nerc.ac.uk/secretariat-council/ceh/www.nerc.ac.uk/secretariat-council/ceh/decision.asphttp://www.english-nature.org.uk/http://www.nerc.ac.uk/publications/latestpressrelease/2005-06chiefexec.asp
Interested in reading more?
Become a Member of
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!