About me:

James Borrell is a conservation scientist, and science communicator with experience of conservation fieldwork and research around the world. Environmental issues are becoming increasingly polarised as we search for simple soundbite solutions, where they often don’t exist. A willingness to compromise, debate, digest new evidence and occasionally change your mind are skills we need in conservation, and sometimes elsewhere in buisness and life.

James has been involved with a variety of research expeditions, from the Peruvian Amazon to the Dhofar Mountains and more. James is an accomplished public speaker and writer having spoken at TEDx and been published in The Biologist and The Guardian. He is also a keen advocate of ‘Citizen Science‘ and founder of Discover Conservation believing that science and adventure go hand in hand.

James runs this website, with a focus on encouraging young conservationists. He blogs about expeditions, motivation, adventure and how to get involved. Find out more about James or get in touch.

Bending the curve of biodiversity loss:

What we do in the next fifty years will impact life on earth for at least the next five million years, probably long after humans have disappeared. So this generation of conservationists – especially those starting their careers now – are the most important to have ever lived. They will either either succeed, and slow, stop and reverse global biodiversity loss; or by the end of this century, at our current rate, the impact may be irreparable.

Since I started writing and speaking about conservation, over a decade ago, progress has been unimaginable.

For these reasons, I am undoubtedly and unapologetically optimistic.

Conservation Research:

I‘m interested in what drives patterns of wild and agrobiodiversity, particularly genetic diversity — the unique combinations of DNA inside populations of plants or animals.

Gentic diversity is the basis of how species evolve and adapt. The challenges and stresses we impose on wild populations — for example, climate change, pollution etc — mean species are under very strong pressure to adapt. My research focuses on how we can understand these processes, and if possible, help species or entire ecosystems to adapt.

I have worked on a huge diversity of organisms, from dragonflies to birds, and amphibians to big mammals, but mostly on ubiqitous but often overlooked plants. Find out more, here.