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Overview

Professor B. Huntley

Emeritus Professor

BA, MA, PhD


Affiliations
AffiliationRoom numberTelephone
Emeritus Professor in the Department of Biosciences  
Leader of Work Package 1 in Tipping Points Research Project +44 (0) 191 33 41282

Biography

My research investigates the relationships between environmental change and changes in the distributions of organisms, as well as in the composition, structure and dynamics of ecosystems. Interactions between the land surface and the atmosphere, especially biospheric feedbacks to the climate system, are also the subject of my research. A combination of palaeoecological, ecological and biogeographical methods is used in carrying out these investigations; important techniques used include pollen analysis, palaeoclimate reconstruction, modelling of ecological processes and of species distributions, geographical information systems and earth observation.

This research has been supported by grants from various bodies including NERC, NATO and the Leverhulme Trust, as well as by research contracts from the European Commission, WWF and RSPB, inter alia. Current research projects include investigations of: responses of African and European birds to climatic change; development of dynamic models of species' distribution and abundance changes in response to environmental change; the potential effectiveness of protected area networks as a tool for biodiversity conservation in the face of climatic change; the neoglacial climatic transition as a potential 'tipping point' in the climate system; late-Pleistocene vegetation and environmental history in Eurasia and the extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna; the impacts of tephra deposition on vegetation; the landscape-scale impacts of invasion by a canopy-dominant tree, taking the mid-Holocene invasion of the Scottish Highlands by Pinus sylvestris (Scots Pine) as a model system; and the importance of landscape heterogeneity and microclimate in sustaining marginal populations of butterfliesin areas where the regional climate is becoming unfavourable as a result of climatic change.

In 2007 I was invited to act as a consultant to the Council of Europe Bern Convention Group of Experts on Biodiversity and Climate Change and subsequently to become an observer on this group. I have undertaken two studies and provided two reports to the group; most recently I was asked to prepare the group's Work Plan for the next five years, and to present this at the annual meeting of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention (Strasbourg, December 2015).

In 2008 I was invited to join the Steering Group for the North-East Regional Climate Change and Biodiversity Study.

In March 2009 I was invited by the German government to pariticipate in a High Level Working Group on the 2010 Biodiversity Targets and post-2010 Targets in preparation for the next meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

I was a member of the Working Group that oversaw production of the first and second editions of the Living With Environmental Change "Biodiversity Climate Change Impacts Report Card".

I have been a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission "Climate Change Specialist Group" since its establishment in 2013.

Research interests

  • ecology
  • biogeography
  • quaternary palaeoecology and palaeoenvironmentals
  • impacts of environmental change upon organisms and ecosystems

Esteem Indicators

  • 2015: Invited Plenary Lecture: Delivered invited plenary lecture at the "Symposium on Biological Extinctions and Climate Change" held at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, USA, 10-11th September.
  • 2015: Invited Plenary Lecture: Delivered invited plenary lecture to, and participated in, the workshop "The impact of climate changes on animal populations" at the Ettore ;Majorana Centre for Scientific Culture, Erice, Sicily, 9–14th November.
  • 2012: Invited Plenary Lecture: Delivered an invited plenary lecture to the ;Botanical Society of the British Isles conference ‘A Great Leap Forward’, Edinburgh, September.
  • 2010: Invited Plenary Lecture: Delivered a plenary lecture to the ;European Science Foundation Research Conference ‘Extreme Environmental Events’, Cambridge, December.
  • 2008: Invited Plenary Lecture: Delivered the ;‘Pybus Memorial Lecture’, Natural History Society of Northumberland and Durham, Newcastle.
  • 2007: Invited Plenary Lecture: Delivered the opening plenary lecture to the ‘Wind, water and fire: renewable energy and birds’ conference organised by the British Ornithologists Union, Leicester, April.
  • 2004: Invited Plenary Lecture: Invited Plenary Lecturer at European Bird Census Council Conference, 'Bird Numbers 2004: Monitoring in a changing Europe', Kayseri, Turkey.
  • 2003: Peer Review College: Appointed as member of the NERC Peer Review College
  • 2002: Darwin's Birthday Lecture: Invited to deliver "Darwin's Birthday Lecture", Natural History Museum, London
  • 2002: Research Merit Award: Royal Society - Wolfson Foundation 'Research Merit Award' holder 2002-6

Media Contacts

Available for media contact about:

  • Technology transfer: plant ecology
  • Technology transfer: palaeoecology
  • Technology transfer: biogeography
  • Technology transfer: palaeoenvironments
  • Technology transfer: global change
  • Plants & agriculture: natural resource management
  • Weather & climate: climate change
  • Wildlife: wildlife

Publications

Authored book

  • Huntley, B., Green, Rhys E., Collingham, Yvonne C. & Willis, Stephen G. (2007). A climatic atlas of European breeding birds. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.
  • B. Huntley & H.J.B. Birks (1983). An atlas of past and present pollen maps for Europe: 0-13000 B.P. Cambridge University Press.

Chapter in book

  • B. Huntley (2019). Consequences of climatic change for distributions. In Effects of climate change on birds. Peter O. Dunn & Anders Pape Møller Oxford: Oxford University Press. 165-183.
  • Huntley, B & Baxter, R (2012). Vegetation ecology and global change. In Vegetation Ecology. van der Maarel, E & Franklin, J Wiley-Blackwell. 509-525.
  • B. Huntley, Y. Collingham, S. Willis & D. Hole (2012). Protected Areas and Climatic Change in Europe: Introduction. In Natura 2000 and Climate Change – a Challenge. Götz Ellwanger, Axel Ssymank & Cornelia Paulsch Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. Heft 118: 7-27.
  • B. Huntley & R.E. Green (2011). Bioclimatic models of the distributions of Gyrfalcons and ptarmigan. In Gyrfalcons and Ptarmigan in a Changing World. R.T. Watson, T.J. Cade, M. Fuller, G. Hunt & E. Potapov The Peregrine Fund. 10.
  • Huntley, B., Hole, D.G. & Willis, S.G. (2011). Assessing the effectiveness of a protected area network in the face of climatic change. In Climate change, ecology, and systematics. Hodkinson, Trevor R. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 345-362.
  • B. Huntley & R.E. Green (2011). The utility of bioclimatic models for projecting future changes in the distribution of birds in response to climate change. In Gyrfalcons and Ptarmigan in a Changing World. R.T. Watson, T.J. Cade, M. Fuller, G. Hunt & E. Potapov The Peregrine Fund. 7.
  • Willis, S.G., Hole, D.G. & Huntley, B. (2010). Climate change and conservation. In Trade-offs in conservation: Deciding what to save. Leader-Williams, N., Adams, B. & Smith, R. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. 331-348.
  • B. Huntley (2005). North temperate responses. In Climate change and biodiversity. T.E. Lovejoy & L. Hannah Yale University Press. 109-124.
  • B. Huntley & R. Baxter (2005). Vegetation ecology and global change. In Vegetation Ecology. Eddy van der Maarel Blackwell Science Ltd. 356-372.
  • T.V. Callaghan, L.O. Björn, F.S. Chapin III., Y. Chernov, T.R. Christensen, B. Huntley, R. Imms, M. Johansson, D.J. Riedlinger, S. Jonasson, N. Matveyeva, W. Oechel, N. Panikov & G. Shaver (2005). Arctic tundra and polar desert ecosystems. In Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. Carolyn Symon, Lelani Arris & Bill Heal Cambridge University Press. 243-352.
  • A.T. Peterson, H. Tian, E. Martinez-Meyer, J. Soberón, V. Sánchez-Cordero & B. Huntley (2005). Modeling Distributional Shifts of Individual Species and Biomes. In Climate change and Biodiversity. T.E. Lovejoy & L. Hannah Yale University Press. 211-228.
  • Huntley, B & Baxter, R (2003). Insights on Synergies: Models and Methods. In Climate Change and Biodiversity: Synergistic Impacts. Hannah, L & Lovejoy, TE Washington: CABS. 4: 15-23.
  • Stringer, C., Pälike, H., van Andel, T. H., Huntley, B., Valdes, P. & Allen, J.R.M. (2003). Climatic stress and the extinction of the Neanderthals. In Neanderthals and modern humans in the European landscape during the last glaciation: Archaeological results of the Stage 3 Project. van Andel, T. H. & Davies, W. Cambridge: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. 233-240.
  • B. Huntley & J.R.M. Allen (2003). Glacial environments III: Palaeo-vegetation patterns in late glacial Europe. In Neanderthals and modern humans in the European landscape during the last glaciation: Archaeological results of the Stage 3 Project. Tjeerd H. van Andel & William Davies McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. 79-102.
  • J.K. Hill, C.D. Thomas & B. Huntley (2003). Modelling present and potential future ranges of European butterflies using climate response surfaces. In Butterflies: Ecology and evolution taking flight. Carol L. Boggs, Ward B. Watt & Paul R. Ehrlich University of Chicago Press. 149-167.
  • J. Overpeck, C. Whitlock & B. Huntley (2003). Terrestrial biosphere dynamics in the climate system: Past and future. In Palaeoclimate, global change and the future. Keith D. Alverson, Raymond S. Bradley & Thomas F. Pedersen Springer. 81-103.
  • B. Huntley, M. Baillie, J.M. Grove, C.U. Hammer, S.P. Harrison, S. Jacomet, E. Jansen, W. Karlén, N. Koç, J. Luterbacher, J. Negendank & J. Schibler (2002). Holocene palaeoenvironmental changes in north-west Europe: Climatic implications and the human dimension. In Climate development and history of the North Atlantic realm. G. Wefer, W.H. Berger, K.-E. Behre & E. Jansen Springer-Verlag. 259-298.
  • B. Huntley & R. Baxter (2002). Climate change and wildlife conservation in the British uplands. In The British uplands: Dynamics of change. JNCC Report No. 319. T.P. Burt, D.B.A. Thompson & J. Warburton JNCC. 41-47.
  • B. Huntley (2002). Holocene climatic history of northern Europe as recorded by vegetation changes: possible influences upon human activity. In Climate development and history of the North Atlantic realm. G. Wefer, W.H. Berger, K.-E. Behre & E. Jansen Springer-Verlag. 223-232.
  • J.K. Hill, C.D. Thomas & B. Huntley (2001). Climate and recent range changes in butterflies. In "Fingerprints" of climate change: Adapted behaviour and shifting species ranges. G.-R. Walther, C.A. Burga & P.J. Edwards Kluwer Academic. 77-88.
  • J.K. Hill, C.D. Thomas, R. Fox, D. Moss & B. Huntley (2001). Analysing and modelling range changes in UK butterflies. In Insect movement: Mechanisms and consequences. I.P. Woiwood, D.R. Reynolds & C.D. Thomas CABI Publishing. 415-441.
  • B. Huntley, R. Baxter, R.H.W. Bradshaw, W. Cramer, A.M. Dean, M. Eronen, S.P. Evans, A. Hofgaard, P.E. Hulme, H. Hytteborn, U. Molau, L. Oksanen, J. Olofsson, N.-R. Sælthun, H. Seppä, S. Sjogersten, C.J. Thomas, S. Venevski & P. Wookey (2000). DART: Dynamic response of the forest–tundra ecotone to environmental change. In Terrestrial ecosystem research in Europe: successes, challenges and policy. M.A. Sutton, J.M. Moreno, W.H. van der Putten & S. Struwe European Communities. 162-165.
  • A. Cernusca, W. Cramer, G. Grabherr, B. Huntley, F. Mouillot, B. Smith, M. Sykes, J. Tenhunen & S. Venevsky (2000). TERICA Working Group 7: Understanding ecosystems at the landscape scale. In Terrestrial ecosystem research in Europe: successes, challenges and policy. M.A. Sutton, J.M. Moreno, W.H. van der Putten & S. Struwe European Communities. 75-93.
  • P. Hulme, M. Crawley, A. Hofgaard, B. Huntley, P. Lurz, M. O'Connell, S. Rushton, U. Schaffner, M. Sykes, M. Vila, A. Watt & S. Willis (2000). TERICA Working Group 3: Alien species and outbreaking species in ecosystems. In Terrestrial ecosystem research in Europe: successes, challenges and policy. M.A. Sutton, J.M. Moreno, W.H. van der Putten & S. Struwe European Communities. 44-48.
  • R. Baxter, S.P. Evans, B. Emmett, H. Harmsen, B. Huntley, A. Kjöller, R. Milne, J. Mulder, A. O'Donnell, E.-D. Schulze, S. Struwe, M.A. Sutton, E.W. Tipping & P.A. Wookey (2000). TERICA Working Group 5: European carbon budgets / Linking carbon & nitrogen cycles. In Terrestrial ecosystem research in Europe: successes, challenges and policy. M.A. Sutton, J.M. Moreno, W.H. van der Putten & S. Struwe European Communities. 54-64.
  • B. Huntley (1999). Species distribution and environmental change: considerations from the site to the landscape scale. In Ecosystem Management: Questions for science and society. E. Maltby, M. Holdgate, M. Acreman & A.G. Weir Royal Holloway Institute for Environmental Research, Royal Holloway, University of London. 115-129.
  • B. Huntley & R. Bradshaw (1999). Palaeoecological evidence and opportunities in determining environmental change and ecological responses. In A terrestrial transect for Scandinavia/Northern Europe: Proceedings of the international Scantran conference. M. Turunen, J. Hukkinen, O.W. Heal, N.-R. Sælthun & J.I. Holten European Commission. 153-157.
  • B. Huntley, M. Eronen, K.F. Helmens, A.J. Kirchhefer & L. Serebryanny (1999). Working Group Report: Past Changes. In A terrestrial transect for Scandinavia/Northern Europe: Proceedings of the international Scantran conference. M. Turunen, J. Hukkinen, O.W. Heal, N.-R. Sælthun & J.I. Holten European Commission. 145-150.
  • B. Huntley (1999). The influence of a changing climate. In Ecology and landscape development: A History of the Mersey basin. E.F. Greenwood Liverpool University Press. 3-11.
  • B. Huntley (1998). The Post-glacial History of British Woodlands. In Woodlands in the Landscape: Past and Future Perspectives. M.A. Atherden & R.A. Butlin Leeds University Press. 9-25.
  • Y.C. Collingham, B. Huntley & P.E. Hulme (1997). A spatially-explicit model to simulate the spread of a riparian weed. In Species dispersal and land use processes. A. Cooper & J Power University of Ulster. 45-52.
  • B. Huntley & W. Cramer (1997). Arctic ecosystems and environmental change: Perceptions from the past and predictions for the future. In Disturbance and Recovery in Arctic lands: an ecological perspective. R.M.M. Crawford Kluwer Academic Publishers. 1-24.
  • Willis, SG., Hulme, PE. & Huntley, B. (1997). Habitat suitability and the distribution of alien weeds of riparian ecosystems. In Species dispersal and land-use processes. A. Cooper & J. Power IALE (UK). 37-44.
  • B. Huntley (1997). The responses of vegetation to past and future climate changes. In Global Change and Arctic Terrestrial Ecosystems. Walter C. Oechel, Terry Callaghan, Tagir Gilmanov, Jarle I. Holten, Barrie Maxwell, Ulf Molau & Bjartmar Sveinbjörnsson Springer. 290-311.
  • Huntley, B., Cramer, W., Morgan, A.V., Prentice, H. & Allen, J.R.M. (1997). Predicting the response of terrestrial biota to future environmental changes. In Past and future rapid environmental changes: The spatial and evolutionary responses of terrestrial biota. Huntley, B., Cramer, W., Morgan, A.V., Prentice, H. & Allen, J.R.M. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. 487-504.
  • B. Huntley (1995). How vegetation responds to climate change: evidence from palaeovegetation studies. In The impact of climate change on ecosystems and species: Environmental context. John Pernetta, Rik Leemans, Danny Elder & Sarah Humphrey IUCN. 43-63.
  • B. Huntley (1993). Morrone. In Quaternary of Scotland. J. Gordon Nature Conservancy Council. Volume 37.
  • B. Huntley & I.C. Prentice (1993). Holocene vegetation and climates of Europe. In Global Climates since the Last Glacial Maximum. H.E. Wright, Jr., J.E. Kutzbach, T. Webb, III., W.F. Ruddiman, F.A. Street-Perrott & P.J. Bartlein University of Minnesota Press. 136-168.
  • B. Huntley (1993). Rapid early-Holocene migration and high abundance of hazel (Corylus avellana L.): alternative hypotheses. In Climate change and human impact on the landscape. F.M. Chambers Chapman and Hall. 205-215.
  • B. Huntley (1992). How ecosystems respond to environmental change: evidence from late-Quaternary palaeoecological records. In Responses of Forest Ecosystems to Environmental Changes. A. Teller, P. Mathy & J.N.R. Jeffers Elsevier. 45-54.
  • D. Anderson, J. Andrews, A. Arquit, P.J. Bartlein, J.-C. Duplessy, S.P. Harrison, B. Huntley, L. Keigwin, J. Kutzbach, C. Lorius, S. Manabe, V. Markgraf, P. McDowel, M. McGlone, H. Oesher, D. Oppo, W.F. Ruddiman, U. Siegenthaler & L. Thompson (1991). Major perturbations of the hydrosphere-atmoshere-biosphere system. In Global Changes of the Past. Raymond S. Bradley UCAR/Office for Interdisciplinary Earth Studies. 43-59.
  • B. Huntley (1991). Historical lessons for the future. In The scientific management of temperate communities for conservation. I.F. Spellerberg, F.B. Goldsmith & M.G. Morris Blackwell Scientific Publications. 473-503.
  • B. Huntley (1990). Lessons from climates of the past. In Global Warming: the Greenpeace report. J. Leggett Oxford University Press. 133-148.
  • B. Huntley (1989). European post-glacial vegetation history: a new perspective. In Proceedings of the XIX International Ornithological Congress. H. Ouellet University of Ottawa Press. 1: 1060-1077.
  • B. Huntley, T. Webb & III (1988). Introduction. In Vegetation History. Brian Huntley, Thompson Webb & III Kluwer Academic Publishers. 7: xv-xx.
  • B. Huntley (1988). Glacial and Holocene vegetation history: Europe. In Vegetation History. Brian Huntley, Thompson Webb & III Kluwer Academic Publishers. 341-383.
  • J. Hughes & B. Huntley (1988). Upland hay meadows in Britain – their vegetation, management and future. In The cultural landscape – Past, present and future. Hilary H. Birks, H.J.B. Birks, Peter Emil Kaland & Dagfinn Moe Cambridge University Press. 91-110.
  • B. Huntley, T. Webb & III (1988). Discussion. In Vegetation History. Brian Huntley, Thompson Webb & III Kluwer Academic Publishers. 7: 779-785.
  • B. Huntley (1986). Vegetational History. In NERC Radiocarbon Dating: 1975-1985. D.Q. Bowen & D.D. Harkness Natural Environment Research Council. 15.

Conference Paper

  • Whiley, M., Haslett, J., Bhattacharya, S., Allen, J.R.M. & Huntley, B. (2003), Bayesian paleoclimate reconstruction: modelling non-parametric surfaces using the intrinsic random walk with drift, in Mateu, Jorge, Holland, David & González Manteiga, Wenceslao eds, Cursos e congresos da Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, n. 141 The ISI International Conference on Environmental Statistics and Health. Santiago de Compostela, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, 163-172.

Conference Proceeding

  • B. Huntley, Y.C. Collingham & M.O. Hill (1996). Spatially-explicit modelling of plant migration. Modificazioni Climatiche ed Ambeintali tra il Tardiglaciale e l'Olocene antico in Italia, Trento (Italy), AIQUA-MTSN Conference Abstracts.
  • B. Huntley, J.R.M. Allen & W.A. Watts (1996). Glacial, late-glacial and Holocene environment and vegetation at Lago Grande di Monticchio (southern Italy). Modificazioni Climatiche ed Ambeintali tra il Tardiglaciale e l'Olocene antico in Italia, Trento (Italy), AIQUA-MTSN Conference Abstracts.

Edited book

  • Huntley, B., Cramer, W., Morgan, A.V., Prentice, H.C. & Allen, J.R.M. (1997). Past and future rapid environmental changes: The spatial and evolutionary responses of terrestrial biota. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
  • Huntley, Brian & Webb, Thompson, III (1988). Vegetation History. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Journal Article

Newspaper/Magazine Article

  • B. Huntley (1995). Palaeoclimate and the British Scene. (5): 7.

Report

  • B. Huntley (2015). Climatic change and biodiversity conservation. Strasbourg, Council of Europe, Convention of the Conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats.
  • B. Huntley (2015). Programme of Work on Climatic Change and Biodiversity Conservation. Strasbourg, Council of Europe, Convention of the Conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats.
  • I.M.D. Maclean, A.J. Suggitt, R.T. Jones, B. Huntley, S.J. Brooks, P.K. Gillingham, D. Fletcher, J.R. Stewart, Z. Thomas, R.J. Wilson & C.J. Caseldine (2014). Palaeoecological evidence to inform identification of potential climatic change refugia and areas for ecological restoration.
  • B. Huntley (2012). An analysis of the implementation of recommendations made by the Group of Experts on Biodiversity and Climate Change (2006-2011). Strasbourg, Council of Europe, Convention of the Conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats.
  • B. Huntley (2007). Climatic change and the conservation of European biodiversity: Towards the development of adaptation strategies: T-PVS/Inf(2007)3. Council of Europe, Convention of the Conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats.