Rebekah is a senior consultant at Biodiversify with a PhD in Biology and academic grounding in zoology and biodiversity conservation, bringing expertise in remote sensing, landscape-scale assessment, and quantitative modelling. She works with businesses to understand and manage their impacts on nature, combining technical rigour with a social-ecological perspective.
Growing up rurally in the North East has definitely shaped my love for nature, along with my parents being outdoorsy themselves; holidays for us as kids usually involved lots of walks, bike rides, and time in the ‘great outdoors’. It’s shaped my interest in natural spaces and has definitely driven my curiosity for the natural world. Over time, that evolved into a desire not just to enjoy nature, but to understand and protect it, which is what really sparked my interest in conservation.
I did a PhD in conservation biology at Newcastle University, during which I also worked a secondment with the Environment and Climate Change Committee in the House of Lords. From there, I wanted to broaden my experience beyond academia and policy and work more directly with those who have an opportunity to drive tangible change. Businesses have a huge responsibility and influence when it comes to environmental outcomes, and I wanted to use my background to help translate knowledge into practical action.
I feel most strongly about socio-ecology and recognising that people and nature are not separate systems. I think, much like intersectionality in human rights, conservation benefits from understanding the multiple social, economic, and environmental factors that shape outcomes, rather than approaching ecological issues in isolation.
I work on biodiversity monitoring, site-level assessments, multi-stakeholder projects
The Lake District – I’ve been visiting the North West for holidays since I was tiny, and I’ll always have such an appreciation for the landscape and amazing hikes on offer.
My favourite species is the Least pygmy squirrel. I saw loads of them during fieldwork in Borneo and I’ve had a soft spot for them ever since. They’re absolutely tiny, which makes their latin name ‘Exilisciurus exilis’ sound far more dramatic than a squirrel that can fit in your hand.
I’d love to share a memory about a super rare species or remote location I visited, but I keep coming back to the first time I visited the Farne Islands back in 2016. Maybe I’m biased because I’m northern, but it’s such a special place and was a really formative experience for me in my conservation journey.
Running, hiking, cycling, swimming, snowboarding…anything that gets my heart rate up and gets me outside.
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