Professor Rick Stafford

Professor Rick Stafford is a marine biologist with diverse interests. He holds a PhD in Marine Biology and a PhD in Marine Ecology and Computer Simulation, mainly based on rocky shores in temperate and tropical regions. While he still works on these systems, especially the effects of anthropogenic changes on community structure and ecological regime shifts, his main research now focusses on artificial marine structures and on the role of marine fauna in nutrient cycles – especially the carbon cycle and implications for climate change.

Rick is actively involved in environmental policy, and is the chair of the policy committee for the British Ecological Society, recently having been the lead editor of the report on Nature-based Solutions for Climate Change, and lead author of the marine and coastal chapter of the report, currently examining the role of UK protected areas in meeting the 30 x 30 targets. Rick was also a member of the nature-based solutions team for the 2021 Universities COP Network and an expert witness for the recent House of Lords inquiry into Nature-based Solutions.

Rick is interested in the political and economic solutions to climate change, and has developed predictive models to evaluate different solutions, combining natural sciences, social sciences and socio-economic aspects. The good news from this research is, while there is a huge challenge to address the risks of climate change, the solutions which work best will also have a positive effect on the majority of society, both in the UK and around the world. We now need to political will to make these changes.