Lorna Cole

Lorna Cole is an agricultural ecologist at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and lectures on their Wildlife and Conservation Management Degree. Lorna completed her PhD at the University of Glasgow in 1997 and has worked in the field of agroecology ever since. Lorna believes that feeding our growing world population whilst protecting our environment is the greatest challenge we face. Her research has a strong focus on exploring how biodiversity goals can be positively incorporated into agricultural systems and how this can be achieved in an economically viable way. Lorna is particularly interested in beneficial insects, including pollinators and predatory beetles. The focus of her research is increasing our understanding of how agricultural practices influence these insects and the ecosystem services they deliver. Her research aims to identify agro-ecological practices that will enhance the sustainability of agricultural systems to future challenges. Lorna primarily conducts research on working farms giving her a strong practical knowledge of farming systems. This knowledge enables her to ensure that management recommendations resulting from her research are practical and realistic to achieve on the ground. Her current research focuses on the ecology, spatial distribution and functional diversity of pollinators within intensive agricultural landscapes.