The CIEEM Medal recognises individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of ecology and environmental management.
Sue has spent the last 40 years as an ecology and environmental specialist, working with UK statutory agencies, in the voluntary sector, and as a consultant. After graduating, Sue spent a short while volunteering with Leicester Wildlife Trust, where she undertook practical conservation work around the county. She next moved briefly to Shropshire to work on the restoration of the Montgomery Canal, before moving to Scotland to work for the Nature Conservancy Council. She undertook surveys of water plants in freshwater lochs and through this contributed to the development of a standard classification scheme for standing waters and the development of guidelines for freshwater Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
Reflecting on her time at Loughborough and early career, Sue said:
Ecology was considered a relatively ‘new’ discipline when I studied at Loughborough, and few universities offered the degree. Jobs were quite thin on the ground when I first graduated, but the passing of various pieces of legislation (Wildlife & Countryside Act in 1980 and the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive in 1985) helped to raise awareness of environmental matters and increase job opportunities. I really enjoyed the course and my time at Loughborough. Not only did it teach me an understanding of ecological processes it helped me develop critical thinking and evidence-based decision making, two skills which are vital to my current role. I also gained many good friends and colleagues, some of whom I am still in contact with today.”
Later, Sue worked for the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) where she was responsible for developing policy on a range of issues including aquaculture, Marine Protected Areas, Coastal Zone Management, and Environmental Impact Assessment.
In the early 1990s, she moved into consultancy, broadening her experience across a raft of ecological management and policy areas; she also worked on the Scottish Biodiversity List. Between 2001 and 2010, Sue was the Technical Secretary for the Advisory Committee on Sites of Special Scientific Interest; the role included providing evidence to Scottish Parliament. She became a freelance consultant in 2009.
Most recently, Sue has taken up a role as a self-employed Reporter for the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) of the Scottish Government, and a Planning Inspector for the Government of Jersey. She has mentored people, is an experienced assessor for the award of Chartered Ecologist and runs the CIEEM’s training course in habitats regulations appraisal and appropriate assessment in Scotland She also delivers the first module of CIEEM’s training course for early career ecologists.
Congratulations to Sue on receiving the CIEEM Medal!