Laura Johnstone BSc. – Assistant Ecologist
Laura has been with Caledonian Conservation since spring 2024. She has a BSc in Wildlife and Conservation Management gained through SRUC, Scotland’s Rural Collage.
During her studies she covered a wide range of subjects within ecological conservation and natural history including ecology in terrestrial, fresh water, and marine environments, field skills and habitat management. Field skills included phase 1 habitats, NVC survey, bird surveys, and badger surveys. She has good knowledge of protected species and the rural and environmental planning system NPF 3 & 4 and its hierarchy of policies and wildlife legislations. Laura has an in-depth knowledge of legislations such as: Habitat Directive, IUCN conservation list, and Wildlife and conservation Act.
Laura has also researched Multipurpose Woodland Management, Conservation Site Management, and Integrated Catchment Management. She built upon this knowledge and developed a protected species plan for red squirrels and reducing visitor impact for the SRUC Hill and Mountain Research Centre at Kirkton and Auchtertyre farms. This research and experience gives Laura a balanced and practical approach as an Ecologist. Laura has experience of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and applied data analysis from her studies which she is now putting into practice as an Assistant Ecologist.
Through working with Caledonian Conservation Ltd, she has used her skills gained as a student and built upon them through working on protected species surveys, breeding bird surveys, vantage point surveys, and butterfly transects. She has experience working in remote upland habitats, as well as operational commercial forestry and farmland.
Laura has a wealth of volunteer experience surveying for The Butterfly Conservation and Scottish Badgers, experience in deer management for Nature Scot, as well as having surveyed for Great Crested Newts with Forestry and Land Scotland. Laura is an active member of Scottish Badgers and Central Raptor Study Group. She has a current Outdoor First Aid certificate (+F), BORDA off road driving qualification, ATV Sit-astride, and Trailer licence. She currently has a student member of Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) and is applying for her Associate membership.
