SPEAKERS
KEYNOTES
TOM BOWSER
ARGATY RED KITES
Tom Bowser is a farmer, nature writer and conservation advocate based at Argaty, a working farm in Doune, central Scotland. Tom and his family manage the farm with a strong focus on environmentally sensitive food production while restoring habitats and creating space for nature to thrive. Driven by determination and a deep passion for wildlife, Tom and his family have led the successful rewilding of their farm, demonstrating how productive farming can coexist with rich biodiversity. Argaty is now a haven for native species, including recently reintroduced beavers. Tom is the author of A Sky Full of Kites: A Rewilding Story and Waters of Life: Fighting for Scotland’s Beavers. Through his writing and public engagement, he shares practical insights and inspiring stories about rewilding, coexistence and the future of nature-friendly farming.
KIRSTY PARK
UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING
Kirsty Park is a Professor at the University of Stirling. She is an applied ecologist whose research spans multiple habitats and land-uses, and across a diverse range of taxa. A key area of her work focuses on quantifying the effects of environmental change on biological diversity and testing the efficacy of solutions to mitigate anthropogenic impacts. Working with government agencies, conservation charities, and industry partners, her work aims to bridge the gap between conservation research and the implementation of policy and practice. For the past 12 years she has been co-lead of the WrEN project, which uses a 'space for time' approach to study how biodiversity has responded to woodland creation in the UK over the past 150 years, and how best to prioritise actions for effective future restoration. She is the programme director for the Ecology and Conservation degree at Stirling, and teaches on a range of topics relating to conservation and biodiversity at undergraduate and Master’s level. She is Head of Biological & Environmental Sciences at the University of Stirling, a Trustee for the Loch Lomond & Trossachs Countryside Trust, and a member of the Scottish Biodiversity Project Advisory Group which is informing Scottish Government’s Biodiversity Delivery Plan.
STUDENTS & ECRS
PENNY CLARKE
BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY (BAS)
Penny Clarke is a world-leading expert in studying whales from space. Fresh from her PhD with the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Edinburgh, she works at the intersection of remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and marine conservation. Internationally recognised for her ‘whales from space’ research, Penny co-leads a global network of over 100 scientists endorsed by the International Whaling Commission, advancing non-invasive approaches to whale conservation. She has supported numerous polar wildlife projects, from drone-based studies of humpback whale body condition to satellite searches for whales in remote Antarctic bays. Penny’s PhD focused on using very high-resolution satellites to monitor whale and dolphin strandings in remote and resource-limited regions. Her work developed frameworks, tools, and data standards to detect and validate stranded cetaceans using optical and radar satellite imagery, complementing traditional ground and aerial surveys.
ADAM WOODWARD
NATURESCOT
Adam, BSc, MSc, is a recent postgraduate and Marine Ornithology Advisor for NatureScot. Having conducted his master's thesis in 2025 at the University of St Andrews in collaboration with NatureScot, researching the effects of artificial light pollution from cruise ships on nocturnal seabirds in Scottish SPAs, he now works with them directly to help implement and manage conservation efforts within Scotland. With a rich background of volunteer work ranging from invasive species management to community engagement, he offers a great insight into the life of a student and post-university career progression.
Scotland's Nature Student Conference 2024, Inverness
