Averil Wilson

Telephone: 01631 559321
E-mail: amwi@sams.ac.uk

Job Title: Support Scientist

Scientific interests

Integrated Coastal Zone Management. Our coasts are coming under increasing pressure, both as a resource and service provider. Globally there is a trend to increasing coastal urbanisation; worldwide there are 16 mega-cities, eight of these are located along the worlds coasts. The continued expansion of the coastal population and the attendant increase in pollution, port traffic, and landscape fragmentation combines with climate change induced factors such as sea level rise to place this ecosystem under mounting severe stress. Coastal managers are increasingly turning to the principles of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) taking into account the multiple resource demands and variety of stakeholders, their associated interests and natural variability of the coastal ecosystems.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). EIA is the process of analysing environmental costs and benefits of a new development or extension to an existing development that is perceived to have some negative environemental consequences. It is a short term, one off study used by planners to inform on sustainable development and environmental management. SEA also analyses environmental impacts but it is applied to policies, plans or programs.

Current projects: Biomara.

Past Projects: SALEIA, SPICOSA, EECSAF, SSMEI Sound of Mull Socio-Economic Study, SSMEI Sound of Mull Marine Spatial Plan SEA.

Teaching / supervising activities
Marine Zoology: Otter ecology and spraint analysis. Supervision of undergraduate project in otter ecology. Lecture on ICZM.

Publications

Papers and reports:

Wilson, A.M., Magill, S. and Black, K.D. (2009). Review of environmental impact assessment and monitoring in salmon aquaculture. In FAO. Environmental impact assessment and monitoring in aquaculture. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper. No. 527. Rome, FAO. pp. 455-535.

Wilson, A.M. (2009) Strategic Environmental Assessment Scoping Report for the SSMEI Sound of Mull Marine Spatial Plan.

Magill, S., Potts, T. and Wilson, A.M., (2008) Socio-Economic review of the Sound of Mull.

Davidson, K., Roberts, E.C., Wilson, A.M. and Mitchell, E. (2005) The role of prey nutrional status in governing protozoan nitrogen regeneration efficiency. Protist 156: 45-62

Posters:

Ecosystem Approach for Sustainable Aquaculture I

Ecosystem Approach for Sustainable Aquaculture II

SPICOSA: The implications of increased leisure and tourist use of the Firth of Clyde

Project publications:

ECASA Project newsletters: Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3.

ECASA Report Year 1.

ECASA Activity Report I, ECASA Management Report I, ECASA Dissemination Plan I, Publishable Executive Summary I

ECASA Activity Report II, ECASA Management Report II, ECASA Dissemination Plan II, Publishable Executive Summary II

ECASA An Ecosystem Approach to Sustainable Aquaculture. The Partliamentary Magazine. July 2006

ECASA: Searching for Sustainability. SAMS Newsletter

Websites:

ECASA Project website

ECASA Toolbox

Educational and career history

1984-1988. Ecology BSc (Hons) 2:1

2006-2008 Coastal Zone Management MSc (with Distinction)

2002-2005 UHI Technician. Provide technical support to the Marine Science undergraduate degree program and support SAMS researchers in Marine Geology and Marine Microbial Ecology).

2005-2008 ECASA Project Manager. Manage and co-ordinate all aspects of the ECASA project, (scientific, administrative and financial).

2008 - 2009. Research Assistant. Working on several projects relating to Marine Policy, eco-labels and sustainable aquaculture and fisheries, EIA and SEA.

2009 - present. Support Scientist and Chemical Safety Adviser.