Dr Richard Francksen, PhD

Biography

I am a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for BSc. (Hons.) Zoology within the Institute of Science and Environment at the University of Cumbria.

Academic and research interests

I am an Applied Ecologist with a particular focus on Biodiversity Conservation, Human-Wildlife Conflicts, Agro-Ecology and Ecosystem Services.

Research supervision

I currently co-supervise three PhD students:

• Nick Brodin, Newcastle University, diet and foraging patterns of little terns Sternula albifrons
• Victoria Graves, SRUC, rewilding and moorland management impacts on small mammals
• Danielle Robinson, Newcastle University, Fisher–shark interactions: A loss of support for the Maldives shark sanctuary from reef fishers whose livelihoods are affected by shark depredation (completed 2023)

Publications

A full list of my publications can be found at https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=EVg_A4YAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra

• Brodin, Nicholas; Whittingham, Mark J. & Francksen, Richard M.Francksen. 2024. Chick diet in UK Little Terns Sternula albifrons. Bird Study. 1-12
• Guillermo Aguilera Nunez, Anders Glimskar, Giulia Zacchello, Richard M Francksen, Mark J Whittingham, Matthew Hiron. 2024. Agriculturally Improved and Semi-Natural Permanent Grasslands Provide Complementary Ecosystem Services in Swedish Boreal Landscapes. Agronomy, 14, 3.
• Isobel L Lloyd, Virginia Thomas, Chidiebere Ofoegbu, Andrew V Bradley, Paddy Bullard, Brenda D’Acunha, Beth Delaney, Helen Driver, Chris D Evans, Katy J Faulkner, Jeremy A Fonvielle, Richard M Francksen, Laurie E Friday, Gemma Hose, Joerg Kaduk, Francesca Re Manning, Ross Morrison, Paula Novo, Susan E Page, Jennifer M Rhymes, Megan Hudson, Heiko Balzter. 2023. State of knowledge on UK agricultural peatlands for food production and the net zero transition. Sustainability. 15, 23.
• Milazzo, Filippo; Francksen, Richard M; Zavattaro, Laura; Abdalla, Mohamed; Hejduk, Stanislav; Enri, Simone Ravetto; Pittarello, Marco; Price, Paul Newell; Schils, René LM; Smith, Pete. 2023. The role of grassland for erosion and flood mitigation in Europe: A meta-analysis. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment.  348. 108443.
• Milazzo, Filippo; Francksen, Richard M; Abdalla, Mohamed; Ravetto Enri, Simone; Zavattaro, Laura; Pittarello, Marco; Hejduk, Stanislav; Newell-Price, Paul; Schils, René LM; Smith, Pete. 2023. An Overview of Permanent Grassland Grazing Management Practices and the Impacts on Principal Soil Quality Indicators            Agronomy. 13. 5. 1366.
• Schils, René LM; Bufe, Conny; Rhymer, Caroline M; Francksen, Richard M; Klaus, Valentin H; Abdalla, Mohamed; Milazzo, Filippo; Lellei-Kovács, Eszter; ten Berge, Hein; Bertora, Chiara. 2022. Permanent grasslands in Europe: Land use change and intensification decrease their multifunctionality  Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 330. 107891
• Schils, Rene LM; Bufe, Conny; Rhymer, Caroline; Francksen, Richard M; Klaus, Valentin H; Abdalla, Mohamed; Milazzo, Filippo; Lellei-Kovacs, Eszter; ten Berge, HFM; Bertora, Chiara. 2022. Delivery of ecosystem services from permanent grasslands in Europe: a systematic review. Grassland at the heart of circular and sustainable food systems. 274-276
• Fazaa, Nadheer A; Ali, Abdulrahman B; AL-Jabinawi, Ahmad JM; Francksen, Richard; Whittingham, Mark J. 2022. Land use change in Baghdad City and assessment of the Jadriyah and Umm Al-Khanazeer Island Important Bird Area (IBA) from 1984 to 2020. Baghdad Science Journal. 19. 6 (Suppl.). 1471-1471
• Robinson, Danielle; Newman, Steven P; Whittingham, Mark J; Francksen, Richard M; Adam, M Shiham; Stead, Selina M. 2022. Fisher–shark interactions: A loss of support for the Maldives shark sanctuary from reef fishers whose livelihoods are affected by shark depredation. Conservation Letters. 15. 6. e12912
• Francksen, Richard M; Turnbull, Samantha; Rhymer, Caroline M; Hiron, Matthew; Bufe, Conny; Klaus, Valentin H; Newell-Price, Paul; Stewart, Gavin; Whittingham, Mark J. 2022. The Effects of Nitrogen Fertilisation on Plant Species Richness in European Permanent Grasslands: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Agronomy. 12. 2928.
• Newell Price, P; Hadden, S; Rhymer, C; Francksen, R; Standen, J; Thorman, R; Dowers, J; Whittingham, M; Williams, J. 2021. Mechanical loosening of grasslands–a risk to ecosystem services or a restorative practice? Grassland at the heart of circular and sustainable food systems. 235
• Klaus, Valentin H; Whittingham, Mark J; Báldi, András; Eggers, Sönke; Francksen, Richard M; Hiron, Matthew; Lellei-Kovács, Eszter; Rhymer, Caroline M; Buchmann, Nina. 2020. Do biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiments inform stakeholders how to simultaneously conserve biodiversity and increase ecosystem service provisioning in grasslands? Biological Conservation. 245. 108552.
• Francksen, RM; Aebischer, NJ; Ludwig, SC; Baines, D; Whittingham, MJ. 2019. Measures of predator diet alone may underestimate the collective impact on prey: Common buzzard Buteo buteo consumption of economically important red grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica. PLOS ONE. 14. 8. e0221404
• Whittingham, Mark J; McKenzie, Ailsa J; Francksen, Richard M; Feige, David; Cadwallender, Tom; Grainger, Matthew; Fazaa, Nadheer; Rhymer, Caroline; Wilkinson, Catherine; Lloyd, Pauline. 2019.Offshore refuges support higher densities and show slower population declines of wintering Ruddy Turnstones Arenaria interpres. Bird Study. 66. 4. 431-440
• Ludwig, Sonja C; McCluskie, Aly; Keane, Paula; Barlow, Catherine; Francksen, Richard M; Bubb, Damian; Roos, Staffan; Aebischer, Nicholas J; Baines, David. 2018. Diversionary feeding and nestling diet of Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus. Bird Study. 65. 4. 431-443.
• Francksen, Richard M; Whittingham, Mark J; Ludwig, Sonja C; Roos, Staffan; Baines, David. 2017. Numerical and functional responses of Common Buzzards Buteo buteo to prey abundance on a Scottish grouse moor. Ibis. 159. 3. 541-553.
• Francksen, Richard M; Whittingham, Mark J; Ludwig, Sonja C; Baines, David. 2016. Winter diet of Common Buzzards Buteo buteo on a Scottish grouse moor. Bird study. 63. 4. 525-532.
• Francksen, Richard Michael. 2016. Exploring the impact of common buzzard Buteo buteo predation on red grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica. PhD Thesis. Newcastle University.
• Francksen, Richard M; Whittingham, Mark J; Baines, David. 2016. Assessing prey provisioned to common buzzard buteo buteo chicks: a comparison of methods. Bird study. 63. 3. 303-310.

Recent external roles

I am currently leading a scoping study, funded by the Agri-Food for Net Zero+ network into the impact of Regenerative Agriculture on reaching net-zero.

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