Project launch

MP Ben Lake

Ben Lake was brought up in Lampeter, Ceredigion. He graduated from Trinity College, Oxford with an undergraduate degree in History and Politics, and a master’s degree in Modern British and European History. He went on to become a Research Officer in the National Assembly for Wales after a short period working for Elin Jones MS for Ceredigion. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Ceredigion in 2017, becoming Wales’ youngest MP and Plaid Cymru’s youngest ever MP.

Ben is currently the Plaid Cymru spokesperson at Westminster for the Economy, Environment, Food, Rural Affairs, Education, Skills, Health, Communities, Local Government, Culture, Media, Sport and Constitutional Affairs; he was appointed a member of the Welsh Affairs Committee in September 2017. Ben won the People’s Choice Newcomer MP of the Year Award in 2019. The award celebrates the work of MPs from across the UK who actively work with under-represented and disadvantaged communities across the UK.

Dr Peter Dennis PhD

Reader in Ecology of Grazed Ecosystems

Peter has been with Aberystwyth University since September 2006 and is currently a Reader within the Ecology Group, IBERS. He specialises in the ecology of grazed ecosystems and monitoring and assessment of biodiversity in a changing environment. Peter has authored 46 papers in scientific journals and 77 book chapters, reports and proceedings papers and has served as editor/ associate editor on various international research journals and on scientific committees, e.g., Secretary of the UK Biodiversity Science Committee (Royal Society), 2012-16.

Peter is Principal Investigator for Aberystwyth University on the ECHOES Project and Aberystwyth University are Lead Partner on the project. Peter co-ordinates the science on species distribution modelling and field ecological survey of wintering populations of the Greenland white-fronted goose and curlew. He is particularly excited at the prospect of working with existing conservation partners to investigate key habitats of these birds in estuaries and coastal wetlands fringing the Irish Sea and to anticipate impacts of the climate emergency.

Dan Rouse

Presenter, Wildlife Conservationist and Ornithologist

Dan is a passionate conservationist, with a keen interest in ornithology. Having lived on the South Wales coast, she has a huge interest in wetlands, coastal birds and wildlife, and regularly travels the world sharing her passion through her writing and videos. Her Wild Space project (launched in 2017) has led to success as a presenter and expert on national TV, radio and internationally online. Dan and the project also travel to festivals across the country to show how we can all get involved and care for the wildlife in our gardens.

Dr Crona Hodges

ECHOES Operation Manager, Geo Smart Decisions

Crona manages her team at Geo Smart Decisions, a geospatial consultancy, from her home office in Gwynedd and is Project Coordinator for the ECHOES project. She has a PhD in use of remote sensing imagery for mapping and monitoring semi-natural wetland vegetation and carried out her research on RSPB site Insh Marshes in Scotland. Crona has First Class degree in Environmental Science from University of Stirling and, after four years working for a large environmental consultancy in Edinburgh, she set her business up in 2011 and has been working on a wide range of projects both in the UK and abroad ever since. Crona’s professional skills and experience are in the use of spatial data analysis, satellite Earth Observation and in situ field data for informing the management and monitoring of the natural environment; various aspects of the ECHOES project are therefore of great interest to Crona and she is thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to apply her project management experience and skills to steer the ECHOES project to success.