MSc student Ashley Bang wins Journal of Ecology Best Poster Award
Ashley Bang, a current student on the Smith School’s MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment received the Journal of Ecology Best Poster Award at the European Congress of Conservation Biology. Her winning poster was one of over 160 poster presentations submitted at the bi-annual conference, which is one of the largest gatherings of conservation scientists in Europe. It was held on 17 – 21st June in Bologna, and this year’s theme was “Biodiversity positive by 2030.”
“The conference was a wonderful opportunity to receive feedback from fellow conservation scientists and learn about new research approaches. I came away from it feeling inspired with new ideas and energized by avenues for future collaboration,” says Ashley.
At the conference, Ashley presented her research, which aims to align the biodiversity conservation and climate change policy agendas in Hong Kong. “I am applying geospatial modelling techniques and scenario analysis to understand how much carbon is stored in the city's natural ecosystems and how this may change under various future development scenarios,” explains Ashley. “My results demonstrate the importance of conserving natural landscapes for Hong Kong to reach net zero, and will inform ongoing policy development of the city's biodiversity and climate change strategies.”
Prior to enrolling on the MSc, Ashley worked as a data scientist, researcher and consultant, and is a marine biologist by training. She remains a Principal Consultant at The Biodiversity Consultancy Ltd, a global provider of practical solutions for managing biodiversity risk and achieving positive conservation outcomes for private and public sectors. “As my work began to expand from academia and policymaking areas towards engagements with businesses and financial institutions, I felt the need to expand upon my training in ecology and Earth sciences with elements of economics, social science, and enterprise strategy, and this drew me to the Smith School MSc,” she says.
“Engaging with the complexities of sustainable development issues from leading practitioners across a broad range of approaches at Oxford has been an incredible experience,” continues Ashley. “But the highlight of the course has been learning from the wealth of unique experience and expertise that each of my course mates have contributed to my learning, both in and out of the classroom.”
Photo by Sayam Chowdhury