Principal of Linacre College

E-mail:
  nick.brown@plants.ox.ac.uk

Tel  +44 (0)1865 275077
Fax +44 (0)1865 275074

Last Modified: July 2011

Forest ecology

I am investigating how forests respond to both natural and human inflicted disturbance and the implications of this for sustainable management.

I have recently been awarded £265,000 by the Darwin Initiative for a biodiversity monitoring project in Trinidad and Tobago. The three-year project will be run in collaboration with the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago Forestry Division and the Asa Wright Nature Centre. Scientists from the four institutions will carry out a national vegetation survey using both traditional field botany and satellite remote sensing to create a new vegetation map of the islands. It will enable an estimate to be made of habitat loss since the last detailed vegetation inventory in 1984.

The project will expand the National Herbarium by collecting an estimated ten thousand new voucher specimens. New and existing collections will be recorded in a Botanical Research and Herbarium Management System that will make a searchable botanical database freely available via the web and network the T&T collection with others in the Caribbean and worldwide. Over 15,000 valuable pre-1900 herbarium collections from the Caribbean (including T&T) held by Oxford University, not previously accessible from Trinidad and Tobago, will also be added to the system. All type specimens will be digitized at high resolution and available on-line. A number of user-friendly field guides to the plants of the islands will be produced and distributed to schools, colleges, Government and non-Government organisations.

The project will assist the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to implement the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan by mapping and monitoring the distribution of species and habitats to highlight those under particular threat and to facilitate the identification of areas for conservation and restoration.

I have recently been working with UNEP's Post Conflict Assessment Unit investigating environmental impacts of conflicts and pre-existing chronic environmental problems. We recently produced a state-of-knowledge report on biodiversity conservation problems in Iraq and are involved in providing training in biodiversity conservation. I was also part of the UN's South Asia Disaster Task Force, investigating the environmental impacts of the Box Day 2004 tsunami in the Maldives (click here to see Oxford BluePrint Article).

I am a Science and Engineering Ambassador, a Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics Network (SETNET) initiative to help schools inspire young people.

Book, Book Chapters and Reports

Fisher, N., Brown, N. D. & Savill, P. S. (2010) Conservation Management of Wytham Woods. In Wytham Woods: Oxford's ecological laboratory (eds P. Savill, C. Perrins, K. Kirby & N. Fisher). Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Savill, P and Brown, N (2010) Silvicultural Systems. In Trees and Forests - A Colour Guide. Bowes, B (ed.), Manson Publishing.

Kirby, K. J., Quine, C. P. & Brown, N. D. (2009) The adaptation of UK forests and woodland to climate change. Chapter 9 in Combating climate change: a role for UK forests (eds D. J. Reed, P. H. Freer-Smith, J. I. L. Morison, N. Hanley, C. C. West & P. Snowdon). The Stationary Office, Edinburgh.

Goldman, L. and Brown, N (2007) Assessment of the Legal, Scientiic, and Institutional Framework for Biodiversity Protection in the Republic of Liberia. United Nations Environment Programme, the Environmental Law Institute, Washington and Oxford Forestry Institute

Olvera-Vargas, M., Figueroa-Rangel, B.L., Vazquez-Lopez, J.M. and Brown, N.D. (2006) Dynamics and Silviculture of Montane Mixed Oak Forests in Western Mexico. In Ecology and Conservation of Neotropical Montane Oak Forests Kappelle, M. (ed). Ecological Studies, Vol 185 Springer, Berlin, pp363-374.

UNEP (2005) Maldives. Post-Tsunami Environmental Assessment. United Nations Environment Programme, Asian Tsunami Disaster Task Force, Geneva, Switzerland. (Contributor)

Brown, N. (2004) Landscape Ecology: Use and Application in Forestry. In Encyclopedia of Forest Sciences, Burley, J., Evans, J. and Youngquist, J.A. (eds), Elsevier, Oxford UK, pp498-502

Brown, N. (2004) Natural Regeneration in Tropical Rainforest. In Encyclopedia of Forest Sciences Elsevier, Burley, J., Evans, J. and Youngquist, J.A. (eds), Oxford UK, pp1062-1066.

Plenderleith, K. & Brown, N. (2004) Baillonella toxisperma: A State of Knowledge Study. In The Key Non-Timber Forest Products of Central Africa: State of the Knowledge.Laurie E. Clark and Terry C.H. Sunderland, eds. USAID Technical Paper No. 122.

Ainge, L. & Brown, N. (2004) Irvingia gabonensis and Irvingia wombolu: A State of Knowledge Report. In The Key Non-Timber Forest Products of Central Africa: State of the Knowledge. Laurie E. Clark and Terry C.H. Sunderland, eds. USAID Technical Paper No. 122.

Tachie-Obeng, E. & Brown, N. (2004) Cola nitida and Cola acuminata: A State of Knowledge Report. In The Key Non-Timber Forest Products of Central Africa: State of the Knowledge. Laurie E. Clark and Terry C.H. Sunderland, eds. USAID Technical Paper No. 122.

Full Publication List (while at this department)

Petrokofsky, G, Brown, N.D, Hemery, G.E. (2012) Matching a scientific knowledge base with stakeholders' needs. The T10Q project as a case study for forestry Forest Policy and Economics..
doi:10.1016/j.forpol.2012.05.005.

Petrokofsky, G, Holmgren, P, Brown, N.D. (2011) Reliable forest carbon monitoring - Systematic reviews as a tool for validating the knowledge base International Forestry Review. 13 (1): pp 56-66.
doi:10.1505/ifor.13.1.56.

Babweteera, F, Brown, N. (2010) Spatial patterns of tree recruitment in East African tropical forests that have lost their vertebrate seed dispersers Journal of Tropical Ecology. 26 (2): pp 193-203.
doi:10.1017/S026646740999054X.

Menton, M.C.S, Lawrence, A, Merry, F, Brown, N.D. (2010) Estimating natural resource harvests: Conjectures? Ecological Economics. 69 (6): pp 1330-1335.
doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2010.01.010.

Petrokofsky, G, Brown, N.D, Hemery, G.E, Woodward, S, Wilson, E, Weatherall, A, Stokes, V, Smithers, R.J, Sangster, M, Russell, K, Pullin, A.S, Price, C, Morecroft, M, Malins, M, Lawrence, A, Kirby, K.J, Godbold, D, Charman, E, Boshier, D, Bosbeer, S, Arnold, J.E.M. (2010) A participatory process for identifying and prioritizing policy-relevant research questions in natural resource management: A case study from the UK forestry sector Forestry. 83 (4): pp 357-367.
doi:10.1093/forestry/cpq018.

Babweteera, F, Brown, N. (2009) Can remnant frugivore species effectively disperse tree seeds in secondary tropical rain forests? Biodiversity and Conservation. 18 (6): pp 1611-1627.
doi:10.1007/s10531-008-9546-6.

Bass, D, Brown, N, MacKenzie-Dodds, J, Dyal, P, Nierzwicki-Bauer, S.A, Vepritskiy, A.A, Richards, T.A. (2009) A molecular perspective on ecological differentiation and biogeography of cyclotrichiid ciliates Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. 56 (6): pp 559-567.
doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.2009.00434.x.

Menton, M.C.S, Merry, F.D, Lawrence, A, Brown, N. (2009) Company-community logging contracts in Amazonian settlements: Impacts on livelihoods and NTFP harvests Ecology and Society. 14 (1):

Higuchi, P, Oliveira-Filho, A.T, Bebber, D.P, Brown, N.D, Silva, A.C, Machado, E.L.M. (2008) Spatio-temporal patterns of tree community dynamics in a tropical forest fragment in South-east Brazil Plant Ecology. pp 1-11.
doi:10.1007/s11258-008-9418-x.

Petrokofsky, G, Hemery, G, Brown, ND. (2008) Knowledge feeds decision making: the people's say in UK forestry. Quarterly Journal of Forestry. 102 (3): pp 221-225

Babweteera, F, Savill, P, Brown, N. (2007) Balanites wilsoniana: Regeneration with and without elephants Biological Conservation. 134 (1): pp 40-47.
doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2006.08.002.

Bass, D, Howe, A, Brown, N, Barton, H, Demidova, M, Michelle, H, Li, L, Sanders, H, Watkinson, S.C, Willcock, S, Richards, T.A. (2007) Yeast forms dominate fungal diversity in the deep oceans Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 274 (1629): pp 3069-3077.
doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.1067.

Kruger, N.J, Huddleston, J.E, Le, Lay P, Brown, N.D, Ratcliffe, R.G. (2007) Network flux analysis: Impact of 13C-substrates on metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana cell suspension cultures Phytochemistry. 68: pp 2176-2188.
doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2007.03.033.

Bampfylde, C.J, Brown, N.D, Gavaghan, D.J, Maini, P.K. (2006) Achieving coexistence-Comment on "Modelling rain forest diversity: The role of competition" by Bampfylde et al. (2005) Ecological Modelling. 195: pp 407-408.
doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2006.01.001.

Brown, N, Bhagwat, S, Watkinson, S. (2006) Macrofungal diversity in fragmented and disturbed forests of the Western Ghats of India Journal of Applied Ecology. 43 (1): pp 11-17.
doi:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.01107.x.

Werndle, L, Brown, N, Packer, M. (2006) Barriers to certified timber and paper uptake in the construction and paper industries in the United Kingdom Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management. 13 (3): pp 121-134.
doi:10.1002/csr.93.

Bampfylde, C.J, Brown, N.D, Gavaghan, D.J, Maini, P.K. (2005) Modelling rain forest diversity: The role of competition Ecological Modelling. 188: pp 253-278.
doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2005.02.007.

Bhagwat, S.A, Kushalappa, C.G, Williams, P.H, Brown, N.D. (2005) The role of informal protected areas in maintaining biodiversity in the Western Ghats of India Ecology and Society. 10 (1):

Bhagwat, S.A, Kushalappa, C.G, Williams, P.H, Brown, N.D. (2005) A landscape approach to biodiversity conservation of sacred groves in the Western Ghats of India Conservation Biology. 19 (6): pp 1853-1862.
doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00248.x.

Hale, S.E, Brown, N. (2005) Use of the canopy-scope for assessing canopy openness in plantation forests Forestry. 78 (4): pp 365-371.
doi:10.1093/forestry/cpi043.

Bebber, D.P, Brown, N.D, Speight, M.R. (2004) Dipterocarp seedling population dynamics in Bornean primary lowland forest during the 1997-8 El Niño-Southern Oscillation Journal of Tropical Ecology. 20 (1): pp 11-19

Brown, N, Jennings, S, Clements, T. (2003) The ecology, silviculture and biogeography of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla): A critical review of the evidence Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. 6: pp 37-49

Bebber, D, Brown, N, Speight, M. (2002) Drought and root herbivory in understorey Parashorea Kurz (Dipterocarpaceae) seedlings in Borneo Journal of Tropical Ecology. 18 (5): pp 795-804.
doi:10.1017/S0266467402002511.

Bebber, D, Brown, N, Speight, M, Moura-Costa, P, Wai, Y.S. (2002) Spatial structure of light and dipterocarp seedling growth in a tropical secondary forest Forest Ecology and Management. 157: pp 65-75.
doi:10.1016/S0378-1127(00)00659-9.

Jennings, S.B, Brown, N.D, Boshier, D.H, Whitmore, T.C, Lopes, J.doC.A. (2001) Ecology provides a pragmatic solution to the maintenance of genetic diversity in sustainably managed tropical rain forests Forest Ecology and Management. 154: pp 1-10.
doi:10.1016/S0378-1127(00)00637-X.

Brown, N, Jennings, S, Wheeler, P, Nabe-Nielsen, J. (2000) An improved method for the rapid assessment of forest understorey light environments Journal of Applied Ecology. 37 (6): pp 1044-1053.
doi:10.1046/j.1365-2664.2000.00573.x.

Jennings, S, Brown, N.D, Whitmore, T.C, Silva, J.N.M, Lopes, J.D.C.A, Baima, A.M.V. (2000) To conserve rainforest, we have to help local people live sustainably [1] (multiple letters) Nature. 405 (6786): pp 507

Brown, N. (1999) Classics in physical geography revisited Progress in Physical Geography. 23 (1): pp 111-114

Brown, N, Press, M, Bebber, D. (1999) Growth and survivorship of dipterocarp seedlings: Differences in shade persistence create a special case of dispersal limitation Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B Biological Sciences. 354 (1391): pp 1847-1855

Jennings, S.B, Brown, N.D, Sheil, D. (1999) Assessing forest canopies and understorey illumination: Canopy closure, canopy cover and other measures Forestry. 72 (1): pp 59-73

Brown, N. (1998) Out of control: Fires and forestry in Indonesia Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 13 (1): pp 41.
doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(97)01252-4.

Barker, M.G, Press, M.C, Brown, N.D. (1997) Photosynthetic characteristics of dipterocarp seedlings in three tropical rain forest light environments: A basis for niche partitioning? Oecologia. 112 (4): pp 453-463.
doi:10.1007/s004420050332.

Brown, N. (1997) Re-defining native woodland Forestry. 70 (3): pp 191-198

Brown, N. (1996) A gradient of seedling growth from the centre of a tropical rain forest canopy gap Forest Ecology and Management. 82: pp 239-244

Whitmore, T.G, Brown, N.D. (1996) Dipterocarp seedling growth in rain forest canopy gaps during six and a half years Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 351 (1344): pp 1195-1203

Brown, N. (1993) The implications of climate and gap microclimate for seedling growth conditions in a Bornean lowland rain forest Journal of Tropical Ecology. 9 (2): pp 153-168

Turner, I.M, Brown, N.D, Newton, A.C. (1993) The effect of fertilizer application on dipterocarp seedling growth and mycorrhizal infection Forest Ecology and Management. 57: pp 329-337

Whitmore, T.C, Brown, N.D, Swaine, M.D, Kennedy, D, Goodwin-Bailey, C.I, Gong, W.-K. (1993) Use of hemispherical photographs in forest ecology: measurement of gap size and radiation totals in a Bornean tropical rain forest Journal of Tropical Ecology. 9 (2): pp 131-151

Brown, N.D, Whitmore, T.C. (1992) Do dipterocarp seedlings really partition tropical rain forest gaps? Philosophical Transactions - Royal Society of London, B. 335 (1275): pp 369-378