Laurence Carvalho
Freshwater Ecologist & Citizen Scientist
Laurence is an ecologist in the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, based in Edinburgh. He is broadly interested in freshwater biodiversity conservation and specialises in the monitoring and management of water quality and harmful algal blooms in lakes and reservoirs.
He is also interested in understanding the valuable roles of algae and plants, and freshwater ecosystems more broadly, in delivering services of value to society, such as carbon storage, flood mitigation, fisheries or recreation. Laurence’s research has contributed to the development of UK and European environmental standards for lakes (working closely with FBA fellow Geoff Phillips) and understanding the impacts of climate and land-use change on ecological quality at local, national and global scales. He has worked with communities, NGOs and agencies across the UK (especially Loch Leven), Europe and India to protect and restore the water quality and ecological health of freshwaters. Laurence leads the Bloomin’ Algae citizen science project, which aims to reduce the risks to public and animal health from harmful algal blooms. He is an avid citizen scientist himself taking part in plant and pollinator monitoring schemes and biological recording of butterflies and amphibia.
Laurence is a visiting Professor in Biological & Environmental Sciences at the University of Stirling. He did his undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences (Botany) at the University of Edinburgh, and his PhD on nutrient and grazer controls of cyanobacteria populations in the Cheshire meres at the University of Liverpool. He was a Lecturer in the Department of Geography at University College London before moving to UKCEH in 2001.
