Neil Reid

Neil Reid is a conservation biologist working at the interface of agriculture, wildlife, and human activity, with a focus on understanding and addressing the impacts of human pressures on wildlife. His research spans a wide range of applied conservation topics, including the effectiveness of interventions such as peatland restoration and agri-environment schemes, and the assessment of species of conservation concern designated by government, including hares, otters, amphibians, and crayfish.

Neil’s work also includes biodiversity monitoring and surveillance, with a growing interest in the use of artificial intelligence to analyse camera trap and acoustic data. He applies techniques such as environmental DNA (eDNA), camera trapping, and thermal drone surveys to assess species distributions, ranges, and population sizes. His research extends to applied ecology in farmland systems, the study of invasive species, and conservation ecology in tropical montane cloud forests, particularly in Honduras.

More recently, Neil has focused on water quality and harmful algal blooms in Lough Neagh – the largest freshwater lake in the UK and Ireland – using advanced methods including bacterial DNA sequencing, cyanotoxin analysis, and satellite imagery. Much of his research is underpinned by the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyse and visualise ecological data.