Lydia Cole

Dr. Lydia Cole is a Lecturer in Conservation Ecology at the University of St Andrews' School of Geography & Sustainable Development. She specializes in tropical ecosystem management, particularly peatland conservation, and leads interdisciplinary projects exploring human-environment interactions. Her current research includes evaluating peatland restoration in Scotland, assessing tropical peatland values in Peru, and developing volumetric literacy frameworks for environmental management.

Her teaching focuses on environmental management, ecological science, and sustainable development. She supervises PhD students in peatland-related topics and chairs the British Ecological Society’s Conservation Ecology Special Interest Group.

Key awards include the British Ecological Society Outreach Grant (2020). Her work bridges academic research with policy and community engagement, emphasizing equitable restoration practices and global peatland governance.