John is an upland ecologist based at SRUC’s Hill and Mountain Research Centre at Kirkton and Auchtertyre Farms, near Crianlarich in Perthshire. After gaining a BSc Honours degree in Botany and Geography from Durham University in 1989, John worked for a number of conservation and environmental organisations, before joining the Scottish Agricultural College (the former name of SRUC) in 1994. John studied for his PhD at SAC and Glasgow University. John’s main research interests are in the impact of grazing animals on upland vegetation; ecosystem services in the hills and uplands; upland land-use management; the use of technology in farming; and farm woodlands and agroforestry. He has always had an interest in and passion for ecology and natural history, particularly in mountain environments, and is an active bird and plant recorder. John is principally a researcher but is a guest lecturer for a number of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, giving lectures at the other SRUC campuses and to visiting students at the farm.
John Holland