Mr Tim Sykes | Biological Sciences | University of Southampton

Biological Sciences➞Postgraduate study

Research

Responsibilities

Publications

Environment Agency

Contributions

Contact

Research interests

PhD research

Title: Investigating the cultural contributions from chalk stream winterbournes and aquifers @RiversandPeople

I started a part-time (7-year) interdisciplinary, multi-methods PhD at the University of Southampton in October 2019 researching our relationship with chalk stream winterbournes (in their dry, pooling & flowing phases) and chalk aquifers.

I am especially interested in contributions to happiness, well-being, life satisfaction, sense of place, place identity and attachment, ecosystem dis-services, eco-anxiety, solastalgia & ecological grief; and geocognition; relational and intrinsic values, bequest and existence values, attitudes, perceptions.

Through Grounded Theory and using interdisciplinary multiple participatory Qual and Quant methods e.g. walking interviews, surveys, Q-method, Delphi and public/focus groups, I-poems etc, I will draw upon environmental psychology, social science, philosophy, cultural geography and environmental history.

In this way I aim to contribute to the public health, blue health and nature connectedness agenda; advance cultural ecosystem service definitions, indicators and assessment processes; and inform better Governance of water resources, wise decisions, resilience & social inclusion, properly valuing the true benefits & costs of water; and climate crisis risks to wellbeing.

Funded by: the Environment Agency, and the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust on behalf of the Test and Itchen Catchment Partnership.

PhD supervision

Dr Kelvin Phe and Dr Rob Holland, University of Southampton; Dr Kayleigh Wyles, University of Surrey; and Dr Rose O’Neill, Natural England

Research group

Environmental Biosciences

External Supervisor to:

Beth Morden, (commenced PhD October 2019): Developing Ecologically acceptable fine sediment targets for chalk rivers. Supervisors: David Sear, Adi Collins and Pete Shaw, University of Southampton; Tim Sykes, EA. EA are part-funders.

Kieran Gething, (commenced PhD October 2019): Invertebrate and macrophyte community responses to flow permanence, hydrological variability and habitat quality in chalk stream ecosystems to inform and enable management to favourable ecological condition. Supervisors: Rachel Stubbington and Rob Mortimer, Nottingham Trent University; Tim Sykes, EA. EA are part-funders.

Hannah Markham, (commenced PhD October 2019): Sensitivity of aquatic insect eggs to elevated fine sediment and phosphate concentrations in rivers. Supervisors: Matthew Johnson and Helen West, University of Nottingham; Tim Sykes, EA. EA are part-funders.

Charles Mountain, (commenced PhD October 2019): Trial of intertidal and subtidal structures to mitigate saltmarsh erosion and increase bivalve settlement rates within the Hamble estuary. Supervisors: Joanne Preston, Federica Ragazzola and Gordon Watson, Portsmouth University; and Tim Sykes, EA. EA are part-funders.

Also support these PhD research students:

Jen Ball, 2016 to present: Balancing society and nature: measuring and optimising ecosystem services provided by chalk rivers. University of Southampton. Supervisors: Kelvin Peh, Rob Holland & Gail Taylor. EA are part-funders.

Imogen Smith, 2017 to present: Quantifying the benefits of Natural Flood Management approaches in Groundwater catchments. University of Southampton. Supervisors: David Sear, Justin Sheffield & Julian Leyland. EA are part-funders.

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Articles

Jones, L., Holland, R. A., Ball, J., Sykes, T., Taylor, G., Ingwall-King, L., Snaddon, J. L., & Peh, K. S-H. (2020). A place-based participatory mapping approach for assessing cultural ecosystem services in urban green space. People and Nature, 2(1), 123-137. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10057
Bunting, G., England, J., Gething, K., Sykes, T., Webb, J., & Stubbington, R. (2020). Aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate community responses to drying in chalk streams. Water and Environment Journal, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1111/wej.12621
Stubbington, R., Acreman, M., Acuña, V., Boon, P. J., Boulton, A. J., England, J., Gilvear, D., Sykes, T., Wood, P. J., & Castro, A. J. (Ed.) (2020). Ecosystem services of temporary streams differ between wet and dry phases in regions with contrasting climates and economies. People and Nature. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10113
Dixon, S. J., Sear, D. A., Odoni, N. A., Sykes, T., & Lane, S. (2016). The effects of river restoration on catchment scale flood risk and flood hydrology. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 41(7), 997-1008. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3919
Bond, T., Sear, D., & Sykes, T. (2014). Estimating the contribution of in-stream cattle faeces deposits to nutrient loading in an English Chalk stream. Agricultural Water Management, 131, 156-162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2013.08.015
Dallas, J. F., Coxon, K. E., Sykes, T., Chanin, P. R. F., Marshall, F., Carss, D. N., Bacon, P. J., Piertney, S. B., & Racey, P. A. (2003). Similar estimates of population genetic composition and sex ratio derived from carcasses and faeces of Eurasian otter Lutra lutra. Molecular Ecology, 12(1), 275-282. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-294x.2003.01712.x

Book Chapter

Jorda-Capdevila, D., Brummer, M., Bruno, D., Alexandre, R., Castanho, A. J. C., Fortuño, P., Jakubínský, J., Kaletová, T., Kelemen, E., Koundouri, P., Logar, I., Loures, L., Mendez, J., Mendoza-Lera, C., Quintas-Soriano, C., Rodríguez-Lozano, P., von Schiller, D., Stubbington, R., Sykes, T., ... Tsani, S. (2020). Ecosystem services and social perception. In C. Magand, M. H. Alves, E. Calleja, T. Datry, G. Dörflinger, J. England, F. Gallart, R. Gómez, D. Jorda-Capdevila, E. Marti, A. Munne, V. A. Pastor, R. Stubbington, I. Tziortzis, & D. Von Schiller (Eds.), Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral Streams: What Water Managers Need to Know (Version 1 ed., pp. 85-105). (Technical report – Cost ACTION; No. CA 15113). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3888474

Reports

Pountney, A., Stevens, J. R., Sykes, T., & Tyler, C. R. (2009). Population genetics and PBDE analysis of English and Welsh otters. Integrated catchment science programme. (Science Report; No. SC040024/SR1). Environment Agency. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/291009/scho0909bqzc-e-e.pdf
Allen, K. A., & Sykes, T. J. (Ed.) (2009). The ecology and conservation of threatened damselflies. Integrated catchment science programme. (Science Report; No. SC040027/SR1). Environment Agency. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/291004/scho0809bqvw-e-e.pdf
Rouquette, J. R., & Sykes, T. (Ed.) (2005). Conservation requirements of the Southern Damselfly in chalkstream and fen Habitats. (Science Report; No. SC000017/SR). Environment Agency. http://www.environmentdata.org/archive/ealit:4814
Jenkins, L., & Sykes, T. (2003). DNA extraction from otter spraint and tissue samples. (R&D Technical Summary; No. W1-025/TS). Environment Agency.
Purse, B. V., & Sykes, T. (Ed.) (2002). The ecology and conservation of the Southern Damselfly (Coenagrion mercuriale – Charpentier) in Britain. (R&D Technical Report; No. W1-021/TR). Environment Agency. http://www.environmentdata.org/archive/ealit:4769
Coxon, K., Chanin, P., Dallas, J., & Sykes, T. (1999). The use of DNA fingerprinting to study the population dynamics of otters (Lutra lutra) in southern Britain: a feasibility study. (R&D Technical Report; No. W202). Environment Agency. http://www.environmentdata.org/archive/ealit:4493

@TimSykesEA - Lead a vibrant Team of 10 officers, integrating ecologists, fisheries and biodiversity conservation management and fisheries enforcement across most of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and the Solent. Under my leadership we are famed as champions of the environment, restoring and enhancing nature for people and wildlife by influencing all the Agency's work as a regulator, operator and advocate.

Ask me about : Freshwater biodiversity and conservation; otters and watervoles; chalk streams and winterbournes – ecology, governance and relationships; award winning river restoration; water abstraction and strategic water resources planning; Habitats Regulations; Fish/Eel passage; Fisheries Enforcement; local rivers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Mr Tim J Sykes
School of Biological Sciences
Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences
Life Sciences Building 85
University of Southampton
Highfield Campus
Southampton
SO17 1BJ

Room Number: 85/16

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Mr Tim J Sykes BA (Hons). CEnv MCIEEM

Postgraduate research student