UK Gov’s Environment Minister visits Bangor University
Bangor University’s School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography hosted a visit by Dr Thérèse Coffey MP recently, who took part in roundtable discussions with staff and students involved in the school’s forestry programmes.
In addition to being MP for Suffolk Coastal, Dr Coffey is the UK Government’s Environment Minister and is responsible, amongst other things, for the natural environment, biodiversity, marine protection and air quality. She sought out Bangor University due to the good name of its forestry-related provision and its close links with the sector.
During the visit, Dr Coffey took part in roundtable discussions with SENRGy staff and students and explored ways in which the forestry profession can recruit more graduates and to see whether the profession itself is making the most of what is currently taught to forestry students. Staff from SENRGy, the School of Ocean Sciences and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Bangor) outlined the high-profile research being conducted at Bangor across a range of issues.
Speaking after her visit, the Environment Minister said:
“A thriving forestry sector is a vital part of a healthy environment, and it has been great to see the level of talent, ambition and enthusiasm this industry is attracting while at Bangor University today.”
This was echoed by Professor Morag McDonald, Head of the School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, who said following the visit:
“Forestry is thriving at Bangor and our students continue to enjoy very high levels of success when it comes to gaining relevant, interesting and challenging roles within the profession. Our graduates and have secured employment with national bodies such as Scottish Woodlands, Tilhill Forestry, Natural Resources Wales and Forestry Commission England, as well as going onto various PhD projects. Our overseas students are also achieving similar levels of success with a whole host of different organisations, including national governments and international charities, building on the strong national and international links that have been established here at Bangor for over a century.”
Dr Coffey’s visit to SENRGY is the subject of a recent post on DEFRA’s blog, available here:
Publication date: 20 October 2017