Hi I'm
Prof Mark Reed

I work with rural communities to enhance the governance of natural and agri-food systems, and my research on impact is changing the way researchers around the world generate and share knowledge so they can change the world. I am Director of the Natural Capital Challenge Centre and Professor of Rural Entrepreneurship at SRUC, Research Lead for the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) UK Peatland Programme and Co-Chair of UNEP’s (United Nations Environment Programme) Global Peatland Initiative Research Working Group. 

The goal of the centre I direct is to build and study new nature markets that can significantly increase funding to meet net zero targets and reverse biodiversity decline, while supporting thriving rural communities. I was one of the original architects of the Peatland Code and sit on its Executive Board, helping to channel private investment into peatland restoration across the UK. I am working with teams to develop ecosystem markets for soil carbon from regenerative agriculture, saltmarsh restoration and agroforestry, and I am working closely with Defra, Scottish Government and the British Standards Institute to design the policy and governance frameworks necessary to facilitate high-integrity nature markets.

I am the author of five books, including The Research Impact Handbook and The Researcher’s Guide to Influencing Policy, and have written many highly-cited papers. I use this evidence to train researchers around the world to use their work for social good. I have over 200 publications on environmental governance and impact that have been cited over 30,000 times, with over half of these in the top 10% most-cited worldwide.