Guaduneth Chico Leon

Role

Dr Guaduneth Chico started his studies in Geography at La Laguna University (Tenerife) and completed his BSc (Hons) at Plymouth University in 2014. He was awarded with an EU studentship to do a MSc in Climate Change and Geographic Information at Swansea University, where he won a prize for the best dissertation project in geographical information systems (GIS).

In 2020, Dr Guaduneth Chico completed his PhD in Environmental Sciences, researching the use of new geospatial technology, including Terrestrial Laser Scanning, to measure erosion in peatland environments in northern Spain. He had strong collaborations with the regional governments in Spain, and he had participated in the Ordunte Sostenible LIFE+ project, funded by the European Union. In addition, he is also leading different research projects in collaboration with Bizkaia Provincial Council and HAZI foundation looking at the restoration action in blanket bogs and how we can reintroduce  Sphagnum mosses in peatlands. He has been also granted recently with an Early Career Research grant from the British Society for Geomorphology to extent his erosion experiments across blanket bogs in Europe.

He is currently a Lecturer in Environmental Sciences and GIS at Nottingham Trent University and he is leading the Peatlands Research Group in the British Ecological Society.

Career overview

Lecturer in Environmental Sciences and GIS (From October 2019)

Geographical Information Systems modules in Geography, Environmental Sciences and Wildlife Conservation

Nottingham Trent University – England – UK

Research Fellow in Peatland restoration (From October 2019 to October 2020)

Monitoring and restoration actions in peatland environments. Re-introduction of Sphagnum spp in collaboration with HAZI foundation and Bizkaia Provincial Council

Nottingham Trent University – England – UK

Principal Investigator (From January 2018 to December 2021)

Post-LIFE Ordunte Sostenible. Project focus in monitoring the effects of restoration in peatland environments. Budget: £15,000

Bizkaia Provincial Council – Basque Country – Spain

Hourly Paid Lecturer (From January 2018 to October 2019)

GIS & Wildlife conservation, Climate Change, Integrated project

Nottingham Trent University – England – UK

Demonstrator (From January 2017 to October 2019)

GIS practicals, physical geography, GPS and remote sensing

Nottingham Trent University – England – UK

Research Assistant (April – August 2016)

Peatlands, remote sensing, LiDAR

Nottingham Trent University – England – UK

Research Assistant (November 2015 – February 2016)

GIS analysis, data management, laboratory work

Swansea University – Wales – UK

External activity

Research Grants

Project: Post-LIFE - monitoring restoration success in Zalama blanket bog

Founder: Provincial Council of Bizkaia

Period: 2018 - 2021

Amount: £28,345

Further information: This research project is a 3 years research that aims to 1) monitor surface changes in blanket bogs (erosion rates), 2) understand the water tables in restored and unrestored areas of blanket bogs and 3) evaluate vegetation changes in the peatland surface of Zalama blanket bog.

Publications:

1) Chico, G., Clutterbuck, B., Lindsay, R., Midgley, N.G. & Labadz, J. (2019) Identification and classification of unmapped blanket bogs in the Cordillera Cantábrica, northern Spain. Mires and Peat, 24(02), 1–12.

2) Chico. G. (2019) Evaluating the importance of blanket bogs in northern Spain using traditional and remote sensing techniques. Remote Sensing newsletter, 15–18

2) Chico, G. & Clutterbuck, B. (2018) LIFE+ Ordunte Sostenible Report

3) Clutterbuck, B., Chico, G., Labadz, J. & Midgley, N.G. (2018) The potential of geospatial technology for monitoring peatland environments. In: Fernández-García, J.M. & Pérez, F.J. (eds.) Inventory, Value and Restoration of Peatlands and Mires: Recent Contributions, HAZI foundation, Bizkaia, 167–181.

Project: Restoration and communication of Zalama blanket bog

Founder: HAZI foundation

Period: 2019-2021

Amount: £13,500

Further information: This research aims to reintroduce Sphagnum spp. in Zalama blanket bog and publish a brochure about the research and restoration actions done in this blanket bog.

Project: Geomorphological surface changes on peatlands surfaces and their role in climate change

Founder: British Society for Geomorphology

Period: 2021-2022

Amount: £5,000

Further information: This is an Early Career Research Grant to extent the peat erosion experiments in Spain and start new experiments across the UK.

Project: Ecological assessment of European blanket bogs

Founder: Nottingham Trent  University

Period: 2020-2021

Amount: £8,424

Further information: This internal project application propose the establishment of three erosion study sites in the United Kingdom to compare with the current ongoing experiments in Spain. The sites in the United Kingdom will be located in Scotland (Flow Country), Moor House (England) and Peak District (England) in collaboration with different organisations.

Project: Geomorphological assessment of unrecognised blanket bogs in North Spain

Founder: British Society for Geomorphology

Amount: £1,000

Further information: This grant will significantly extend the mapping of blanket bogs in the Cordillera Cantábrica. Additional blanket bog sites that are currently unrecorded have been provisionally identified (Chico et al. 2019) and these additional sites represent the largest extent of blanket bog identified to date in Spain. The geomorphological assessment of these areas is, therefore, highly significant to the Spanish and European peatland inventory.

Sponsors and collaborators

• Diputación of Bizkaia
• Cantabria government
• Natural England
• LIFE+ Ordunte Sostenible
• Fundación HAZI