Building an ecology for everybody: the BES REED network and a sector that works for all
By Charlie Gulliford, Senior HR Officer: Communities and Volunteers
Across the countryside and conservation sector, from National Park teams and Local Authority advisory units, to conservation charities and consultancies, the people working to protect nature still do not reflect the communities that nature serves. Ecology has a participation problem. A mix of structural and cultural barriers continues to influence who gets into the field, who moves up, and who reaches senior roles. The REED network was set up to change that.
REED, the Racial and Ethnic Equality and Diversity ecological network, is one of the community networks run through the British Ecological Society (BES). It was founded in 2020 by Reuben Fakoya Brooks, and a small group of early career ecologists from under-represented and marginalised ethnicities. Its purpose is straightforward: to make marginalised ecologists more visible, better supported, and able to access the same opportunities as colleagues who are not held back by systemic racism. It also wants younger people seeing a place for themselves in the field.
The network is open to anyone affected by systemic racism in ecology and its related disciplines, at every career stage. The REED membership is made up of academic ecologists, field surveyors and consultants, people in the environmental and land management professions, charity staff, students, and colleagues working across related disciplines. What holds them together is a shared commitment to fairer access and progression, and the recognition that under-representation is a problem for the whole sector rather than one corner of it.
That belief in shared responsibility drove a key recent piece of work. Members of REED joined forces with the other BES networks and the BES’s Equity and Inclusion team to produce the report Developing collaborative solutions to the intersectional barriers faced by minoritised ecologists. Funded in part by Pride in STEM, it was first published in 2025 and reviewed and updated this year.
The report examines the barriers people run into and sets out practical ways to start removing them. Rather than treating race, gender, disability, and class inequities as separate tick boxes, the report takes an intersectional approach, recognising that most people hold multiple identities and experience overlapping barriers. Through six realistic case studies and clear sections on positionality, principles, and common questions, it offers something usable wherever readers sit in ecology, whether they are supervising a student, planning field work, or leading an organisation. Its authors are also clear that many of the solutions apply beyond ecology, across the wider environmental sector and STEM.
REED has been chaired since late 2023 by Jordan Blanchard-Lafayette, who was among the report's authors. He strives to be "someone who acts as an example to, or gives help to, people trying to pursue a career in ecology," the kind of support he feels he lacked growing up. Jordan’s hope is that REED can "shine a light for future scientists to show them that following your passion isn't just a pipe dream." Under his leadership, the network has also run sessions at the BES Annual Meeting and brought members together with the other BES networks to share experiences and celebrate what a more diverse community brings.
Global Diversity Awareness Month is a good moment to think about what a genuinely representative sector would look like, and to take a step towards it. Founder Reuben Fakoya Brooks captured the scale of the task when REED was named the BES Equality and Diversity Champion back in 2022. He described the recognition as reward "for getting up and taking the first step of a staircase that had not yet been scaled," adding that "there is still much, much, much more to be done" and that the network was just at the beginning. Several years on, the report is one measure of how far that first step has led.
Anyone who has experienced racial inequality in education, research, or the workplace is welcome to join REED, whether you are looking for support, ready to mentor, or keen to help drive change. Members gain access to peer support, mentoring, skills seminars, and a community that understands the challenges you face. You don’t need to be a BES member to join the network, but there are benefits to BES membership.
To join REED, or to read and share the new report, visit the British Ecological Society website and sign up to REED’s mailing list.
The BES Annual Meeting is taking place in Birmingham this year, 14-17 December 2026, tickets are on sale. REED and the other BES Networks will have a presence there, including a Meet the Networks event and various network socials.
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