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Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity
World-leading interdisciplinary research into the complexities of biodiversity change in the Anthropocene, funded by the Leverhulme Trust
Human activities have caused the world’s physical and biological processes to change so significantly that we increasingly think of Earth as having entered a new era – the ‘Anthropocene’.
This disruption has resulted in the extinction of many species, but the Anthropocene is also a time of biological gains; it may eventually be considered one of the greatest boosts to biological diversity in history. We aim to understand the causes and consequences of biodiversity gains and losses, and inform and influence how society responds.
Research programmes
Latest news
Estelle Razanatsoa, Lindsey Gillson and colleagues' new paper uses stable carbon isotopes from baobabs in Madagascar to reconstruct long-term rainfall records.
The powerful South African play 'Unruly' came to LCAB on 26 February 2026.
If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise. It’s unlikely to be bears but if you're somewhere along the UK’s west coast you may just find yourself in a rainforest, or at least a temperate one. Kian Hayles-Cotton reflects on his PhD fieldwork.
Fossilised pollen grains in sediment cores extracted from lakes and bogs contain information about plant communities that existed thousands of years ago.
People
Our Centre represents an interdisciplinary collaboration between multiple departments at the University of York, the University of Sherbrooke, University College London and the University of St Andrews.
Our expertise is wide-ranging and our researchers consider the changing relationship between humanity and the natural world, and how we might maintain and develop a sustainable Earth.
Professor Lindsey Gillson - Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity
Cross-cutting themes
Change is a defining feature of the Anthropocene, requiring agile and creative adaptations. LCAB research helps to leverage human ingenuity to create, conserve, restore and adapt social-ecological systems that safeguard biodiversity, while meeting the needs of people in ways that are fair and just.
Professor Lindsey Gillson, Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity
