THE inaugural winner of a new regional award from the Royal Forestry Society (RFS) has told of the importance of preserving woodland ecosystems. 

Aaron Adal, who graduated with a First Class BSc (Hons) in geography from the University of Nottingham, recently claimed the RFS Lincs Division Forestry Dissertation Prize. His award-winning work was entitled: ‘Estimating the future monetary value of mangroves globally through regression at a low resolution’. 

He said: “I spent some time on field trips in Mexico researching mangroves and exploring the challenges they face. I wanted to look at their future global significance. I also wanted to be able to place a monetary value on their ecology. 

“By doing that, I could draw attention to the important need for management and conservation.”