Rob’s principle area of research is understanding the pressures and trade-offs that impact the prevision of ecosystem services across the globe. Currently he is developing a methodology to examine the impact of biofuel and crude oil production for UK use on ecosystem services in other countries.
More broadly his main areas of interest are freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem services. Often freshwater itself and the species that it contains are viewed simply as a resource for use by humans such that the focus is often on the quantity or provision with little interest in the quality. He is interested in examining how it is possible to balance the very real needs of people for access to freshwater and the services it provides with the requirements of the species that live within it.