Skip to main content
"By creating we think, by living we learn" Patrick Geddes
Main University menu
 

Templates Top-Level Menu

Professor Chris J Spray MBE

chris_spray

Contact Details

Email: C.J.Spray@dundee.ac.uk

Phone: +44 (0)1382 388362

small RSS logo

Browse all this person's uploaded publications

Current Post: Chair of Water Science and Policy (since May 2009). Research interests in wetland ecosystem services; particularly how emerging research on wetland ecosystem services can be translated in to policy and practice on the ground, with the focus on such ecosystem services as flood risk management, water quality improvements, habitat restoration and conservation of biodiversity - with a particular interest in swans and other waterfowl. Chris is interested in how to link the ecosystem service approach more directly to governance issues around how we value and protect the wetland environment for multiple benefits; and how this is communica ted to and from stakeholders.

25 years previous experience working in environmental regulation, and the water industry, incl. Director of Environmental Science for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (2004-09), Director of Environment, Northumbrian Water Group; Conservation Manager for National Rivers Authority (Anglian region); and Research Fellow Aberdeen University. PhD in Zoology Aberdeen University; MA Cambridge University.

Top Publications
Date Title
submitted Spray, Ball & Rouillard. Bridging the water law, policy, science interface: flood risk
management in Scotland
submitted Gilvear, Casa-Mule & Spray. Trends and issues in delivery of integrated catchment scale river restoration: lessons learned from a national river restoration survey within Scotland.
in press Spray. Targeted species management within a wider ecosystem approach.
In: Species Management – Challenges and Solutions for the 21st Century. SNH.

2008

 O’Connell, Rees, Einarsson, Spray, Thorstensen & O’Halloran. Blood lead levels in wintering and moulting Icelandic Whooper Swans over two decades. Journal of Zoology 276 (21-27).
2004 Rowell & Spray. The Mute Swan Cygnus olor in Britain and Northern Ireland
1960/61 – 2000/01. Waterbird Review Series WWT/JNCC, Slimbridge. 77pp.
Publications
Date Title

2008.   

Burton, Rehfisch, Stroud & Spray (eds). The European Non-Estuarine Coastal waterbirds Survey. International Wader Studies 18. International Wader Study Group, Thetford, UK.
2007 Spray. Land Management and Achieving Good Water Quality. In Land Management in a Changing Environment: Proceedings of the SAC and SEPA Biennial Conference (91-101).
2007 Ward,…Spray…et al. Numbers of Mute Swans in Great Britain: results of the national census in 2002. Wildfowl 57 (3-20)

2006

 Sutherland,..….Spray....et al. The identification of 100 Ecological questions of high policy relevance in the UK. Journal of Applied Ecology 2006: 43 (617 – 627)

2004

 Kirby, Giles, Davidson, Owen & Spray. Waterbirds and Wetland Recreation Handbook. A review of issues and management practice. WWT, Slimbridge 128pp

2003

 Rehfisch, Feare, Jones & Spray (eds). Climate Change and Coastal Birds. Ibis Online proceedings of 2002 annual conference
2002 Chisholm & Spray. Habitat Usage and Field Choice by Mute and Whooper Swans in the Tweed Valley, Scotland. Waterbirds 25 (177-182)

2002

 Spray, Chisholm & Morrison. Utilisation of oilseed rape fields by Mute Swans Cygnus olor in Scotland and implications for management. Aspects of Applied Biology 67 (67-74)

2002

 Coleman, Spray, Percival, Rickeard & Yeoman. The Dynamics of a Flock of Mute Swans at Berwick-upon-Tweed with particular reference to the Effects of Age, Sex, Social Status and Body Condition on Moult. Waterbirds 25 (346-351)

2002

 Mute Swan Cygnus olor. In Wernham, Toms, Marchant, Clark, Siriwardena & Baillie (eds). The Migration Atlas: movements of the birds of Britain and Ireland. Poyser, London (146-148)

1998

 Callaghan, Kirby, Bell & Spray. Cormorant occupancy and impact at stillwater game fisheries in England and Wales.  Bird Study 45 (1-17)
1997 Spray. Assessing the Recreation Value of Freshwaters: The UK Experience – In Freshwater Quality: Defining the indefinable? Eds. Boon P.J. and Howell D.L., HMSO, Edinburgh (389-406)
1992 Pierce, Spray & Stewart . The Effect of Fishing on the Distribution and Behaviour of Water birds in the Kukut area of Lake Songhkla, Southern Thailand.  Biological Conservation 66 (23-34)
1991 Rees, Black, Spray & Thorrison. A comparison of breeding success between upland and lowland Whooper Swans in Iceland.  Ibis 133 (365-373)
1987 Spray & Milne. The Incidence of Lead Poisoning among Whooper and Mute Swans in Scotland.  Biological Conservation: 44 (265-281)
1987 Spray et al. The effects of aerial application of fenitrothion on bird populations of a Scottish pine plantation.  Journal of Applied Ecology: 24 (29-47)
1981 Spray. An isolated population of Cygnus olor in Scotland. In Proceedings of 2nd International Swan Symposium, Sapporo, Japan 1980. IWRB, Slimbridge (191-203)

Research/Studies

Chris’s current research interests focus around wetlands and wetland biodiversity, as framed within the concepts of ecosystem services and governance issues surrounding their valuation and management. He is working with colleagues on the Tweed catchment, undertaking a scoping study on river habitat restoration and flood risk reduction on the Eddleston Water. As a director of Tweed Forum, Chris is working with them on evaluating effectiveness of their particular governance model. Chris currently has a joint PhD project looking at conservation of Scottish standing waters; and a post-doctoral post looking at wetland ecosystem services.

Teaching

Chris teaches on the MSc course in Sustainable Catchment Management. Modules include:

Chris also teaches scientific methods on the LLM Water Law course.

Administration

A member of the management team and deputy director of the IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science, Dundee University. 

Chris is also a Trustee/Council member of the Freshwater Biological Association; Tweed Forum and Scottish Wildlife Trust. Past positions include member of Government’s Advisory Committee for Releases to the Environment; Living with Environmental Change Board; English and then Scottish Biodiversity Committees; Council membership of RSPB; River Restoration Centre; Wildfowl & Wetland Trust; British Trust for Ornithology.