Shaila has been working for the National Trust for Scotland at Mar Lodge Estate since 2002, firstly as the estate Ecologist and more recently as Conservation Manager. Over the years she has worked on many conservation projects both in Scotland and overseas developing an understanding of both species specific and ecosystem-based conservation work. Much of this experience has been focussed on upland conservation issues.

After completing a PhD at Aberdeen University in herbivore impacts on woodlands, Shaila has continued this specialism conducting deer grazing and trampling impact assessments for the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute and working for RSPB in the Cairngorms on a burning and grazing project prior to coming to Mar Lodge.

She has also developed wider experience working with rare and threatened species such as arctic foxes in Sweden, wildcats in Scotland and Mississippi sandhill cranes in the USA.

While at Mar Lodge, Shaila has provided ecological advice for the management of this highly designated and valuable conservation property and has provided the scientific evidence which informs and underpins the conservation management of the estate. She has developed a number of partnership conservation projects and is keen on facilitating landscape scale conservation in the Cairngorms.

This is a really exciting time for Mar Lodge Estate with the woodland regeneration well underway and other habitat restoration projects which are important in tackling the climate and biodiversity crises.