28th October 2025
Cornwall College University Centre Alumna Maeve Leith has been awarded a grant to fund her exploration of traditional farming knowledge in Europe, and how it can be used to benefit the UK.
Maeve studied MSc Ecological Restoration and Environmental Management at the Cornwall College University Centre at the Eden Project. The course provides people with a holistic understanding of how to restore degraded sites and ecosystems, and to achieve environmental growth.
She is now a restoration ecologist, working across research, consultancy and community projects on Dartmoor. She also does freelance and pro bono work, providing ecological monitoring, habitat management planning, and mapping services.
This year, Maeve was awarded a Churchill Fellowship, which is a UK programme that funds people to travel internationally and bring back learning that benefits society here in the UK.
Maeve has used this grant to explore how traditional farming wisdom in different countries across Europe – such as wood-pasture, mixed agroforestry and inclusive grazing systems – can help to restore ecosystem resilience in the UK.
She has travelled to The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Sweden so far, and will be visiting seven European countries in total. During her travels, Maeve will be learning how local communities manage to maintain their farming heritage while restoring the ecosystem.
Maeve said: “It was absolutely amazing! It’s been a chance to learn directly from farmers, ecologists and international projects, and then feed that learning into my own work on Dartmoor.
“It also means joining a lifelong network of contacts and Fellows who are all committed to making a positive difference. I have been very touched by the willingness of people to give their time and expertise so generously.”
Maeve originally gained a degree in Fine Art Photography, but after a decade of practical land-based work, she wanted to formalise her experience and work in the area of applied ecology.
Maeve was drawn to the MSc in Ecological Restoration course with Cornwall College University at the Eden Project because it offers a pathway into applied ecological science without requiring a traditional undergraduate science degree.
Maeve said: “The course leader recognised my passion and experience – despite my lack of relevant qualifications – and gave me a chance.
“There were also several of my peers with unconventional backgrounds, and that diversity added a lot of value to the whole experience.”
What also attracted Maeve to the course was the unique setting of the Eden Project – where she was able to study ecological restoration in a place that is a living experiment in ecological and cultural regeneration – along with the practical, applied focus of the course.
Maeve said: “The scale of the Eden campus means you are part of a small, engaged community, and the course gives you both a strong ecological foundation and a chance to tailor your learning to your own interests. It’s especially good for people who want to connect theory with practice.
“I really enjoyed my studies, especially the trips, practical fieldwork and discussion-based engagement with ecological ideas. My dissertation – on public perceptions of Dartmoor and the idea of ‘wilderness’ – was a highlight, as it was my first experience of independent, original research, and it got me hooked!”
Following on from her MSc and her Churchill Fellowship research, Maeve is now embarking on a PhD at the University of Exeter’s Centre for Rural Policy Research, focusing on ‘Perceptions of Landscape Health in Social-Ecological Systems’ where her work will further be able to benefit the natural environment.
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