Antonella Adamus

Dark mode is impossibly cool. Thank you, Louis!

Thank you, Ruth, lovely to see you! I hope you will enjoy Connect.

Welcome Justine! It's great to see you here.

Thanks Simon, this is a really interesting question. Could we tag anyone specific who might be able to offer an answer (provided they're on Connect)?

Exclusively available for £595, Simon (or so it seems) 😅

Hi Ranran! Lovely to see you here.

This is the email I sent to all Branch committees yesterday: Further to my recent message, the LI Board of Trustees has clarified its position on holding online-only events. You can read the announcement, and the Board’s reasoning for this decision, here. The Board will monitor the situation and review their decision regularly, starting at their next official meeting on 14 September 2021. In the meantime, I'm still keen to work with you to help plan and support your branch programme for the year ahead. We’re not yet sure what the ‘new normal’ will look like – but we do know that a return to pre-pandemic practice is unlikely. We would like to begin this discussion early so we can help you scope and shape a sustainable, quality offering that is in line with the LI’s business objectives for the coming year. Could those branches who have not yet done so please provide me with the following information by Wednesday 30 June: Your plans for any events you might be organising between now and the end of March 2022. What data you would like about LI members in your area to help you formulate your programme. (Many of you have requested a cut of the results of our latest member satisfaction survey. We’d like to know what metrics will be most helpful to you.)

Hi all Please visit https://www.sylva.org.uk/bws2021 for information on the current British Woodlands Survey which closes on 11th July. The survey is part of the Future Oak research project, led by Bangor University, and is investigating the health of oak trees in the UK. Our native oak species are increasingly under-pressure from a variety of pests, pathogens, and changes to the landscape and climate. The project focuses particularly on Acute Oak Decline (AOD) and will explore the role of micro-organisms in this disease. The research team believes that without careful study, we will be ill-equipped to meet the challenges our forests face over the next century. Only by understanding both the science of tree response to pests, pathogens, and climate change; and the current management knowledge base and practices can we hope to counter these threats and build the resilience our woodlands require. Research of this nature is critical in developing our understanding of the issues facing oak in the UK, but without the support of Forest Managers its practical application will be limited. Ultimately, understanding forest manager perspectives is critical to the design and deployment of any solution to tree health problems.

From 1 June 2021, Landscape Institute (LI) members will get free access all the Free and Paid videos on Campus – it’s just one of the benefits of membership. Here is what you need to do Log into Campus using your MyLI email and password. If you have an active LI membership you’ll automatically be able to view any Free or Paid Campus videos, without having to get a 12 month Campus subscription you’ll see LI member pricing for any of the Premium Campus content, such as Masterclasses. If you want to purchase access to Premium content, just go through the checkout process and you’ll then be able to watch it. More info on this can be found here.

The date has now been extended to 16th June and will shortly be reflected on the jobs board too.

We are urgently looking for volunteers to join our Adjudication Pool. Please take a look at the job posting here: https://jobs.landscapeinstitute.org/job/landscape-institute-adjudication-pool-member/ The closing date is 2nd June and if you could support us by applying and spreading the message to your professional networks, we would be really grateful.

Hello London Branch, and Welcome to Connect! It’s important that you familiarise yourselves with the FAQ page, as it contains tips on what to do if something goes wrong, content creation and moderating your club. Other sections to check out are: ‘Introduce yourselves’, The Town Centre and the public forums for other Branches. Remember that this group is for all professionals in your area, it’s open and everyone on the community can join in on your conversations. For now Connect looks pretty empty, I know, but things will change once we open the doors to the entire membership later on this Spring. Have fun, and let @Abi Palmer-Greenwood know if you have any problems.

Hot off the press and can be found here. This briefing paper aims to provide a practical definition of the term 'Environmental Net Gain' and provide the legislative, policy and strategic context within which ENG can be delivered. It also aims to highlight how CIEEM members can apply these concepts, during development (which includes retrofitting and redevelopment), in land management and when formulating strategies. By taking a holistic approach, significant gains in environmental benefits can be achieved. The LI will soon be publishing a briefing paper on biodiversity net gain and I thought this news could be an interesting precursor to our own policy paper. Let me know what you think about this briefing paper from CIEEM!

Hi all, check out my news post about BSI's latest 'Flex' framework, aimed at raising competency standards across the built environment sector. The framework is aimed at key professions and trades including designers, contractors, fire risk assessors, building managers, and others in specialist technical or corporate roles, and is being developed using an iterative and dynamic process. More information on the 'Flex' can be found on the LI website here.

I love all things Holland (so much so that I have a degree in Dutch!) and landscape-related, and this news article really jumped up at me. Every three years, The Netherlands hosts the Landschapstriennale (Landscape Triennial); the postponed 2020 edition took place last month in the Van Gogh National Park in the Dutch province of North Brabant. During the event designers, experts, local people, entrepreneurs, artists, agriculturists and policymakers will come together to address the challenge of initiating a broad, shared discussion on the subject of landscape. Under the title ‘High Green – Innovating the Landscape’, 10 landscape laboratories will be the heart of the programme, each addressing a concrete challenge that is both internationally relevant and locally applicable, and which will come under the spotlight during the Landscape Triennial 2021. Click on the link above to find out more and, fear not, the brochure and programme are also available in English 😀.

Hi Brodie! Welcome to Connect. Yes, you are correct - we have created a closed 'international' club for those people identified by Lionel (which will grow once we open the doors to the entire membership later on in the Spring). You should have received an invitation to the 'international club', though of course you're more than welcome (in fact, positively encouraged!) to check out the public forums. We are onboarding people slowly, hence why some topics look a bit empty, but as the membership of this platform grows, so will the discussions. Get in touch with me directly if you have any problems with the platform - antonella.adamus@landscapeinstitute.org @Abi Palmer-Greenwood is also on hand to provide support. Take care and we hope you will enjoy Connect.

Ooooh, my digital practice group will find this really interesting. Once they're onboarded, I will tag them onto this thread.

I found this really interesting piece by Michelle Delk, of snohetta and thought it would be worth sharing with the Connect audience. It appealed to me because it focuses on collaborative and creative partnership work. And this quote sums the article up really well: ‘working together from the beginning is a way to see the world through someone else’s eyes, to establish shared goals, to unearth opportunities, and ultimately, to offer new outcomes'. Let me know what you think!

Thank you, Paul - please keep posting journal updates! As the membership of this platform grows, so will the interest in our announcements!

Bjorn and Thea - honorary members of our video calls!

The best thing I've seen this month has been the scillas in Kew Gardens.

Thanks for your introductions, Laura and Ahlyah. I am really looking forward to welcoming more users to Connect and feel that we can all become a bit more familiar with each other's activities.

Hello, fellow travellers. Just a brief introduction from me, as the project lead on Connect. I am the Head of Standards, Education and Engagement at the LI, with a big emphasis on engagement in this case. I love connecting with people, working with committees, listening to what they are passionate about and sharing a direction of travel. And what else? Standards - in the broadest possible sense! Technical standards, standards of conduct, educational standards, the process of arriving at a consensus as a team and the fact that ultimately standards make the world a better place. And I really love the LI, its ethos, staff and professionals. I look forward to getting to know you all better.

Here are some content planning tips you might find helpful: 1. If you have volunteered as a Moderator for a club and there are no topics yet, it might be helpful to start with a question or a poll to draw in the other members of the club (i.e. put a question in the subject line). 2. Create an inviting environment (this is especially relevant to Moderators). 'No one likes to eat in an empty restaurant', so if your club is looking a bit lonely, prepare a list of topics/questions you can use to revitalise it. It is worth planning content ideas in advance, especially if you are aware of relevant news or events tied into specific dates. Your club is going to be what you make of it. 3. Watch out for length - shorter posts tend to do better. 4. Disclose the motivation behind the post and make it relatable. This will encourage members to help you and get involved in the discussion. 5. Don't be scared to get personal. It's not necessary to be practical at all times. Sometimes the most engaging posts are about bonding over shared interests and an exchange of personal opinions - just keep it friendly and open to differences in perspective. 6. Tag people. If you see a post you know someone would be really interested in, provided they are not excluded by the privacy requirements of that forum/club, tag them, draw them in! 7. If in doubt, we will help you! Email technical@landscapeinstitute.org

Please see the poll above.