Professor Danielle Schreve, the Heather Corrie Chair in Environmental Change has received the Busk Medal for 2026, while Professor David Richards, Professor of Physical Geography has been named as an Honorary Fellow of the society.
The Busk Medal is awarded in recognition of exceptional conservation research or fieldwork abroad in geography. Professor Schreve has been awarded this honour for her work revealing the way that mammals, as well as our environment, have changed over the past two million years.
Professor Schreve is a palaeoecologist and biogeographer, researching fossil mammals from the last 2.6 million years to today (the Quaternary or "Ice Age" period) in northern Europe. She investigates aspects such as evolutionary change, extinctions and past diet, as well as the reconstruction of past environments.
Together, these lines of evidence reveal how species have coped with climate and environmental change in the past and allow the forecasting of faunal responses to future climate change. Danielle is currently leading long-standing excavations in cave sites in south-western England, as well as a major project, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, reconstructing long-term dietary flexibility and ecological resilience in grey wolves through time and exploring their interactions with other species.
Her research is further linked to nature restoration initiatives, for example understanding the impacts of large herbivores on vegetation and wider landscapes, and developing habitat suitability models that incorporate modern, historical and fossil evidence to give a truer picture of species range and habitat preferences.
Since joining the University of Bristol in 2024, she has developed new research in collaboration with the partnerships involved in managing the National Nature Reserves in the South-West of England, contributing palaeobiological evidence to their landscape management and conservation strategies.
Professor Schreve said: “It is a real pleasure to be recognised by my colleagues and the Society for promoting the full breadth of geography in its diverse and evolving forms, while supporting the student journey through outreach, teaching, alumni engagement, and the celebration of our shared history.”
Professor David Richards uses sedimentary archives from cave and coastal sediments from across the globe to explore past sea levels, climate change and environmental pollution. His principal expertise is developing dating techniques to establish when geological materials were deposited using natural radioactivity or low levels of radioactive contamination. He has conducted fieldwork has in Caribbean, Mediterranean, Japanese and UK settings.
Professor Richards said: “It is a real pleasure to be recognised by my colleagues and the Society for promoting the full breadth of geography in its diverse and evolving forms, while supporting the student journey through outreach, teaching, alumni engagement, and the celebration of our shared history.”
These honours are part of a series of awards given annually by the Royal Geographical Society in recognition of extraordinary achievement in geographical research, fieldwork and expeditions, teaching, policy, professional practice and public engagement.
Professor Joe Smith, Director of the Royal Geographical Society, said: “It is our great privilege to recognise such an outstanding group of scholars, researchers, explorers and conservationists for our 2026 medals and awards.
“This year’s recipients are recognised for deepening our understanding of our world, its people, and the processes that shape it. We celebrate their contribution to geographical science and we know that such recognition inspires further achievement and sparks curiosity.”