Elizabeth Cooke

Elizabeth grew up on a farm in Yorkshire and an early interest in ecology and geology led her to study Natural Sciences at Cambridge. A DPhil in Plant Sciences at Oxford followed and she went on to carry out further research for the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne. Numerous plant-collecting field trips have taken Elizabeth all across Europe and to the USA and Panama.

Today, Elizabeth is the Botanical Specialist at Plantlife, where she delivers conservation projects for threatened species in the UK and advises on habitat management. She is on the committee of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland England and the GB Vascular Plant Red List group.

She is particularly interested in how plants ‘fit into’ the landscape and their interaction with ecological processes and human activities past and present. A keen naturalist, she loves sharing her enthusiasm with Naturetrek clients!