Ian Rotherham: History and Nature of the River Don

Join Ian at Danum, Gallery, Library & Museum in the Rail Heritage Centre for an illustrated talk on the history and nature of our great River Don and it’s role in the South Yorkshire landscape, as part of the 30th anniversary of Heritage Open Days.

As part of the Don Catchment Rivers Trust's current National Lottery Heritage Fund project 'All Hands on the Don', Ian's talk will explore the natural and historic heritage of the River Don and it’s role in the South Yorkshire landscape.

Currently Emeritus Professor at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre and formerly of Sheffield Hallam University, Ian has over 40 years in university research, local government, voluntary, and private sectors, with research addressing core themes of ecology, sustainable development, quality of life, education, and empowerment.

His diverse work has included outdoor and wildlife leisure and tourism (nature-based, heritage, and garden-leisure and tourism), community issues, economic impact assessments, sustainable development, and economic and social regeneration, and major work on woods, forest landscapes, and cultural history. This includes landscape ecology such as treescapes, peat bogs, flooding, and land management, invasive and non-native species, relict and indicator species, urban hydrology, sustainable ecology, assessment and remediation contaminated / degraded landscapes, and problems of land and water contamination along industrial rivers.

Ian is an author of numerous books and papers and is considered an expert in the South Yorkshire landscape and beyond.