Aberdeen University and the Macaulay Institute have joined forces to position north-east Scotland at the frontier of research in protecting the planet.

The Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability (Aces) was launched yesterday by Michael Russell, Scotland's Minister for Environment. Aces will bring together experts from different disciplines in environmental, social and economic science, with the aim of tackling a diverse range of pressing environmental issues, from the sustainable management of biodiversity to the impact of climate change.

One of the first topics to be addressed is hunting and its impact on biodiversity.

The Scottish Funding Council has given £1.2m to help set up Aces, which is headed by ecologist Professor Steve Redpath.

"One of the greatest challenges facing society is to understand how we can sustainably manage our planet," said Mr Redpath.

"It is increasingly recognised that we need new approaches to solve our environmental problems."