Hiking through National Parks, climbing mountains and surfing waves; we spent a lot of our spare time immersed in the natural world. But how does our use of the natural world impact it and equally, how does it affect us? This edition of the environmental SCIENTIST explores our relationship to nature through recreational activities and questions whether we value recreation in nature for human benefit or for environmental gain. In a fascinating breadth of articles, read about how anglers could help to save our watercourses, how natural nature reserves really are, and to what extent does the air we breathe impact on athletic ability.

With the return of David Attenborough's Blue Planet, the Earth's seas and oceans have been at the forefront of the public agenda in 2018. This edition of the environmental SCIENTIST takes a look beneath the surface, uncovering issues faced by the marine environment. Join us, as we dive into topics such as the changing habitats of cetacean species, studying the activity on the ocean floor, and observing long-term climate trends in the Earth's oceans.

Unintended consequences crop up throughout our lives; they can change our perspective, open new avenues and create all manner of problems. Science owes many groundbreaking discoveries to the unexpected but not all unintended consequences lead to great things - whether positive or negative the impact of the "unknown unknowns" cannot be understated. This edition of the environmental SCIENTIST seeks to highlight the uncertain nature of environmental science. In this issue we explore how historical and current policy making can lead to unpredictable outcomes, how a green energy solution solves more than one environmental issue and what happens when the native species return to their homeland to find an intruder.

As cities and towns nationwide look for innovative ways to tackle the housing crisis, land condition professionals dedicate themselves to unlocking land that was otherwise written off for development. With an increasing drive for accessible green space, remediated sites now not only provide much needed space for housing, but the chance for green spaces in the heart of our cities. This edition of the environmental SCIENTIST highlights some of the key challenges and opportunities currently being tackled by land condition professionals. This issue delves into the legislation surrounding land condition and land use, as well as how modern sustainability technologies and techniques are being incorporated into remediation practice.

As Higher Education Institutions increasingly strive to find the most impactful way of conducting innovative education and research, many are initiating Living Labs programmes. The objective of a Living Lab programme is to establish a platform where people from different stakeholder groups can easily and effectively collaborate. While Living Labs are not limited to sustainability, this sector has led the way and embraced their potential to enhance learning and employability for students, problem-solving for campus managers, and deliver real-world sustainability improvements. This issue of the environmental SCIENTIST explores the development of the concept, presents case studies from the perspective of a range of Living Labs stakeholders, and considers its potential to drive further change.