People and Environments

 A tree-covered area flooded with muddy water in Tanzania

Humans interact with the natural environment in a multitude of ways and we rely on the health of the environment to survive and thrive. Often, tensions emerge when there are competing demands on the environment and different stakeholders with varying degrees of decision-making power. Understanding these different needs can be valuable for reaching agreement and exposing injustice. 

Learning how people interact with the environment must be accompanied by a deep understanding of the environment itself in order to make informed decisions. Often data is insufficient to predict the implications of management decisions, resulting in unforeseen consequences. The ability to use new tools and collect data in new ways helps provide the best possible information to policy-makers.

In this complex and ever-changing landscape, our researchers work with communities, national governments, academics and NGOs, using new technologies and engagement approaches to understand the relationships between the natural environment and the people who depend on it for their survival. From southeast Asian river deltas to African savannahs and South American conflict zones, our teams deploy interdisciplinary approaches to the challenges of human and environmental resilience.

In this section you can read about each of our projects exploring the interconnectedness of people and their environment, including links to our partners and the staff profiles of our research teams.