Introducing the Centre's new Associate Director

Can you tell us a little about your background and area of research?

I originally trained as a physical geographer and then realised that while understanding environmental systems and how they work is valuable, we also need to understand people’s roles in the environmental changes taking place if they are to be managed. In many ways conservation challenges are not environmental problems, rather, they are human ones. A lot of my research has been in the developing world, looking at some of the major dynamics of the Anthropocene: climate change, biodiversity change, land degradation, trying to understand how in this context of change, we can ensure sustainable food, energy and water for everyone, while also making sure they have a voice in that process.

Lindsay together with traditional leaders at a workshop for her project on indigenous non-irrigated tree restoration in northern Nigeria, Kano, 2022.  

What do you love about your research?

My research means I get to meet lots of different kinds of people in lots of different places which is what I really enjoy about my job. From spending time with farmers and conservation managers in rural Africa to participating in policy discussions at United Nations events, or interacting with different kinds of researchers as an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) author, my research is really varied and means I’m always learning.  

Lindsay presenting her research at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Conference of the Parties, Riyadh, 2024

What drew you to the role with the Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity?

The role of Associate Director of LCAB (social sciences) offers an exciting opportunity for me. It offers a platform to develop and guide interdisciplinary research that ensures the social sciences are part of the conversation, but which also involves the sciences and arts and humanities. Making sure we have a range of different disciplines involved in the conversation is vital for a more sustainable Anthropocene. 

How do you think the Centre’s research can help us balance the gains and losses of human impact? And does this make you hopeful for the future?

Looking at the same problems through different disciplinary lenses, different research methods and actions, in different places and over different time frames, can shed new light on the opportunities for a more sustainable future where gains and losses are balanced. At the same time, LCAB’s rich complement of Fellows, Postdocs and PhD students offer hope for the future as we are training and developing these researchers to get their hands dirty in the complexity of the Anthropocene. 

Is there a particular area of research that could help focus us on the positives of the Anthropocene?

We’re at a point where we are more connected than ever before and where technology (if carefully managed and co-developed) can offer a lot of new and emerging opportunities. I think we need more research to better understand what we are already doing that is working in terms of balancing the gains and losses associated with human impact, and to find out more about how, where and when we can scale these successful approaches, harnessing new technologies and partnerships to help us. To do this, we need to start thinking over a longer time horizon, ensure all voices are heard and to stay open minded.