Jamie Carr
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity
Governance of biodiversity change
Biography
My PhD (University of Leeds) examined how progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals can affect forests. Before this, I worked for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), where I led work on climate change impacts on species. I hold a BSc in Ecology and Conservation from Anglia Ruskin University and an MSc in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation from the University of East Anglia. While much of my early career focused on species conservation, my research has increasingly broadened to encompass sustainable development, conservation policy and governance. More recently, my work has shifted towards understanding how conservation can better integrate principles of equity, inclusion and rights, alongside achieving biodiversity and climate objectives. I recently completed a secondment with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), where I examined the links between poverty alleviation and environmental programming across 28 UK government programmes. This experience strengthened my interest in understanding how environmental policy can better deliver both social and environmental outcomes. My position with LCAB allows me to pursue these interdisciplinary interests alongside a diverse team o researchers, bringing together perspectives from ecology, policy, governance and social science to address some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
Research
My research explores how environmental conservation can achieve positive outcomes for both people and nature. While my earlier work focused on species conservation, and later the synergies and trade-offs between the Sustainable Development Goals and global biodiversity goals, my research now has a stronger emphasis on the governance and social dimensions of conservation. I am particularly interested in inclusive, equitable and rights-based conservation, examining how policies and programmes affect different groups, who participates in environmental decision-making, and how governance processes shape the distribution of costs and benefits. I also continue to investigate how policy and institutional processes can support the achievement of biodiversity, climate and sustainable development goals simultaneously, with a particular interest in ecosystems in the Global South.
Publication Highlights
Carr, J.A., Barau, A.S., Jew, E.K.K., Kirshner, J.D., Marchant, R.A., Salisu, A.T., Petrokofsky, G., Tomei, J. and Stringer, L.C. (2025) A methodological framework for assessing development solutions: application to wood fuel challenges in Nigeria. Scientific Reports, 15, 13072.
Wang, J., Li, C., Deng, Z., Carr, J.A. Stringer, L.C., Li, K., Hu, Y., Zeng, C., Huang, K., Peng, S. and Wang, Z. (2025) Biodiversity Impacts of Land Occupation for Renewable Energy Infrastructure in a Globally Connected World. Environmental science & technology, 59(19), 9529-9539.
Salisu, A.T., Barau, A.S., Carr, J.A., Chunwate, B.T., Jew, E.K.K., Kirshner, J.D., Marchant, R.A., Tomei, J. and Stringer, L.C. (2024) The forgotten bread oven: local bakeries, forests and energy transition in Nigeria. Regional Environmental Change, 24(2), 40.
Langhammer, P.F., Bull, J.W., Bicknell, J.E., Oakley, J.L., Brown, M.H., Bruford, M.W., Butchart, S.H., Carr, J.A., Church, D., Cooney, R. and Cutajar, S., Foden, W., Foster, M.N., Gascon, C., Geldmann, J., Genovesi, P., Hoffmann, M., Howard-McCombe, J., Lewis, T., Macfarlane, N.B.W., Melvin, Z.E., Merizalde, R.G., Morehouse, M.G., Pagad, S., Polidoro, B., Sechrest, W., Segelbacher, G., Smith, K.G., Steadman, J., Strongin, K., Williams, J., Woodley, S. and Brooks, T.M. (2024). The Positive Impact of Conservation Action. Science, 384(6694), 453-458.
Carr, J.A., Spracklen, D.V., Brasington, D., Canosa, I.V., Fagundes, L., Messina, T. and Sallu, S.M. (2023) Assessing risks and opportunities for tropical forests in the face of sustainable development. PLOS Sustainability and Transformation, 2(5), e0000060.