Profile
Sharks being the primary target of illegal vessels arrested in the Chagos Archipelago, her research mapped socio-economic drivers for shark fisheries in India and Sri Lanka. Understanding the socio-economic motivations driving illegal activity in the Chagos Archipelago will enable an effective prevention trough economic deterrence.
Building upon these findings, I am now co-leading a project (with Dr Asha de Vos) which will critically analyse progress, challenges and opportunities for using behavioural insights to tackle IUU fishing in large MPAs using the Chagos Archipelago as a specific case study. This will combine analyses at the global, regional and local levels, with fieldwork in Sri Lanka and India.
Coastal environments and communities are experiencing complex social and ecological changes. We need to better understand the impacts of humans on marine resources, as well as their socio-economic and cultural dependence on those resources. Interdisciplinary research that brings social and ecological aspects together is essential for addressing sustainability challenges.
Biography
My Project
Other interests
My research expertise lies in developing and applying integrated social-ecological approaches in conservation and natural resource management. I am particularly interested in the application of tools and findings from multiple disciplines to conservation and in developing novel techniques to achieve a better understanding of the dynamics of social-ecological systems.
Using a number of case studies all over the world and working in close collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders (e.g. fishers, governments, development and environmental NGOs), my works brings together ecological and social data into unified frameworks to inform management and policy decisions and help manage conflicts over natural resources.