Dr Carolyn Petersen

I am an environmental social scientist based at CRPR (https://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/centres/crpr/). My primary research interest is in participation and engagement related to the ways people interact with the environment and its governance. Within this I have worked on a number of interdisciplinary projects focusing on environmental governance, policy and practice including on nature-based solutions and adaptation to climate change; land management, farming and biodiversity; sustainable tourism; and environment-health and wellbeing links. My research includes both UK and international work (including the EU, Africa and South America).

I am currently working on the NERC-funded RENEW project (Theme 3) (https://renewbiodiversity.org.uk/themes/theme-3-land-managers/ ), researching nature renewal and land managers’ engagement with environmental management practices. In addition, I am involved in an evaluation for Defra of the Local Nature Recovery Strategies in England as part of a consortium with ICF and Land Use Consultants.

I am also continuing research arising from the EU Horizon 2020-funded REGREEN project (2022-24), working with Prof. Duncan Russel (Politics) (https://www.regreen-project.eu). This project involved research on governance and policy learning for innovation in urban nature-based solutions (NBS), focusing on climate change adaptation (flooding and heat effects).

I combine my research interests with project management skills and experience (PRINCE2 Practitioner qualified). This includes working as a Project Manager on the EU Interreg-funded project Promoting Adaptation to Changing Coasts (2022-2023) (https://www.pacco-interreg.com ), a coastal climate change adaptation and managed realignment project (for the East Devon Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust / Clinton Devon Estates).

Previous research projects:

• Interdisciplinary collaboration - RENEW X3 – Collaboration in Practice (2023-4) project; (NERC-funded) (https://renewbiodiversity.org.uk/themes/theme-x3-collaboration-in-practice/): research into collaboration across disciplines and sectors (including with external stakeholders) in the four research programmes within the NERC-funded Changing the Environment Programme.
• Sustainable Tourism - Bio-Cultural Heritage Tourism (2018-2022) EU Interreg-funded (https://www.bcht.eu/ ): investigating improving environmental sustainability in tourism interventions in partnership with four UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in England and France.
• Gender equality, agroecology and food security - project funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (2021): with Prof. Toby Pennington (Geography) and the Instituto Ouro Verde (https://ouroverde.org.br/), Mato Grosso, Brazil, entitled ‘Investigating the contributions of women’s agroforestry activities to renegotiating gender equality and food security in Brazil’.
• Health and wellbeing-environment links – two reports commissioned by the South West Coast Path Association (https://www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/ ) (2022 and 2021), funded by Natural England: research on the economic and qualitative physical and mental health and wellbeing benefits of walking the South West Coast Path, including a focus on access and inclusion.
• Valuing Nature Placement; NERC-funded (2018): quantifying the health and wellbeing value of the East Devon Pebblebed Heaths and exploring the potential of partnerships with private sector organisations to increase the associated benefits (with Clinton Devon Estates and ECEHH).
• Public administration – working with Prof. Oliver James (Politics) - 1) the Structure and Organisation of Government project (SOG-PRO) (https://www.sog-pro.eu/en/); ESRC-funded (2014-2018): investigating and developing innovative ways to describe and understand organisational dynamics at central government level. And 2) the Coordinating for Cohesion in the Public Sector of the Future project (COCOPS); EU funded (2013-14) (http://www.cocops.eu/), a public management research consortium (11 universities in 10 countries), investigating blame attribution as a result of contracting out of public services, using survey experiment methodology.