School of Earth and Environment

Sustainability Research (SRI) PhD Projects

Can community based resource management deliver ecosystem services?

Community based natural resource management (CBNRM) has a long history in the development literature. It has been supported as a way to improve livelihoods and sustainably manage resources and also criticised for failing to achieve either. CBNRM is based on often traditional systems of holding land and resources in common, and the belief that local communities are best placed to manage their resources. Now the new paradigm of ecosystem services, where landscapes and habitats are valued for the goods and services they provide, is gaining ground. This approach argues for management strategies that deliver across of these goods and services, such as clean water, carbon storage and biodiversity conservation. However, few studies have investigated the extent to which communal systems and CBNRM are compatible with an ecosystem services approach and what that might mean in practice for rural agricultural communities.

Supporting documents:
If you would like to be considered for research in this area, you will need to provide a full research proposal. This should be no longer than 6 pages, plus referencing. You will need to present the proposal in sections to include an introduction, the aims of the project/research questions, full methodology, and referencing. Referencing should be done in the style of a journal related to this research area.

Funding:
No project funding attached. The University has some sources of funding for PhD studies. These are:

Home/EU: University Research Scholarship (URS) – full information at http://scholarships.leeds.ac.uk;

International: Fully-funded International Research Scholarship (FIRS), and China Scholarship Council (CSC)-Leeds Partnership – full information at http://scholarships.leeds.ac.uk

The UK Research Councils also provide funding for PhD studies for Home/EU students. If you are interested in applying for an ESRC/NERC Interdisciplinary Scholarship or an ESRC +3 Scholarship then please contact the postgraduate admissions office for more information.

Note to candidate: You will need to demonstrate that you have/are being considered for 3 years of funding to include tuition fees and living costs. Additionally, a bench fee may be charged, to cover exceptional consumables/fieldwork costs needed for successful completion of the project. Please see the notes on ‘fees and scholarships’ in the main menu.

Entry requirements/necessary background: Masters degree preferred.