Phil Franks

Principal researcher (biodiversity), Natural Resources

Phil Franks's picture
Telephone: +44 (0)20 3463 7399
Languages: English, French

Phil Franks is an expert on the social dimension of natural resource management and nature conservation, with a particular focus on social equity and environmental justice. 

He is currently working on the development and scaling up of practical tools for stakeholders and rightsholders in the development and management of protected and conserved areas, to assess and improve social impacts, governance, equity and respect for rights, in turn to deliver better outcomes for both people and nature links between conservation and development, and social and environmental safeguards. 

He has extensive experience in Africa, Nepal, Southeast Asia and South America.

Expertise

Conservation and human-wellbeing/poverty; natural resource governance; REDD+; climate-smart agriculture.

Particular experience in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Madagascar, Rwanda, DRC, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Ghana, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.

Before IIED

  • Global coordinator, Poverty, Environmental and Climate Change Network, CARE International
  • Project coordinator, BirdLife International
  • Project manager, Development through Conservation, CARE Uganda.

Education

  • MA, natural sciences, Cambridge University
  • MSc, resource management, Edinburgh University

Current work

  • Scaling up equitable governance of protected and conserved areas using the SAGE tool
  • Revitalising shared governance of protected and conserved areas in Africa
  • Assessment and improvement of social impacts of protected areas
  • Development and operationalisation of the equitable governance element of the 30x30 Target of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

Video playlist

Publications