Ruth Pinto

Senior researcher (fisheries and nature governance)

Ruth is a political ecologist specialising in rights-based approaches to nature conservation and food systems. Her expertise spans three broad areas: land tenure and governance, environmental justice, and the politics of conservation and development.

Ruth works in partnership with others to advance the rights and authority of Indigenous Peoples and local communities through research, collaborative learning, policy advocacy and grassroots organising.

Much of her work focuses on fishers, fish workers and coastal communities in rural and urban areas across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Expertise

Conservation governance; rights-based approaches; small-scale fisheries; environmental justice; participatory research methodologies; monitoring, learning and evaluation.

Before IIED

Prior to joining IIED, Ruth worked in research, policy advocacy and strategic communication roles at NGOs and research organisations including the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Foundation for Ecological Security and Keystone Foundation.

Education

PhD, development studies: politics of development and environmental justice, University of East Anglia and University of Copenhagen
MSc, environmental sciences, policy and management, Central European University, Lund University and University of Manchester
BA, sociology, St. Xavier’s College, University of Mumbai

Current work

Ruth leads the design, implementation and evaluation of research methodologies and practical tools to strengthen grassroots organising, devolve authority and improve respect for rights in the context of conservation and food systems (primarily aquatic food systems).

Her work spans a diverse range of themes, including land, territorial and resource rights; human rights; housing justice; area-based conservation; small-scale fisheries; coastal conflicts; restorative justice; human-wildlife coexistence; and smallholder production systems.