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Phil Franks
Senior researcher (biodiversity), Natural Resources
Phil Franks is an expert on the social dimension of natural resource management and conservation, with a particular focus on better understanding and applying social equity principles in this context.
He is currently working on the development of low-cost methods for assessing the social impacts of protected areas and protected area governance, conservation-development linkages, and social and environmental safeguards for REDD+, the international effort to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. He has extensive experience in Africa, Nepal, Southeast Asia and South America.
- Conservation and human-wellbeing/poverty, natural resource governance, REDD+, climate-smart agriculture
- Particular experience in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, DRC, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Ghana, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru
- Assessment of the social impacts of protected areas
- Integrated conservation and development
- Equity in conservation and REDD+
- Social and environmental safeguards for REDD+
- Global coordinator, Poverty, Environmental and Climate Change Network, CARE International
- Project coordinator, BirdLife International
- Project manager, Development through Conservation, CARE Uganda.
- MA Natural Sciences, Cambridge University. MSc Resource Management, Edinburgh University
English and French
Phil Franks's blog posts
Conservation at a crossroads: Phil Franks explains why conservation must take fairness more seriously.
What's fair when it comes to conservation? Phil Franks explains how a new research tool is providing some insights.
Conservation efforts are increasingly supposed to achieve equity – but what does this mean and how can it be assessed? Phil Franks shares some ideas that may help.
Last month's once-a-decade World Parks Congress didn't talk enough about 'equity' when managing protected areas — but at least it's on the agenda.
The World Parks Congress (WPC) is held once in 10 years and it's almost time for the next one. As expectations build for the event, it's a good time to consider our early experience with the Social Assessment of Protected Areas (SAPA) initiative.
A new framework for assessing the social impacts of protected areas will be key to ensuring conservation is effective, and contributes to human well-being and poverty reduction.
Phil Franks's blog posts with other authors
As part of a new interdisciplinary partnership, IIED will be working with sector experts, scientists and practitioners to better understand and manage the growing competition for land in sub-Saharan Africa, as governments seek to balance food production with forest conservation targets.