The CRI contains faculty from many different departments on campus that offer relevant for candidates interested in studying conservation and sustainability.
If you are interested in applying to any of the below programmes, then you must first contact a potential supervisor, and then apply to that person's departmental programme.
The specific taught and research-based MPhils we are linked to include:
Taught (coursework included) :
• MPhil in Conservation Leadership (Geography)
• MPhil in Anthropocene Studies (Geography)
• MPhil in Holocene Climates (Geography)
• MPhil in Environmental Policy (Land Economy)
• MSt in Climate, Environmental and Urban Policy (Land Economy)
• MPhil in Land Economy by Thesis (Land Economy)
• MPhil in Crop Science (Plant Sciences)
Research/dissertation only:
• MPhil in Geography (Geography)
• MPhil in Biological Sciences (Zoology)
• MPhil in Plant Sciences (Plant Sciences)
• MPhil in Land Economy by Research (Land Economy)
Related MPhils include:
• MSt in Sustainability Leadership (CISL)
Potential topics by theme for MPhils that include a dissertation:
1. Protecting biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and resilience;
Geography:
- How are urban ecosystems responding to climate and anthropogenic pressures? (PI: Matthew Adeleye)
- How has vegetation and wetlands changed in response to climate and cultural land use during the past millennia and centuries? (PI: Matthew Adeleye)
- How is forest diversity linked to carbon storage in Europe? (PI: Emily Lines)
- How resilient are different European tree species to climate change? (PI: Emily Lines)
- AI-enabled drone monitoring of forest essential biodiversity variables (PI: Emily Lines)
Plant sciences:
- Monitoring nature-based solutions using remote sensing technologies (PI: David Coomes)
- Future of forestry and forest biodiversity under global change (PI: David Edwards)
- Impacts of selective logging on tropical biodiversity across scales (PI: David Edwards)
- Optimising biodiversity and ecosystem service outcomes of tropical restoration (PI: David Edwards)
Zoology:
- How can we promote the persistence of species under a changing climate? (PI: Rob Fletcher)
- Effectiveness of habitat restoration for pollinators: spillover effects and population impacts (PI: Lynn Dicks)
- Impacts of transitions to regenerative agriculture on pollination or pest regulation services (PI: Lynn Dicks)
- The potential to monitor coastal restoration outcomes using remote sensing applications (PI: Tom Worthington)
- The impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services of changing commodity patterns in the coastal zone (PI: Tom Worthington)
2. Understanding what just conservation transitions to enhanced conservation outcomes could look like; and
Geography:
- How do top-down calls for transformative change align with the values of indigenous and traditional communities? (PI: Rachael Garrett/Chris Sandbrook)
- What do sociobioeconomies/nature positive economies look like in a given region; which areas are most suitable for which activities; what is their potential scale? (PI: Rachael Garrett)
Land Economy:
- How can we quantify the uncertainty about the development and diffusion of different conservation practices and technologies and its drivers? (PI: Laura Diaz Anadon)
- How do different types of infrastructure (e.g., energy infrastructure) shape surrounding land use and ecosystems in different contexts? (PI: Laura Diaz Anadon)
- Scenarios and pathways for food systems transformations for sustainability at regional level (PI: Aiora Zabala)
3. Enabling effective and just conservation transitions through behaviour and policy change.
Geography:
- How well do existing conservation and climate policies align with principles for sustainable and just land systems? (PI: Rachael Garrett)
Plant sciences:
- How effective are European nature conservation / restoration policies and practices (PI: David Coomes)
Zoology:
- How can current and future demand for wood products be met at least cost to biodiversity and the climate? (PI: Andrew Balmford)
- Measuring the impacts of landscape-scale conservation policy on wild pollinator populations (PI: Lynn Dicks)
- Designing more effective conservation and restoration strategies for landscape sustainability and human-wildlife coexistence (PI: Rob Fletcher)
- How to incentivise the adoption of sustainable farming at scale? (PI: Aiora Zabala)
Land Economy:
- How are green industrial policies shaping economic opportunity and conservation outcomes in specific areas? (PI: Laura Diaz Anadon)
- How do difference models of certification and monitoring of carbon credits affect climate, biodiversity and community outcomes? (PI: Andreas Kontoleon/Laura Diaz Anadon)
- How can synergies between international legal instruments on biodiversity/conservation and climate change be strengthened? (PI: Harro van Asselt)
If you are interested in applying to any of the above programmes, you must first contact a potential supervisor, and then apply to that person's departmental programme.