photos: brian e robinson

In our lab we look at how people meet their needs through use of ecosystems and natural resources, and the role this plays in development in poorer regions of the world. Some questions that drive our research include: 

  • How does household behaviour interact with policy intentions, for instance in payment for ecosystem services programs?
  • Why do communities create management institutions? How do these impact landscapes and livelihoods?
  • How do communities use ecosystems to support their livelihoods? What parts of the landscape are most critical for that support?

Recent work has evaluated the livelihood impacts of a payment for ecosystem services program (PES) near Beijing, how rural villages choose to manage mushroom harvests in south China, and how land tenure influences deforestation rates globally. Our research uses an institutional and economic lens, and our methods draw from  environmental and development economics, ecology, development geography, and geographic information sciences.  
Lab group under
Brian E. Robinson, PhD