I am a political ecologist working in forest conservation and politics of environment-development in Chinese investments in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan economic corridor.

Antti Autio is a Ph.D. student in the Doctoral Programme in Interdisciplinary Environmental Sciences (DENVI) at the University of Helsinki. He holds a master’s degree in Development Geography and his dissertation research focuses on smallholder farmer’s adaptation to climate change in East Africa from the perspective of political ecology.

My research focuses on the power relations deployed throughout conflicts and collaborations over the management, use, and conservation of forest in Mexico

I'm a student in the doctoral programme of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki. My research is at the intersection of agroecology, political ecology and youth employment and livelihoods. In particular, I focus on young farmers in Benin and their health-related motivations and strategies in using ecological farming methods.

Projects

TaitaWater - WG Social issues in Water management

Goal 4+: Eco-cultural Pluralism in Quality Education in Ecuadorian Amazonia

Siiri Sandberg is a Ph.D. student in the Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences (SOC) at the University of Helsinki. Siiri holds master’s degrees in Social and Cultural Anthropology and Urban Studies and Planning. The Ph.D. research draws on political ecology to study youth participation in forest conservation in Taita Hills, Kenya. 

My PhD research focuses on the political ecology and interplay between conservation and artisanal and small-scale mining in Madagascar. I am particularly interested in the power dynamics and formal and informal practices and discourses which the actors use to claim land and natural resources. Furthermore, my research aims at providing a venue for local communities to voice their perceptions and aspirations in the land-use question, and to facilitate communication between all stakeholders and development of more inclusive conservation and mining policies.

Formerly a Postdoc Researcher at the University of Luxembourg and the University of Helsinki (UH) and University Lecturer at UH, Gutu Olana Wayessa is a researcher. His current research is also affiliated with UH. He received BSc from Haramaya University, Ethiopia; an MSc from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway; and a Ph.D. in Social Sciences, majoring in Development Studies, from UH, Finland. From 1 February to 31 July 2019, he held a Visiting Research Scholar at the American University, Washington DC, USA. His research interests include displacements and resettlements, climate change, large-scale investments, land governance, environmental and social justice, state-society relations, social movements, and rural livelihoods. His theoretical and methodological interests encompass political ecology, political economy, philosophy of science, and mixed-methods research.

Projects

Large-scale land deals and local livelihoods in Ethiopia: A political ecology of a contested scheme