Mia is a passionate conservation scientist dedicated to bridging socio-economic needs and environmental preservation, leveraging varied international experience with a focus on rehabilitating landscapes, promoting sustainability and connecting people back to the land. Her enthusiasm for conservation and sustainability has been key to her success in teaching and inspiring young adults to develop their research skills, expand their learning and develop a life-long passion for conservation. Her PhD in habitat restoration honed her expertise in reforestation efforts, specifically their role in recovering biodiversity and ecosystem functions in tropical rainforests and aided in the development of cutting-edge reforestation strategies that balance ecological and economic benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout her career, she has worked for various conservation NGOs, addressing complex environmental challenges with socio-economic dimensions across the globe. In 2017, she spearheaded the biodiversity research program at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda, addressing issues including forest resource dependency and human-wildlife conflict. She led comprehensive ecological surveys and mentored Rwandan students, equipping them with essential skills for conservation careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following on from this, she worked with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in the UK, researching effectiveness of conservation management actions for bumblebees, to inform conservation management and policy. Her work supported agricultural policy and contributed to the UK Government\u2019s biodiversity net gain strategy, emphasizing the socio-economic benefits of pollinator services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before her doctoral studies, she engaged in conservation efforts in Vietnam, Borneo, and Guyana. In Vietnam, as a Conservation Officer with Fauna & Flora International, she designed and implemented a comprehensive livelihoods study to resolve conflicts between local forest resource dependency and primate conservation efforts in a National Park. This work culminated in actionable conservation management recommendations that balanced ecological needs with local livelihoods, fostering sustainable coexistence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Borneo, she studied the impacts of selective logging regimes on faunal populations, and in Guyana, she trained students in biodiversity monitoring during a remote research expedition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In her role as Rio Tinto-BirdLife Programme Coordinator, she engaged with conservation partners and mining units to explore and develop collaborative opportunities to achieve ‘net positive impact’ biodiversity targets, aligning conservation goals with corporate social responsibility initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her enthusiasm for rainforest conservation and restoration, combined with a vibrant teaching style, inspires future conservationists. With strong local and international partnerships, she is committed to delivering impactful, resource-rich learning experiences that integrate socio-economic considerations into biodiversity conservation. She is committed to scientific publishing, communication and outreach and serves as editor for the journal Restoration Ecology, further contributing to the field’s body of knowledge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mia is a passionate conservation scientist dedicated to bridging socio-economic needs and environmental preservation, leveraging varied international experience with a focus on rehabilitating landscapes, promoting sustainability and connecting people back to the land. Her enthusiasm for conservation and sustainability has been key to her success in teaching and inspiring young adults to develop their research […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":22935,"template":"","department":[49],"staff-type":[60],"class_list":["post-21036","staff","type-staff","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","department-academics","staff-type-faculty"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/staff\/21036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/staff"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/staff"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/staff\/21036\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/department?post=21036"},{"taxonomy":"staff-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/staff-type?post=21036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}