Doctoral Dissertation Research: Understanding the Relationships between Environmental Policy and Biodiversity

The study of the social and cultural impacts of invasive species on global biodiversity is an important area of study in conservation biology and environmental anthropology. Understanding these impacts to manage and control invasive species requires the development of new scientific knowledge and environmental policies. This doctoral dissertation research examines the various ways that environmental public policy responds to the management of invasive species. In addition to training a graduate student in scientific data collection, the research will impact policy related to conservation and environmental management. In order to test the strength of the relationship between environmental policy and management of species, the investigators use qualitative methods such as participant observation, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and archival research. The research tests for various factors and focuses on several stakeholders such as agriculturalists, scientists, policymakers, and conservationists involved in environmental management and policy. The research makes significant contributions to environmental anthropology, cultural and rural geography, conservation science, and science and technology studies. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.