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Department of Geography

 

PhD Project – The Political Ecology of Trees and Birds in Ghana

Bill Adams, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge (email: wa12@cam.ac.uk)

Juliet Vickery, Centre for Conservation Science, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (email: juliet.Vickery@rspb.org.uk)

The populations of many birds that migrate between Europe and Africa are in decline. One factor affecting numbers is the availability of wintering habitat in West Africa, particularly scrub and trees in and around dryland farms. Rural communities in the semi-arid West Africa depend on the successful management of these agricultural landscapes for their livelihoods. There are long-standing debates about environmental change in these environments, ranging from concerns about desertification to reports of sustainable intensification and ‘greening’. In particular, information is lacking about the sustainability of dryland agriculture, and the supply of ecosystem services such as fuelwood and livestock fodder in fields, fallows and woodlands in farmed landscapes. Trajectories of landscape change are uncertain, and the political, economic and social drivers of change are inadequately understood. These trajectories and drivers have significant implications for the livelihoods and wellbeing of rural people as well as biodiversity, including migratory birds.

This project builds on previous research, and will explore the political ecology of landscape change in a study area in northern Ghana. This area is already the focus of ornithological and ecological research by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB, co-sponsors of this project), and their local partners. Woodland and farm trees are important habitats for migratory birds, especially the wood warbler. The project’s aim is to understand what factors influence the way farmers manage trees on and around their land, and the implications of the decisions of land managers for landscape change.

The work will involve a range of qualitative and quantitative methods, including household questionnaires, focus groups and in-depth key informant interviews. The work will focus on the following questions:

  • Under what form of tenure is land held (ownership, leasehold, rental, sharing etc.), and by whom (issues of gender and household structure); how is access to land determined, how equal or unequal is landholding, and how is land tenure changing?
  • How important is agriculture in local livelihoods, compared to (for example) forms of off-farm income or remittances, and how are farm labour and other work (e.g. employment or domestic labour) negotiated within the household? How important are engagements in produce markets and access to agricultural extension and inputs to farm household economies?
  • How is farmland managed (crops and crop mixes, seasonal patterns of labour fallowing, manuring, fertilization, pest control and irrigation)? How does this vary with household characteristics (e.g. number of children, gender of household head)
  • What systems of tenure exist for trees (on or between farms, or outside fields), what species are valued or encouraged (and why), and how do land managers make decisions about the growth of scrub and trees?
  • What understanding do local stakeholders (farmers and other land users, local government technical staff) have about environmental change, both the direction and pace of change (e.g. loss of gain of trees) and its significance? How do different people value the elements of the landscape that are important for migrant birds?
  • What potential exists for strategies to promote the management of trees that integrates the needs of people and birds?

The PhD will be based in the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge, working with the RSPB (based in Sandy, Bedfordshire). It will be co-supervised by Juliet Vickery (RSPB) and Bill Adams (Geography), collaborating under the Cambridge Conservation Initiative). Candidates may have a background in either the natural or social sciences, but must have experience of social science fieldwork, and a strong interest in socio-economic and environmental change in subSaharan Africa. Field experience in a developing country context and a capacity for self-directed work in remote field locations are an advantage. The project currently has only partial funding, and funding will be dependent on a successful application for an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) CASE Award at the Cambridge ESRC Doctoral Training Centre.

Candidates must have graduated at a University before 1 October 2016 and be eligible to pay University fees at the ‘home’ (UK/EU) rate. Consideration will normally be restricted to those who have obtained, or who have a strong prospect of obtaining, a First Class Honours degree (or its equivalent) and evidence of subsequent intellectual development – such as a Masters degree in a relevant field – will be taken into account.

Application: Candidates should submit a covering letter (no more than 2 sides A4) stating why they are suitable for the project and a CV that includes the names of two academic referees, who can be contacted by email. Please send these documents by email to Ms Gae Matthews, Graduate Office Administrator, Department of Geography, email address graduate.enquiries@geog.cam.ac.uk by 12.00 noon, Monday 7 December 2015.

Late applications will not be accepted.

Interviews will take place in Cambridge before the Christmas Holiday. Following selection, the successful applicant will be required to submit a complete formal application to study for a PhD at Cambridge, and for an ESRC Studentship, no later than Wednesday, 6th January.

If you have any questions about this studentship please email Gae Matthews at graduate.enquiries@geog.cam.ac.uk or telephone: 01223 333375.