Sally Hawkins

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About Me

I am an interdisciplinary researcher and educator in environmental sustainability. My career bridges research, practice and policy. I'm recognized as a leader in rewilding research and policymaking through my work with the IUCN, I have developed and implement environmental governance frameworks and co-founded environmental NGO the Lifescape Project which leads ambitious projects in environmental law, economics and community-led restoration. My research focuses on the governance and human dimensions of scaling up environmental sustainability, with a particular emphasis on aligning social justice with ecological resilience. As an educator, I enjoy working with students from diverse disciplines, inspiring systems thinking and critical analysis in sustainability and conservation.

General

Universities Studied At

Lancaster University, UK - PhD Landscape and Social-Ecological Resilience and Transformation

City University, London - MA Creative Writing

University of Cape Town - BA Media Studies

Universities Worked At

University of Melbourne - Casual lecturer and research associate

University of Cumbria - Postdoctoral Research Associate, Environmental Governance

Key Achievements

The Lifescape Project: I am a co-founder and former trustee of this ambitious environmental NGO at the forefront of conservation policy, environmental law, rewilding, and species reintroductions. Lifescape leads transformative projects that influence conservation in the UK and internationally.

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Creative Adaptive Solutions for Treescapes of Rivers (CASTOR): Part of an interdisciplinary team on this flagship UKRI project to inform the UK government’s environmental policies and incentives, I led a Q method study to establish contextual values and priorities in three flood-prone catchment areas in England and worked with industry partners to ensure practical applicability of the research.

PhD in landscape and social-ecological resilience and transformation, “A Grounded Theory of Change for Rewilding”; Lancaster University: Research to investigate rewilding as large-scale environmental change management, identifying leverage points for achieving social-ecological resilience and sustainability, particularly focusing on the human dimensions, including socio-cultural, economic, and governance implications. I used constructivist grounded theory and related qualitative data collection and analysis. My research has led to several research outputs and a growing network of collaborators, and its impact is demonstrated by its integration into IUCN guidelines for rewilding.

IUCN Commission for Ecosystem Management (CEM) Rewilding Thematic Group: As co-founder of the RTG I have spearheaded work to develop rewilding theory and policy, e.g. through lead editorship of the Routledge Handbook of Rewilding and coordinating IUCN Rewilding Guidelines which will be presented at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in 2025.