Eilish Farrelly

Background

I have shown an interest in conservation and climate change issues as long as I can remember, often choosing a conservation-based topic when given the choice at school, such as trying to convince my secondary school English class to all adopt animals with WWF! In sixth form I carried out an extended project looking at the impact of a vegan diet on the environment, which not only highlighted the impact of individual decision making, but also demonstrated the importance of understanding human behaviour for positive ecological outcomes. This also impacted my decision to apply to study Undergraduate Biology at Oxford.

I am very active and love to be out in the field, being lucky enough to have been a volunteer diver in Belize and a conservation intern in Nosy Be Madagascar. Both trips involved working with and learning from local people and demonstrated to me the importance of local communities leading conservation action.

I am very excited to be a part of the ICCS research group, to both work with and learn from inspiring conservation scientists, and provide my own small contribution towards an equitable and sustainable future.

Current Research

My MBiol project aims to examine the involvement of Indigenous People and Local Communities (IPLCs) in Nature-Based Carbon Credit Schemes (NBCCs). IPLCs are stewards of a large amount of biodiversity, but rather than highlighting their central role in achieving climate change and biodiversity goals, the increased recognition of the economic value of nature has led to large areas of land being purchased for the generation of NBCCs, and this threatens to undermine both human rights and protection of biodiversity. My project aims to understand the relationship between the involvement of IPLCs, particularly in decision making, and the outcomes of these NBCC schemes, considering both the social and ecological impacts. This is important not only for the protection of rights of IPLCs, but also for ecological outcomes to be both effective and sustainable. Through this research I hope to contribute to improved design of these schemes as they continue to develop, to ensure that finances are appropriately invested in the Global South, and reduce/prevent conflict with IPLCs.

Brief CV

tab-image

Biodiversity Network Event Assistant – Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery (2024-present)

Internship – GVI Nosy Be Madagascar (2023)

Volunteer – Reef Conservation International Belize (2022)

Volunteer – London Wildlife Trust (2019-2020)

 

Other experience

Trials Assistant – Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre (2020-2021)

Internship – Summarising ESG articles at Curation (2020)