Biodiversity Specialist

Julia Baker

Background

My main interests are the use of integrated conservation and development (ICD) to achieve protected area conservation through poverty alleviation. This includes understanding how people use natural resources for livelihood and wellbeing needs, and the role of governance in biodiversity conservation.

I worked with the International Institute for Environment and Development on their Darwin Initiative funded project ‘From research to policy: building capacity for conservation through poverty alleviation’, which was based at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda.

Outside research, I work within industry with the aim to drive forward the biodiversity agenda, especially No Net Loss and Net Positive policies to embed conservation principles into construction design, planning and build.

Current Research

I am currently working on Building Capacity for Pro-Poor Responses to Wildlife Crime in Uganda (funded by the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund) , in collaboration with IIED, the Wildlife Conservation Society Uganda Program and the Uganda Wildlife Authority. I’m also supervising Victoria on her PhD to integrate No Net Loss of Biodiversity with social gains.

I’m a Research Advisor to the International Institute of Environment and Development on their project “local economic development through gorilla tourism” which is funded by the Darwin Initiative http://www.iied.org/local-economic-development-through-gorilla-tourism

Selected Papers

EMA, CIRIA, CIEEM (2016) Biodiversity Net Gain Good Practice Principles. Available from:http://www.cieem.net/data/files/Publications/Biodiversity_Net_Gain_Principles.pdf

Harrison, M., Roe, D., Baker, J., Mwedde, G., Travers, H., Plumptre, A., Rwetsiba, A. & Milner-Gulland, E.J. (2015) Wildlife Crime: a review of the evidence on drivers and impacts in Uganda. IIED, London.

Harrison et al. (2015) Profiling unauthorized natural resource users for better targeting of conservation interventions. Conservation Biology. DOI:10.1111/cobi.12575.

Twinamatsiko, T. et al (2014) Linking Poverty, Equity and Poverty Alleviation – understanding profiles and motivations of resource users and local perceptions of governance at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. IIED.

Baker, J. et al (2012) Park Gazettement and Integrated Conservation and Development as Factors in Community Conflict at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda. DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2011.01777.x

Blomley et al. (2010) ‘Development and Gorillas? Assessing fifteen years of integrated conservation and development in south-western Uganda. IIED.